The 2025 Corvette ZR1 May Be Even More Rare Than We First Thought
According to CorvetteBlogger, Chevrolet's model year swap between 2025 and 2026 Corvettes is scheduled to take place on August 4 —which means the company has a little over a month to churn out the MY25 ZR1s. But while General Motors reportedly has taken 310 orders into its system for the 1064-hp twin-turbo 'Vette, all for its inaugural model year, a mere 65 units have reportedly been built since production kicked off at the end of April.
Further complicating matters: the Corvette's storied Bowling Green, Kentucky, plant is set to close for a summer break after Friday, July 4, and won't re-open until July 14. That leaves UAW workers in Kentucky just 15 days to build more than 240 Corvette ZR1s, a feat that Chevrolet, reportedly, doesn't believe is possible.
At least, that's what the automaker signaled to dealers according to an email CorvetteBlogger says it obtained. The email reportedly states that the automaker cannot commit to building all 310 units in the order system in that time, and that any 2025 ZR1 orders that are at 3000 Status (signifying the order has been accepted by production control) or below will need to be resubmitted as 2026 model year orders.
There's independent evidence to back this up, too. Corvette enthusiast and data mapper Roger Kiel has taken it upon himself to track the production of the C8-generation Corvette and posting his findings in Corvette-dedicated Facebook groups; the latest version shows an average daily production rate of two or three ZR1 units each day. This indicates that around 100 ZR1 units are likely to be built by the time of the model year switchover in early August.
So, what's the big deal? Well, in addition to a revamped interior design, the new model carries a $7200 price bump versus 2025 model year ZR1s, in addition to a destination fee increase of $100.
Another added complication is the way ZR1 allocations flow. One order cycle of the 2026 model year C8 Corvette has already come and gone, but no ZR1 units were reportedly allocated — hence why all 300-ish orders taken so far have been for MY25 cars. That means these ousted ZR1 buyers will have to wait for the next order cycle, and hope that it winds up offering some slots for the new hypercar-slaying C8.
Clearly, C8 ZR1 production is still in its infancy, and prospective buyers will have to adjust their expectations accordingly. However, the transparent amount of performance on tap and the degree of American engineering pride exemplified by the ZR1 leads us to suspect most buyers will be more than willing to wait a little longer than they originally planned if that's the price for owning a 233-mph stock Corvette.
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