Here’s What One Week of C8 Deliveries Looks Like at America’s Biggest Dealer

We talk to the Corvette Manager at the #1 Corvette Dealer in America to discuss what the C8 ordering and delivery experience has been like.

The C8 Corvette is a game changing sports car. Everybody wants a new Corvette. It appeals to young and old alike. It continues to be the hottest car out right now and it is not even close. Many folks who never before even considered a Corvette are being won over by the new mid-engine marvel. That is all fantastic, but it has led to a bit of an issue. The issue is the C8 Corvette remains difficult to obtain. Waiting lists are long and they still remain scarce on the ground. That is what made a recent photo posted by Kerbeck Corvette all the more shocking. Dozens of factory fresh C8 Corvettes just sitting on the showroom floor eager to unleash their performance on the world. Don’t get your hopes up too much, all of them are already sold. However, more are arriving all the time to America’s #1 Corvette dealer.

We recently spent some time talking to Dave Salvatore, the Corvette Manager at Kerbeck. He has been in the Corvette department since 1995, so he has been around since the tail end of the C4 generation. Salvatore spoke to us about the C8 experience from a dealership perspective, and how it compares to previous hot cars. We learned what the ordering process is like and a little bit about the customers themselves. Just who is buying all these new Corvettes? Probably the most shocking thing we learned is that the Corvettes in the cover photo represent only about HALF of the cars they currently have. They have two equal size showrooms, and this picture only shows one of them. They are nose to tail in new Corvettes.

Salvatore explained that he has never seen demand anything like this before. The C7 was hot for the first six or seven months but after that, they had showroom cars that were available for purchase. The first C8 rolled out of the factory nearly a year ago and there are still no showroom C8 cars available. Salvatore cannot even guess as to when they may have any showroom cars that folks can buy on the spot. The way things look now, it probably won’t be this year.

His salesman would have a tougher time selling bottled water in the desert than selling a new Corvette. In fact, Salvatore does not call his team salesman, they are Corvette Specialists. They focus on helping the customer spec the perfect car. They listen to your needs and plans for the car and will make suggestions for you. However, at the end of the day, it is your money so if you want an orange car with a blue interior, they will happily order it for you.

People seem to be like the convertible nearly as much as the coupe. According to Salvatore, of all cars being ordered, the coupe holds a slight edge with 60 percent of buyers going for that configuration. It also appears that GM is hitting the mark when it comes to appealing to younger and first-time buyers. Salvatore confirmed that he is seeing a shift to a younger crowd and many have never owned a Corvette before. His buyers come from all over the country and about a third of them never physically come to the dealership. Most people who do come to the dealership prefer to wait until the weekend to pick up their new ride. This combined with the fact that Kerbeck gets more cars than any other Corvette dealer is why the showrooms are always packed. A new C8 waiting for pickup does not sit outside in the elements.

There is an upside to a showroom full of cars you can’t buy. The Kerbeck doors are open. Even if you are not going to order a car from them, they welcome you to come down and look. You can’t get in or drive any customer cars, however, they have just about every color and wheel combination for you to see. They welcome you to take pictures and get some ideas while you are there. Honestly, we don’t know how you do that and not order a car, but the offer is out there for you. If you have a car in the showroom, what are you waiting for? Get there today and take that baby home!

Photos: Kerbeck Corvette; GM.com

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