I just viewed a video where a Chevy engineer confirmed that the DRY weight of the Z06/Z07 package C8 is the lightest at 3450 LBS. Add all the liquids and the weight goes up by another couple of hundred pounds.
That tells me 2 things about the Corvette C8 and what Chevy wanted to do with it. (This is my personal opinion)
Chevy wanted to keep the daily driven qualities intact with the C8 all the way through. Chevy wanted to go slightly upscale in feel with the interior with the C8. Chevy didnt want to lend itself to ANY possible feedback stating that the C8 feels cheap in ANY way even if a said model was going to be a stripped model on purpose for racing and track purposes. Weight reduction regarding thinner materials in glass using plexiglass or lexan glass or seats being bare bones or radio and A/C delete and stuff like that to make a pure bred race car was never an option they wanted to explore. Introducing an all carbon fiber and exotic material chassis was never on option (for a Z06) as that would just explode the MSRP price point.
That leaves a very very interesting option going forward though. Either for the Zora or for a special special model down the road either as a very very limited C8 or a last model goodbye send off model before the C9 is introduced. To have a massive weight reduction model offered.
But alas, some people WILL harp on the fact that the Z07 will be 3600/3700 lbs.
But sadly, many naysayers will gloss over the superb engineering that went into the LT6 engine and the superb chassis that is the C8 and the Z06 version of it.
Winning Hearts, Not Just Minds
Throughout the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06's design and development process, the team responsible for it was keenly aware of the respect the C8 Stingray has received in the wider sports-car community. To build on this respect, the Z06 needs to accelerate quicker and handle better, but it also needs to feel even more special. The Z06 must be a car that inspires buyers to eagerly swap their Lamborghini Huracán or Ferrari F8 for—and not because performance tests like MotorTrend's generate better numbers in it, or because of its value proposition. No, Chevy wants to conquest other brands' loyalists via the fact those customers' hearts and heads simply must have this Corvette with the banshee howl, the Can-Am sucker-car grip, and the cockpit-style cabin lined with soft leather and carbon-fiber trim. And because the Z06 promises to be the more satisfying driver's car.