SteveJ

We already know the Z06 will be more differentiated from the C6 than the C5 version was. This has been the constant theme of comments from GM. What we don't know are the details. There will be different brakes, different body panels, and unspecified other differences from the C6 coupe besides the engine, wheels and tires, and suspension. We're really shooting in the dark here. The fun will be this same guessing game played after January when we know what the car will have, unless they indicate at that time an approximate MSRP.

need-for-speed

No offense to anyone, but you can't reason the price to be what you want it to be. It's no more valid than all of the people who "reasoned" why the AE would have "the big motor" I don't think people naming high prices are doing so because they want to part with more $$. Dave Hill said the C6 Z06 would make up 20% of production vs. 25% for the C5 Z06. That implies a wider price gap. A 75 to 100 HP increase over the base model w/ a dry sump motor will require a more substantial increment. I HOPE it's less than $60K because at that price, I just might be able to afford one. With fully optioned verts in that range, I'm afraid the Z will be north of $60K (out the door).

Michael A

If they price it too high, they will never get enough sales volume to pay their tooling back. GM has a bad habit of introducing cars, which later are taken off the market due to poor sales. If they price the Z06 too high, and sales don't take off, then management will quickly can the entire thing. All Z06 development will cease. That will be the end of that. We will be back to one engine, and two models.

Michael

SteveJ

I think there's a lot riding on this car. That's why I think it will come in at less than $60K. That's still a substantial increase over the C5 Z06.

ilovecorvettec5's

I hope so....I want to be able to afford a nice barely used one after I get my engineering degree....say about 25

96LT1

One thing everyone seems to be overlooking...

GM wants to push more Corvettes to the European market and this includes the C6 Z06. A Corvette that is over $60K out the door here will not sell in the UK due to market/import tariffs and exchange rates. GM is also smart enough to realize that the American consumer will not subsidize a 'lower' market price to the Europeans.

Regardless of how good the car is Europeans will still look at it as a 'Chevy'.

shaky

If the C6 Z06 comes with carbon fiber body parts, 7.0 liter engine, suspension, and tranny upgrades I would say $63K ($95K cdn). At least I would hope that is where the price lands, maybe I could afford take another plunge.

sorka

Pricing it above $60K would be a major mistake in my opinion. First off, if I could afford that much for a Z06, I'd seriously have to consider a viper first as it offers the one thing so many of us have been asking for.....open air. If the price gets in arms reach of the viper, they'd better count on making that production percentage more like 5% rather than 20%. And this is all assuming of course that the LS7 really is 500 hp!!!!!

I have to imagine that the price gap between the Z06 and the base car will certainly be larger than with the C5, but larger is high $50s. If it was proportional, the Z06 cost what it does now. But since the hp gap *may* be another 50hp(and only 25 ftlbs), I can't imagine it going over $60K.

Zee Freak

This is probably the number one reason the current ZO6 dominates SCCA T1 class. Any other car cost way more to run and is marginaly (if at all) quicker.

Painrace

$67,531.52

Beaz

My guess is it will either be 58-59k range or well north of 60k possibly low 70k

TicketBait

C6 Z06 $ 66,666.66 at 6.66% interest for 66 months on approved credit of course

GoodbyeGirl

I'll guess $67,500

HellBent

As I originaly posted 6/5/2004, my guess is $58,800...

Chief Pontiac

With the current Viper at $80,000 and GM selling the ZO6 for $60,000 plus, factor in a 3000 lb Vette with 500 hp 427 with carbon fiber ect.GM will have no problem selling every one made.

Bethlehem Bob

They've talked about a true 'king of the hill' for the last several years and I believe this generation Z06 might be it. I'm guessing much more upscale interior and options plus the horsepower and performance. Mid to upper $60's may well be in the cards. Possibly even higher if they really do go after the high end competition.

SteveJ

This pricing issue is one of the more intriquing aspects of the Z06. I'll add a couple points which I don't think have been covered well. We know the engine plant will be turning out 10,000 Z06 engines the first year if all goes according to plan. That would be about 30% of Vette production, although other statements have said that they plan on 20% to 25% of Vette production to be the Z06. I don't know offhand how many Vipers are sold in a year, but I bet it's substantially less than the 8000 to 10000 units we're talking about here. I know that Porsche is selling less than 2000 911's of all types per year. That means that if even half of the people that were going to buy Vipers or Porsches bought the Z06 instead, they would still have to sell the majority of production into the current customer base.

An interesting example of what happens when price is set too high and cars are produced at a certain planned rate can be seen in the BMW Z4 roadster. That car is selling at $8K or more below MSRP just one year after introduction. This sort of thing isn't usual for the BMW brand. I'm going to sit back and watch for at least a year until things stabilize, regardless of the Z06 MSRP.

Tom Steele

Then what would be the point of the rumored "blue devil?"

I feel like folks have confused the Z06 and the blue devil and created something that is a mix of both in their expectations of the new Z06.

Here's to hoping that GM keeps sane, and keeps the Z06 right on track with its current mission.

Z06Kal

Here is what I think GM is thinking. The c6 already has 400hp and the performance is very close to a c5 Z06 once you get all the options Z51 suspension, performance axle, yada yada yada. Basically you'll be right around 50K with those options. There you go there is your price/performance bang for the buck car that sold so many C5 z06's. Basically a fully packaged standard C6 is the replacement for the current Z06. It has slightly less performance than the C5 Z06 but that will give incentive to jump to the bigger ship the C6 Z06. I think with the C6 Z06 GM has decided to create a whole new car in a whole other catagory. Basically a car that will make all 911 C4,C2,Turbo, Viper, NSX, Gallardo, Ford GT, 360, Aston Martin etc buyers have something to think about. The performance will be far superior to that of the above for cheaper then all of the above and with the improved interior and refinment GM is hoping to capture a whole new set of European buyers who previously wouldn't buy a corvette at all. With so much performance and not such a huge gap in refinement it will make the car difficult to ignore. For that reason GM would't be scared to price it far above the standard c6.

Figure the previous audiance that bought 10,000 of GM's C5 Z06's per year accounted for 25% of production. Well now they are making 20% Z06's so that leaves 8000 cars per year to buy. Figure that at least 40% of the previous z06 owners per year will opt to buy the Z06 at the higher price. That will sell half of their Z06's. So now they are left with 4000 cars to sell to a new audiance. Since we're talking about a mid 11 second track monster cheaper than a Viper with a hell of a lot more refinement, nimbleness, smaller roadfeel etc (thet things that deteour euro buyers from a burly Viper). I think scrapping up 4000 buyers to pay $70,000 for the biggest performance bargain on the planet is hardly difficult. The ZR1 was a bad example because it was today's equivalent of $90,000. The ZR1 power added lots of weight so overall the straight line performance was much better but only by about the same difference as a regular c5 and C5 Z06. Handling was from what I understand marginally better or even worse than a standard C4. There was also hardly if any body changes to show where your extra $25,000 went. And ultimately the car was still VERY VERY crude by european standards and tottaly failed to capture the high dollor buyers. Also consider that the Supra Twin Turbo was not far off the pace of the ZR1 for a lot less money (almost half) and it absolutely annilalated that car in track tests. In handling tests the other *** cars like VR4,300ZXTT,RX7TT were all as good or better track cars than the ZR1 for 1/2 the money. Most were only 85hp shy of the ZR1 and all of them had a way better and more refined interior. The car was basically doomed from the start. Nothing except 25% more power to justify paying almost double to a slury of other cars that packed beter feel, better handling, better braking, far better interior and refinement (and in the masses opinion better looks).

Now the C6 Z06 will not have anything in it's price range to challenge it on any aspect even at $70,000. It's basically tottaly alone. IT will surpass the viper in all aspects of performance but will do so with a better interior, more refinement, more nimbleness and instill more driver confidence. Lets not forget it will look drastically different than the C6 (Showing buyers where their extra dollors go). Any premium segment sports car buyers can buy what a 330hp potato boat porsche for $70,000 that can be argued either way on looks and refinement? Probably the masses would say the C6 Z06 is a LOT better looking. I think finding 4-5000 buyers by pulling a few hundred from the viper crowd, thousand from the porsche crowd, etc will not be hard at all.

Also consider that the C5 Z06 is hardly different than the C5. Basically same car inside and out minor a few cheap changes. Shocks, Wheels, different head/valve train/pistons but same engine. Changes in gearing. Different exhaust. Thats about it. Its doubtfull the Z06 costs them very much more to produce in a factory environment then a regular C5 manual. Yet they still price it quite a bit more. The new Z06 will have a completely different engine from the ground up. Rumors of a sophisticated lubrication system. Rumors of possibly different frame material, all different body pannels with more expensive composites. Huge brakes (and not just a minor change like the z06) but rather multi-piston non floating Brembo's. Also an absolutely new class of performance that will now be in the catagory of the ultra suave supercars such as Murcialago, Ford GT, 360 CS, GT2 will obviously be worth taxing your money.

Figure at least $70,000. My guess is possibly $69,500 or something to keep your mind in the 6x range. Also you can gurantee that the first year of Z06's will sell for thousands over MSRP. You will be very lucky to get out of the door for under $85,000 after tax, mark up, lux tax, registration etc.

CliffB-99

You go low and high, I'll go middle - $64,599.