Corvette Z06 Pricing History Shows Consistent Growth Over the Years
Corvette Z06 Pricing History Shows Consistent Growth Over the Years
Corvette Z06 pricing has jumped considerably with each passing generation, and the C8’s increase isn’t even the highest.
When GM revealed the 2023 Corvette Z06 pricing recently, it quite literally shocked the world, as it has been somewhat unconceivable that we would see the day where the track-focused model would have a base MSRP of over six figures. Most expected the new Z06 to start around $80-$90k, but alas, that was merely a dream, as buyers will have to shell out at least $106,395 for one, and if you add enough options, that price can quickly crest the $160k mark. And that had us wondering – is 2023 Corvette Z06 pricing out of line with its predecessors, or should we have expected this sort of jump? Luckily, Corvette Blogger has already crunched the numbers for us.
The modern-day Z06 debuted in 2001 during the C5 generation of the Corvette, sporting a modest price tag of $48,055. It offered up 40 more horsepower than a regular model from the same LS1 powerplant, though it did have one exotic part – a titanium exhaust. It was light, attractive, and fun to drive, and its retail price was 18.7 percent more than the base car’s price of $40,475 with destination and delivery. A year later, that price increased to $50,430, however, with the addition of 20 more horsepower, which was 20 percent more than the base model.
The C6 Z06 came along a few years later packing a whopping 100 more horsepower than the base Corvette, but it also cost a lot more – $65,800, which was 48 percent more than the regular car’s $44,490 MSRP. This actually represents the largest discrepancy between the base car and the Z06 in Corvette history, surprisingly enough, but in this case, you got a lot for your hard-earned money.
The same can be said for the C7 Z06, which gained a supercharger to help it lay down an impressive 650 horsepower and it even touted 1.2 g of lateral grip – all for $78,995. That was a fairly significant 46 percent more than the base Corvette, but a jump of just 20.1 percent between generations. When it comes to the C8, perhaps the biggest news here is the base car now costs $64,200, while the Z06 costs a whopping 65.7 percent more.
However, the new Z is 34.7 percent pricier than the C7 Z06, which isn’t the largest generation-to-generation jump in modern history. That honor belongs to the C6, which cost 36.9 percent more than the C5 Z06. Factor in inflation and the fact that the C8 Z06 utilizes a pretty exotic new powerplant, and its lofty price tag doesn’t seem quite as bad as it did before we took this historical context into consideration.
Photos: Chevrolet
