22-02-2025
Is the 2025 Corvette Z06 worth $112,100?
The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a bastion of reasonably affordable performance in America. Its recipe is simple: stuff a powerful, uncomplicated V8 just behind the forward axle, provide comfortable seating for two, and enough space in the boot for a set of golf clubs or two.
For the contemporary C8 generation of the Corvette, Chevrolet decided to change things up big time by moving the engine behind the cabin and discontinuing the traditionally standard manual transmission. In its Stingray guise, the C8 stays true to the Corvette's ethos of offering far more performance capability than its price tag would suggest. With the Z06, Chevrolet took things a step C8 Corvette Z06 packs a special kind of punch thanks to its unique, naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8, which uses a flat-plane crankshaft allowing for a higher rev limit and a more balanced power band. Chevrolet benchmarked one of Ferrari's all-time greats during the development of the Z06–the Ferrari 458 Speciale–as it's considered one of Ferrari's most balanced and most intuitive driver's cars from the 21st century.
Featuring an astonishing 670 naturally-aspirated horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque without help from hybrid systems or forced induction, the Corvette Z06 benefits from an interstellar 8,600 rpm rev limit. Pumped through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels, allowing the supercar to propel 0 to 60 mph in a near-instant 2.6 seconds.
Considering the fact that the C8 Corvette Z06's main goal is to offer a sort of distilled Ferrari 458 Speciale experience, albeit with even more power and displacement, and its price tag almost seems ridiculously cheap for what it offers. However, if you look at previous generations of the Corvette Z06, you'll notice they've held their value extremely well, with some of them even beginning to appreciate as modern collector classics.
The C8 Corvette is undoubtedly a special sort of vehicle, with its mere existence being a miracle. When you consider what other dedicated sports cars are available for the money, it's difficult to find an experience that is as unique and Porsche 911 has been an icon and benchmark for sports cars worldwide since its inception, making it a solid place to start. With highly-coveted special variants such as the GT3 Touring and the S/T, the current 992-generation 911 has quickly earned itself a reputation for greatness.
That all comes at a cost, however, and even the most basic 911 Carrera starts at an eye-watering $120,100 before any of its very expensive option boxes are ticked, like the $7,720 20/21-inch Carrera Exclusive Design Wheels with Carbon Fiber Blades.
Despite the 911 Carrera's famed greatness, its performance specs simply do not come remotely close to those of the Corvette Z06. With a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter flat-six, the base Carrera makes a mere 388 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. Sure, power isn't everything, but the Corvette Z06 isn't much heavier than the 911, either. With a curb weight of 3,535 lbs, the Z06 weighs just 111 lbs more than the 911, despite its 282-horsepower advantage.
If you're willing to give up the 911 badge, however, the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 starts at $101,800. Pick a metallic paint color, upgraded wheels, and a leather interior, and it'll run you about the same money as the Corvette Z06. It may be down on muscle at 394 horsepower, but its naturally aspirated, high-strung flat-six will fill your ears with howls of the gods, and it can still be had with a manual transmission, unlike the Corvette.
Other than Porsche's offerings, it's tough to find any brand-new vehicle that offers anything close to the Z06's performance in terms of value for the money. From Lexus, you could have the more grand touring-oriented, 471-horsepower Lexus LC500 Convertible for $108,300, but you'll be sacrificing the "fun factor."
BMW will sell you the 717-horsepower M5 for $119,500, but its 5,390-lb curb weight will result in a very different cornering experience. Perhaps Nissan's 565-horsepower GT-R might win you over with its trick all-wheel drive system, but even that starts at $121,090–almost $10,000 more than the more powerful and more exciting Z06 offers almost incomprehensible performance value for the money compared to pretty much everything else out there, but does it hold up as well when we consider the many pre-owned options out there? Well, that depends.
Consider the Lamborghini Huracan–a mid-engine Italian stallion supercar powered by a screaming, naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10 in various configurations. In its most basic form, the Huracan benefits from around 571 horsepower and was available with all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive configurations.
Although the Corvette Z06's performance figures trump the Lamborghini's on paper, even 9-year-old Huracan examples with under 20,000 miles are typically listed at around $200,000, which is significantly more than a brand-new Corvette Z06 that hasn't been around the block. Here is an example of a 2016 Lamborghini Huracan listed for sale on DuPont Registry with an asking price of $204,990.
Even the Ferrari 458, which the Z06 was benchmarked against during its development, commands asking prices around the $200,000 mark despite being even older than the Huracan. For example, here is a 13-year-old standard Ferrari 458 for sale in Austin, Texas, for $210,000, listed on DuPont Registry.
Search for the 562-horsepower 458 Speciale, and things get even crazier. This example of a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale is for sale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with an asking price just shy of $600,000. Just to be clear, that means you could purchase five Corvette Z06s for the price of one 458 the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 may not carry the heavy weight of an Italian badge, but its sheer performance figures, distinctly visceral driving experience, and its unique powertrain more than make up the difference–especially considering it's vastly less expensive than both new and pre-owned examples of less powerful alternatives.
Does the Corvette Z06 tickle your fancy, or would you gladly pony up the extra cash for a more exotic Italian supercar? Do you think the Z06 justifies its six-figure price tag, or would you prefer the sophistication of a German-made flat-six? Let us know what you think in the comments–we love to hear from you!
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