Chasing the Corvette C7 Z06 – GM’s Pursuit of Auto Perfection

It goes without saying that the new Corvette Z06 has become the most widely discussed sports car of this past year. With the first production run hitting the streets last fall, car enthusiasts worldwide watched closely as many jumped to validate (or refute) GM’s almost too good to be true claims of Z06 build and performance. Where several forums were flooded with opinions from both sides of the fence even before rubber touched pavement, few could dispute that today’s new Corvette Z06 just might be the most complete Corvette build to date. Totally stock, it is capable of 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds, the ¼ mile in under 11 seconds, it’s appearance draws crowds at every stop and it can be had for under $100,000.

Quite unexpectedly, popularity of the 650 horsepower/650 ft-lb torque Corvette Z06 caught even GM off guard with initial build estimates well below the final tally of 8653 2015 Z06’s sold. There still remained people lined up at the door and worldwide interest in a car that logically makes plans for any new ZR-1 obsolete by today’s new standards. One almost has to wonder what GM was thinking when they elected to price the Z06 as low as they have, while eliminating that need for the ZR-1. Will we then see the C8 mid-engine Zora and, better yet, see it priced competitively just as we have with the Z06? One thing is for sure; GM is doing their best to make life difficult for the competition.

BUILD AND CUSTOMIZATION

There is not another sports car on the market today with such a wide variety of build configurations and this is a strong suit in Z06 sales.  The 2016 Z06 official brochure has been released and the Z06  can be ordered in a coupe or convertible, 7 speed standard or 8 speed automatic, in your choice of 9 different colors (Laguna Blue Tintcoat, Daytona Sunrise Orange Metallic, Corvette Racing Yellow Tintcoat, Arctic White, Blade Silver Metallic, Black, Shark Gray Metallic, Long Beach Red Metallic Tintcoat, Torch Red and Night Race Blue Metallic) and with Level 1 to 3 aero packages.  Level 3 Aero is available while selecting the more race oriented Z07 or very limited C7.R edition, the C7.R somewhat of a rarity as only 500 are being built.

Would you believe that Arctic White (6461 ordered) was the most popular Corvette color last year with more orders than even red (5625) or black (5128)?

There are 3 interior levels of comfort, three new design packages (Twilight Blue, Spice red and Jet Black), a new carbon fiber visible weave hood, blade accessory wheel, two-tone red or grey seats in leather or suede with the standard touring or premium competition seat design, individual thread stitch options a dual curb view HD front camera system, rear latch power cinch feature along with 7 different seat trims and 4 different wheel choices. Simply put, all the options cannot be described without a visit to the order site as even we almost forgot about hood choices to include standard painted carbon fiber, transparent or visible carbon fiber weave.

The Corvette Z06 displayed in this article is a 2015 model in Daytona Sunrise Orange Metallic with a 2LZ kalahari mulan leather interior, automatic transmission, and carbon flash stinger stripe and mirrors, Spectra grey wheels and some pictures may display the Stage 3 Aero wickerbill on the rear spoiler which was added on.  The brake calipers are black with the standard being red.  Yellow and dark grey calipers are also available as additional premium choices.

Also added on to the 10 speaker Bose premium stereo and navigation system (Level 2/3 with Heads Up Display) is a Performance Data and Video recorder.   If you would believe it, our Z06 in these pictures also has 100% coverage in Xpel Paint Protection, done by Richard Di Salvia of Protex Paint Protection in Milton, Ontario.  Richard’ work is incredible as these pictures show!

PRICING AND WARRANTY

US pricing for the 2016 Corvette Z06 has been set at $79,400 for the coupe, $83400 for the convertible and $111,400 for the very limited C7.R special edition (only 500).  Canadian pricing and availability has yet to be set and, once again, GM may hold back as long as they can because of the current US/Canada exchange rates. Initial pricing in 2015 for the Z06 started out at $$78,995 for the coupe and $83,995 for the convertible in the US, along with $85,095 for the coupe and $90,595 for the convertible in Canada. The Canadian price was definitely a huge benefit to Canadians who technically were paying $10,000 less (base Z06 coupe) for the same car as US citizens with calculated exchange rates.

The US Corvette Z06 warranty has changed just a bit and is 3 years/60,000 miles standard and 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain.  This is reduced from last years powertrain warranty which was 100,000 miles.  The Canadian warranty remains unchanged, reflecting 3 years/100,000 kilometers base and 5 years/160,000 kilometers powertrain which is a definite benefit to those fortunate few able to get their hands on a Z06 in Canada.

Complete pricing, options and warranty information can soon be found at the US Z06 Build Page and Canadian Z06 Build Page, both of which have yet to be updated at the time of this report.

Check Out Corvette Z06 Accessory Pricing at Amazon!