Track only speculation
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 719
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,582
Likes: 2,643
From: Lancaster, PA
A not street legal, track only car with high content carbon fiber goodies, race-only suspension, all creature comfort items removed (radio, wireless charging, heated/cooled seats, carpets, airbags, etc.) would run at least $400K without warranty and would find very few customers.
In the past, a street legal version (Billy-Bob) was not 'endorsed' by GM management.
In the past, a street legal version (Billy-Bob) was not 'endorsed' by GM management.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,582
Likes: 2,643
From: Lancaster, PA
People who are interested in a track-only car (not street legal) for amateur use would not lay out $400K+ for a factory car. Most weekend racers modify their cars themselves (a lot cheaper) or use shops for conversions (still cheaper). Professional teams build cars for specific venues with their own rules. The volumes are not there for GM to be interested. I understand the amateur racers are very enthusiastic about track cars, but in terms of sales volume it's not big enough for GM to matter. The bean counters would likely stop her in her attempt to do so. I was under the impression that if anything GM is trying to curtail their expenses for the race program (hence the change of guards).
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,979
Likes: 4,142
From: Kansas City, MO
The Ford GT they mention is a $1.2M car. Limited run of 45 units. Let's be honest. Virtually all of those will never turn a tire in anger. They're being bought by the cars-as-art crowd. It's just Ford's way of making an exclusive special edition out of an already exclusive car. GM could never get away with that on a car that sells (or should sell) 30k units a year.
The closest GM might come is some kind of expanded partnership with Callaway, like they did with the Corvette GT3-R. Those would go to actual race teams. They might be able to justify it as a way to spread around the costs of the C8.R program.
The closest GM might come is some kind of expanded partnership with Callaway, like they did with the Corvette GT3-R. Those would go to actual race teams. They might be able to justify it as a way to spread around the costs of the C8.R program.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,532
Likes: 364
From: NSL UT
They won't but they should, I think there would be a market for a C8 cup car. If Porsche can sell one for 240k ready to race with spares why can't Corvette. The 992 cup is not a GT3 spec but is ready for club racing and quite bad *** if I may.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,486
Likes: 5,534
From: Western Chicago Suburbs
As a limited edition, low volume and high priced car I’d love to see them offer this as the last hoorah of the ICE Corvette. A car like that wouldn’t be about profits, it would be about further elevating the brand and it’s perception globally.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,000
Likes: 2,261
Porsche shipped 21 new cup cars this year. 14 were purchased for racing and the rest is still out there for sale.
$240K x 14 is a bit more than nothing but in the GM ledger I think it is nothing.
Maybe she is betting on the C8 popularity with 5X-10X sales on the 911 and extrapolating numbers out of that but still...
lets call that 100 C8 CUP cars; is it worth it?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,486
Likes: 5,534
From: Western Chicago Suburbs
GM is about volume sales, so profits from a low volume specialty car like this would be minimal at best in comparison. Point I was trying to make was a car like that is more about strengthening the legitimacy of the brand than being profit driven.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 13,934
Likes: 4,257
From: NC
If I was running the Corvette business, I would make an original Porsche GT3 type car. Street legal, de-contented as much as the law allows, lighter components (glass, seats, sound deadening, etc), announce I'm going to make 1,000 of them. 3 color choices (the ONLY option), black interior only, available by pre-sale ONLY, $150,000 takes it.
They'd sell them all in a day (an easy $150 MILLION gross)
They'd sell them all in a day (an easy $150 MILLION gross)
Last edited by jimmyb; Jul 15, 2021 at 04:16 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 13,934
Likes: 4,257
From: NC
What's to develop? All the hard points are fixed and will be amortized by the time this would even happen (and I'm 99% sure it won't)
Cadillac sold out the CT4V Blackwing (250 cars) in MINUTES and CT5V Blackwing (250 cars) in SECONDS according to Car and Driver.
Cadillac sold out the CT4V Blackwing (250 cars) in MINUTES and CT5V Blackwing (250 cars) in SECONDS according to Car and Driver.
Last edited by jimmyb; Jul 15, 2021 at 04:15 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 7,373
Likes: 1,128
From: cold & windy
don't sound much different than they did with the COPO 5th gen Camaro (with some hints towards where they went with the Z28)...
wasn't a summer box office smash, but they did sell for a little while because of the anticipation & hype.
wasn't a summer box office smash, but they did sell for a little while because of the anticipation & hype.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,979
Likes: 4,142
From: Kansas City, MO
I wonder how many of those COPOs ever saw a race track.