Chevrolet Corvette C6 — the 7.0-Litre Z06 and Supercharged ZR1

Chevrolet Corvette C6 at a glance

Design: shorter, narrower and with fixed headlamps

Tom Peters' design team kept the familiar long-bonnet shape but cleaned up the details. The most visible change was at the front: the pop-up headlamps used since 1963 gave way to fixed units, the first exposed headlamps on a Corvette since 1962. The car was 130 mm shorter and 25 mm narrower than the C5, while the wheelbase grew by 30 mm to 2,682 mm, so the wheels sat closer to the corners.

Seat comfort was a common complaint until revised seats arrived for 2012, according to Vettes of Atlanta. The coupé kept a lift-off targa roof panel and a glass hatch. Underneath, the C6 shared its Y platform with the Cadillac XLR roadster, also built in Bowling Green.

Engines: LS2, LS3, LS7 and LS9

The 2005 automatic was the four-speed 4L65-E, used only for that year; the six-speed 6L80 with steering-wheel paddles followed for 2006. The manual was the six-speed T56, replaced by the TR6060 for 2008. To avoid the US gas-guzzler tax, manual cars used Computer Aided Gear Shifting, which forces a change from first straight to fourth at light throttle.

Chevrolet claimed 0–60 mph in 4.0 seconds for a 2008-on automatic. The EPA figures were 15 mpg city and 25 mpg highway for the automatic, 16 and 26 mpg for the manual, and 15 and 24 mpg for the Z06; by our conversion, 26 mpg is about 9.0 l/100 km.

Z06: aluminium frame and 7.0 litres

The Z06 arrived for 2006 as the lightest production Corvette and as the homologation basis for racing. Its frame was aluminium instead of steel, saving 62 kg compared with the C5's steel frame, and Chevrolet added a magnesium engine cradle, floors of balsa wood and carbon fibre and carbon-fibre front wings. The hand-assembled LS7 had dry-sump lubrication and titanium connecting rods.

Car and Driver tested the Z06 in October 2005: 3.6 seconds to 60 mph and 11.7 seconds over the quarter mile at 125 mph. With 1,427 kg and 377 kW, by our calculation each kW moves about 3.8 kg, a figure you can check against rivals using the 1cars power-to-weight calculator. The Z06 paced both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2006. A Z06 Carbon Limited Edition of 252 cars followed in 2011, and a track-oriented Z07 package was offered in 2012 and 2013.

ZR1: the supercharged flagship

The ZR1 of 2009 brought back a famous Corvette name with the supercharged 6.2-litre LS9: 476 kW (638 hp) and 819 Nm. It had carbon-ceramic brakes and Magnetic Selective Ride Control, and its wheels were the largest fitted to a production Corvette up to then. Motor Trend measured 3.3 seconds to 60 mph and 11.2 seconds over the quarter mile at 130.5 mph in October 2008, and Chevrolet engineered the car for a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).

Grand Sport, 427 Convertible and special editions

For 2010 the Grand Sport replaced the Z51 performance option. It combined the steel frame and LS3 of the standard car with the wider Z06 front bumper and rear wings; manual coupés also received dry-sump lubrication and launch control. Unlike the Z06, it was available as a coupé with a removable roof and as a convertible.

The 427 Convertible of 2013 put the Z06's 7.0-litre engine, gearbox, steering and brakes into the steel convertible frame and became the fastest open C6. Its Collector Edition reached 2,552 cars, and a white 427 Convertible was the last C6 built, on 28 February 2013. A 60th Anniversary package was offered for the same year.

Production by model year

Output peaked at 40,561 cars in 2007 and fell by more than half for 2009, in the years of the global financial crisis. By our calculation, the four years from 2010 to 2013 together produced fewer cars than 2007 and 2008 combined.

C6.R at Le Mans and Sebring

The racing C6.R made its debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing second and third in class. It won both the GT1 teams' and manufacturers' titles in the American Le Mans Series in 2006 and took a GT1 class win at Sebring in 2007. At Le Mans, Corvettes won both the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes in 2011 and GTE-Am again in 2012. The LS7.R race engine was named Global Motorsport Engine of the Year in 2006.

Buying a C6: problems, prices and our verdict

A C6 is a strong used buy, but each engine has its own checks. Vettes of Atlanta, a US specialist dealer, lists these points in its 2026 guide:

• LS7 valve guides (Z06, 427 Convertible): a well-documented problem, especially on 2008–2011 Z06s. A dial-indicator check of guide clearance is advised, and a cylinder-head refresh costs US$4,000–7,500.
• Harmonic balancer (LS2, LS3): the rubber ages and the pulley wobbles; repair up to US$1,800.
• Fuel system: leaking pump flanges or tanks on some cars; US$2,000–3,000.
• Steering column lock: some 2005–2006 cars were recalled for a "Service Active Handling" message that could lock the steering.
• ZR1 carbon parts: check the clear coat for yellowing or clouding.

The same dealer quoted typical US prices in 2026 of about US$19,000–24,000 for an LS2 car, US$24,000–32,000 for an LS3 car, from US$33,000 to the mid-US$50,000s for a Z06 and around US$80,000–85,000 for a ZR1.

Our verdict: the 2008–2013 LS3 car, ideally a Grand Sport, is the best all-rounder and the safest buy. The Z06 is the driver's choice, but only with proof of valve-guide inspection or head work. The ZR1 is a collector's car with supercar performance and supercar running costs. Before you decide, put a C6 and the newer Corvette C7 next to each other in the 1cars comparison tool; the strongest Corvettes are listed in the 1cars rankings. All eight generations are traced in our Corvette history from C1 to C8.