Corvette C6 ZR1 Will Supercharge Your Life With 638 HP, Get One While You Still Can

It was just recently that we talked about the 2019 Corvette ZR1, as we looked at how the market for these cars has evolved in the past years. But now we'd like to go further back in time and learn more about the sixth-generation Corvette instead.

The C6 was available in dealerships between 2005 to 2013, and Chevrolet managed to sell about 215,000 units before moving on to the C7. The Corvette was built on GM's Y platform, just like the Cadillac XLR-V. While the latter received a supercharged engine in 2005, you could only opt for a naturally-aspirated V8 in the 'Vette.

But rumors of a project named "Blue Devil" had surfaced, and it became clear that a much sportier machine was yet to come. The 505 horsepower (512 PS) Z06 was already available by 2006, but it would take a few more years before Chevrolet would revive the ZR1 nameplate.

This new variant came with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, that had a massive output of 638 hp (647 PS) and 604 lb-ft (819 Nm) of torque. To put things in perspective, the 8.4-liter V10 inside the Dodge Viper would only churn out 600 hp (608 PS) and 560 lb-ft (759 Nm) of torque.

With a Tremec TR6060 close-ratio six-speed manual, Chevrolet claimed that their new creation would be capable of going up to over 200 mph (321 kph). We've tracked down a video recorded by a French magazine back in 2011 in which the ZR1 supports that claim.

You'll also find an episode of Top Gear in which Jeremy Clarkson compares the ZR1 to an Audi R8 V10. He wasn't kind on the rear tires at all as he pointed out that the 'Vette is infinitely more exciting to drive than its German opponent. But he did also note that in the real world, the R8 is going to be much faster overall.

Even so, General Motors took the ZR1 to the Nürburgring back in 2011, and they had Jim Mero in it for a fast lap. On the 9th of June, he went around the Green Hell in 7:19.63, which was less than two seconds slower than what a Porsche 911 GT2 RS achieved in 2010.

But it was also about three seconds faster than Tom Coronel's 2008 lap in the Dodge Viper ACR. The ZR1 had had a previous outing in Germany in 2008, with Mero securing a fast lap of 7:26.4. We might have mentioned this before, but we're planning a little surprise interview for you quite soon.

When the ZR1 first hit the dealerships, it was priced at just over $100,000. So the question is, how has the market for these cars changed over the past two years? For that, we started working on an analysis based on BaT's auction history so that we can have a better understanding of what was going on.

Between 2018 and 2020, a total of just seven ZR1s found new owners via this online market. But more of them popped up for 2021 and 2022. By the end of October 2022, there had been a total of 60 successful auctions.

The cheapest C6 ZR1 ever sold on BaT went for just $39,500 back in 2020. This car had been driven for almost 60,000 miles (96,560 km) at the time, which is considerably more than the average mileage you'll see on these machines. The most affordable ZR1 sold so far in 2022 required a $60,000 budget, and that is just one thing to look at when trying to figure out where the market is headed.

On the other side of the spectrum, we've seen five cars going for more than $100,000 in 2021 alone. The most expensive one that year also holds the BaT record at $140,000, as it was a 60th Anniversary model with six miles (9.65 km) on the odometer. Can you imagine storing a car for almost a decade without taking it out for a drive?

In 2022, we've had nine cars sell for more than $100,000, but neither one has managed to outshine the car we mentioned earlier. Six out of those nine vehicles had been used for less than 1,000 miles (1,609 km). Strangely enough, VIN 1G1Y62DT0D5800476 had popped up for sale again.

This 60th Anniversary version sold for $125,000 in 2021. A few months and six miles later, it changed hands again but the seller lost $4,100 on the deal. Looking at the average price of the market, it hasn't changed much over the past two years: it was sitting at $90,546 in 2021, and it's at $90,391 for 2022.

You can see that the average mileage goes up as time goes by. There's a 2,300-mile (3,701 km) increase this year when it comes to this statistic compared to 2021. But there are bound to be many more ZR1s with delivery miles on them around somewhere. Chevrolet built just under 4,700 units all in all, with 16 different paint schemes available.

Five of those are quite rare, and we're talking about Atomic Orange, LeMans Blue, Inferno Orange, Carlisle Blue, and Night Race Blue. It comes as no surprise that both Inferno Orange and Night Race Blue turned up on the BaT auction history and both cars sold for over $100,000. Bottom line is, if you want a C6 ZR1 for the fun of it, it will cost you about the same as an entry-level C8.

But a pristine-looking one might end up costing 50% more than a brand-new Z06. It could be worth it if you're just planning to make a profit, but the new Z06 will probably make a fool of the C6 ZR1 going around the racetrack.