On this episode of “Unconfirmed Things People Say for a Fistful of Clicks,” a certain gentleman understands that $86,995 is the MSRP of the Z06. The price is allegedly confirmed by two unnamed Corvette dealerships, and that’s where everything goes downhill from a factual standpoint.
Justin of the HorsePower Obsessed YouTube channel and the dealers in question don’t really know the suggested retail price of the mid-engine sports car even though the featured video's title reads "confirmed by two dealerships" to add authenticity to the claim. General Motors hasn’t even updated the online fleet order guide for the 2023 model year Corvette, which is why I suggest you take the aforementioned price with a pinch of salt.
Given these circumstances, we’re left with nothing more than rough guesstimates for the flat-plane crankshaft V8-engined variant. In order to approximate the MSRP of the newcomer, we have to delve into the past of the Corvette. For the 2019 model year, the Stingray used to carry a sticker price of $56,590 sans freight charge while the Z06 kicked off at $80,900.
That’s a $24,310 difference between the free-breathing Stingray and supercharged Z06, a bundle of cash that we’ll add on top of the 2022 Corvette Stingray’s suggested retail price. All told, we’re looking at $86,505 excluding destination, a very close figure to the alleged MSRP.
But such a guesstimate doesn’t mean anything because the C8 features a dual-clutch transmission, a very different engine design and layout, and inflation doesn’t stay still. Whatever the actual starting price may be, prospective customers will also be presented with two problems.
On the one hand, we have Corvette dealers that won’t sell at MSRP given the chip shortage and sky-high demand for the all-new Z06. And finally, some dealers already have multi-year waiting lists for the Corvette Z06.
Ridiculous price gouging is one of the sad realities of the C8, and it’s only going to get worse once the Z06 enters production next summer.
Given these circumstances, we’re left with nothing more than rough guesstimates for the flat-plane crankshaft V8-engined variant. In order to approximate the MSRP of the newcomer, we have to delve into the past of the Corvette. For the 2019 model year, the Stingray used to carry a sticker price of $56,590 sans freight charge while the Z06 kicked off at $80,900.
That’s a $24,310 difference between the free-breathing Stingray and supercharged Z06, a bundle of cash that we’ll add on top of the 2022 Corvette Stingray’s suggested retail price. All told, we’re looking at $86,505 excluding destination, a very close figure to the alleged MSRP.
But such a guesstimate doesn’t mean anything because the C8 features a dual-clutch transmission, a very different engine design and layout, and inflation doesn’t stay still. Whatever the actual starting price may be, prospective customers will also be presented with two problems.
On the one hand, we have Corvette dealers that won’t sell at MSRP given the chip shortage and sky-high demand for the all-new Z06. And finally, some dealers already have multi-year waiting lists for the Corvette Z06.
Ridiculous price gouging is one of the sad realities of the C8, and it’s only going to get worse once the Z06 enters production next summer.