How much more expensive was it for Chevy to make an ZL1 vs. L88 vs. L71 vs L36 ? You woulnd't really think it would be that much of a difference all but one were cast iron blocks... but I guess there must be a signifigant difference in each ( performance part wise ) to justify the markup on the window sticker. Sorry for the question being poorly worded lol :jester

 

I cannot answer this too well, since I'm not familiar with production-line makeup back then. But if this were today? Oh my. The markup would be even greater considering the very tiny production of ZL-1 and L88 cars compared to the other big-block versions.

It can be very, very costly (due to time/labor more than parts availability) to produce such small runs of a vehicle (in essence very specific, but significant option-package differences over the typical car in question).

For another example, just look at the Z06 version of the C5. This is not a great example b/c nearly 20% of all C5 production is the Z06. But, for this "performance" option package you pay another ~$5k over a standard C5 coupe (or that's about the average cost difference, as most dealers do not deal on the Z06 like they will the other C5 cars...even in this market. Fortunately, I got a great deal, but it took a LOT of searching). If they only made 1000 Z06s, then I'd venture the cost would be an easy $10k above a standard C5, if not more.

So considering the tiny amount of L88s built...I can see why they were a huge jump over the other cars.

I think in the case of the old BB cars, there were a lot more factory costs built in to build those special cars. The new Z06 really cannot cost them that much more to justify the significant markup, but "performance" costs, and the manufacturer knows people are willing to pay more for it.