Buying a brand-new Corvette is already something to be proud of, and owning a mid-engine sports car or supercar is certainly exciting, but Chevrolet is about to make the experience even better, reopening its Corvette Engine Build Experience this spring. The program was previously available for the LT6 of the Corvette Z06, and now it’s being reopened to the Z06, as well as being made possible with the ZR1 and ZR1X pair. The news was announced on LinkedIn, via Ray Theriault, Corvette Plant director at General Motors, inviting buyers to the Bowling Green Assembly plant’s Performance Build Center. After the experience is over, GM will also give participants some mementos to commemorate the experience.
Corvette Engine Build Program Comes with Goodies
Clive Sutton
After getting your (gloved) hands dirty putting together the LT6 (Z06) or LT7 (ZR1 and ZR1X) engine for your Corvette alongside a master technician, Chevy will ensure your mark is left on your power plant with a custom engine plaque. Participants will also be given an exclusive gift and a professional photo keepsake, so they can prove to their unconvinced friends that they really did build their own high-performance engine. So how does one take advantage of the offer? When ordering a new Z06, ZR1, or ZR1X, select RPO Code: PBC (Performance Build Center). How much this will add to the cost of your Corvette is unclear. Theriault’s LinkedIn post did not disclose pricing for the limited-availability experience, and although the news has been published on the Corvette Experience page of Chevy’s website, encouraging interested buyers to contact their dealer, Chevy’s build & price configurator is yet to list the option. That said, the program was previously available for the C8 Z06 at a cost of $5,000.
Offering Something Unique
Chevrolet
As pointed out by Road & Track, this offer makes the Corvette stand out in the world of high-performance cars. Ferrari, Pagani, Lamborghini, and Bugatti don’t offer this sort of experience, and particularly in the case of the ZR1X, the Corvette Engine Build Experience allows customers to have a hand in producing something that can outperform those hallowed brands. Its world-beating performance was proven not long ago, when the ZR1X set numerous records on the quarter-mile. Despite a starting price of $209,700, the ZR1X is nearly as quick as cars that cost 10 or 20 times as much, getting from 0-60 mph in 1.68 seconds and crossing the 1,320-foot mark in 8.675 seconds with a trap speed of 159 mph. Being a part of assembling an engine capable of such performance would be very special indeed.
About the author
Sebastian Cenizo
Senior Editor, Autoblog