2015 Corvette Z06: Price Is Low, Weight Is Up, Stakes Is High

We now know what the Corvette Z06 is going to cost, and what it’s going to weigh, and both numbers are surprising.

First number: $78,995. That gets you the Z06. If you want the track-focused stuff, you want a Z07. That’s carbon ceramic brakes, higher downforce bodykit, and MPSCs. Think of it as the Z28 for the Z06. There’s also an aero package that is more aggressive than the base Z06 but less so than the Z07.

Second number: 3,524 pounds. This is over two hundred pounds heavier than the Z51, and apparently it’s all go-faster stuff like wider tires and the supercharger itself. It’s even 100-plus above the C6 ZR1. Compared to the peerless C6 Z06, it’s about four hundred up. That C6 Z06 was so special. It weighed slightly less than a base manual-transmission 4+3 1984 Corvette while bringing 2.5x as much power to the table.

As we all know by now, there are going to be convertible Z06es and automatic-transmission Z06es and, unless G-d himself intervenes directly in a consummation of Divine fury and dealer inventory devoutly to be wished, probably some convertible automatic Z06es. Just don’t look straight at them, they can turn your heart to stone.

At the price, the Z06 in any form is a remarkable deal. It’s “more car” than the old ZR1 and it costs much less. But it’s also “more car” than the old Z06 in a couple of ways I don’t like. We’ll see how it behaves out in the real world… but for those of us who love Corvettes and racetracks and the combination of both, (raises hand) the best news might be the downward price pressure this will put on the high-power C6es. This might be the year to pick up that blue Z07 C6 Carbon, y’know.