Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Price Will Match Its Massive Horsepower

If you want to buy the 650-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the most powerful car ever produced by General Motors, you better have a bank account that is as supersized as the coupe’s output.

GM said the 2015 Z06 will start at $78,995, while the convertible model will begin at $83,995.

Don’t forget, those are just the starting prices.

The “Carbon Fiber Ground Effects” option adds nearly $3,000 to the price. It is a suite of carbon fiber body features such as rocker panels and a large rear spoiler designed to improve the aerodynamics of the Vette.

Expect to spend another $7,995 for the special “Z07 Performance Package.” That adds such exotic features as Brembo carbon ceramic-matrix brake rotors that improve braking performance and adjustable front and rear aerodynamic components to improve performance by forcing the speed demon closer to the roadway.

You also will have to pony up tax and registration fees, so, all told, expect to pay almost double the $53,000 starting price of the regular Corvette, which has a measly 455 horsepower — at least double most cars on the road.

When it hits showrooms, the Corvette Z06 will be among the few cars with more than 600 horses that you can buy at a dealership in the U.S. Dealers are set to start taking orders during the fourth quarter and start delivering the sports car early next year.

GM claims the 6.2-liter, V-8 engine produces 650 pound-feet of torque to match the 650 horsepower. The car has a new all-aluminum frame that the company says lowers the weight, increases stability and for the first time makes race-track performance possible in a convertible.

Harlan Charles, Corvette product and marketing manager, calls the car “a race car that’s street-legal” married to “a private jet for the road.”

With the added Z07 performance package, the Vette becomes “one of the most track-capable cars you can buy off the dealership floor and still drive it to work every day,” Charles said.

GM is already comparing the Z06 to supercars such as the V-12-powered Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. It will have a zero-to-60-mph time under 3.5 seconds.

The Corvette also will come with GM’s new Performance Data Recorder system. This includes a windshield trim-mounted HD camera, and a recording system that captures and can upload video, audio and performance data such as RPM, speed, lap times, pedal positions and more.

It also has a handy “Valet Mode” feature, which allows the owner to record video and audio of what a valet does with the car on the way to the parking garage, as well as speed data and other driving information.

The 2015 model is also the first Z06 offering an automatic transmission — an eight-speed paddle-shift version — as well as the traditional seven-speed manual one.

Though Chevrolet is bragging about its “supercar,” there’s one thing it has yet to disclose: fuel economy. You can bet those 650 horses will be drinking a lot of gasoline.

This article appeared in print in the August 25th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.