The Track-Only Corvette Z06 GT3.R is Here to Melt Your Face

The new Corvette Z06 GT3.R is the most bonkers one yet – but you can’t drive it on the street. 

Someone who hasn’t been initiated into the mystery cult of car enthusiasm might ask “why do you even need a track car if you can’t drive it on the road?” It’s not their fault that they don’t understand the thrill and sheer pleasure of a track day. It’s something only for us enthusiasts, who sit in front of our screens all day, daydreaming about our local race tracks, and how to downshift just before the corners.  

It is for us that Chevrolet will be releasing the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in 2024, a race-centric version of the already dazzling Z06 that we’ve discussed in the past. Before we get into the specs, we wanted to point just how amazing it is that Chevy is releasing a new Corvette that’s this close to the version driven in actual pro races to anybody with a big enough bank account. Way to go, Chevy. Big ups. 

There are other track cars from American manufacturers out there, like the Ford GT MKII, which is as close to their Le Mans racers as you can get. But the truth is most track-only cars state-side are European: take the McLaren Senna GTR for example. The Senna is an absolute stunner that’s one of the closest things to an F1 car you can have in your (large, ornate, wildly expensive) garage. It just feels good that Chevy is entering the fray with a purpose built model that isn’t just for mass consumption – it’s for the lovers of metal and noise. It’s for the mystery cult initiates. 

The Z06 GT3.R, according to Chevy, will feature a modified version of the same mid-engine 5.5 liter V8 as the road car, tuned to racing specs which is incidentally one of the things that makes it a track only car. It also shares the road car’s chassis.  

Other upgrades include ceramic brakes and lighter aluminum wheels that are standard on racers. All this brings the average enthusiast as close to the real deal Le Mans experience as you can get without buying a ticket to France.  

And speaking of Le Mans, Corvette has announced that it will be participating at Le Mans in 2022 as well as other series. We can only hope the 2024 racer will likely reflect all the little doodads that the team comes up with on the track, which will make it all the more exciting. 

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