789 Actual Mile Corvette Z06 505 HP 6 Speed

With the C6 Corvette, GM got serious. Serious as in “let’s build a car that will be a road course weapon right out of the box.” That car is the Z06. Not merely the biggest small block ever put in a GM production vehicle, but a combination of parts that makes it faster, more reliable, more durable, and more potent than any Corvette in history. If you’re looking for the ultimate track day ride, or perhaps a road car with limits so far beyond your abilities that you can grow into it, this 739 original mile 2008 Z06 is the ticket.

At first glance, the Z06 doesn’t look like much more than a stock Corvette, but then you see it next to a standard Corvette and notice the wider fenders, deeper front air dam, and the functional air intake on the nose. Where the standard Corvette looks aggressive, this one looks downright nasty, as if it would just as happily devour stray birds that got too close as it would the high octane in its twin fuel tanks. Dressed in Jetstream Blue Metallic paint (which cost $750 extra), it isn’t subtle, but it isn’t in-your-face like yellow or red might be. With only 789 original miles, it’s virtually factory fresh with nary a mark on it. Sadly, the lights in our photo studio can’t do the paint justice, but in the sunlight it glows like it’s radioactive. If you haven’t sampled a new Corvette, you’re probably also laboring under the mistaken belief that it’s 1977 all over again, and build quality is haphazard, which is clearly not the case. Today’s Corvette is as beautifully crafted as any high-end car, with great gaps and surprisingly good paint quality that shows very little orange peel and outstanding gloss. Despite the only tipoffs to its true character being a pair of chrome Z06 badges on the carbon fiber front fenders, when you see this car you know it’s something special, I don’t care who you are.

The LS7 V8 under the hood is one of the most potent naturally-aspirated small blocks ever built by GM, and cranks 505 horsepower out of a magical 427 cubic inches, all packed into a compact, lightweight, all-aluminum block. A forged steel crank and titanium connecting rods make it virtually indestructible, and it loves to rev. The heads have been CNC ported right from the factory, and it runs an 11:1 compression ratio, yet still lives happily on pump gas. Perhaps the most amazing part of the engine is its competition-bred dry sump oiling system that keeps oil in all the vital areas no matter how hard you’re running on the track, and the larger reservoir helps keep it cooler under demanding conditions. Each LS7 is hand-built, and only 30 are built each day by a group of specially trained technicians. These are truly remarkable engines for a production car. The LS7 in this particular Corvette has been maintained to factory specifications since it was new, and carries 100% of its original components. Easily identified by those bright red coil covers, it’s an impressive machine that fits the personality of the Z06 perfectly. Forget blowers, what you want for lap after reliable lap on the track is a naturally-aspirated machine that doesn’t get hot at high speeds—and here it is.

The chassis is no less remarkable. The standard Corvette’s hydroformed steel chassis has been recreated in aluminum and magnesium to shave valuable pounds from the Z06’s curb weight, while the lift-off roof has been eliminated to increase structural strength. A 6-speed manual transmission is the only choice, and the gear ratios have been specifically tuned to the engine’s power band, and the rear-mounted transaxle gives it ideal weight distribution. The Corvette’s already competitive suspension system is merely augmented with retuned shocks, springs, and sway bars more in tune with the car’s increased performance capabilities. And while Corvettes have always been famous for their massive binders, the brakes on the Z06 measure a huge 14-inches up front and 13.4-inches in back, all cross-drilled and vented for endurance on the track. Equally huge 18x9.5 front and 19x12 chrome Z06 wheels fill the wheel arches and plant steamroller-like 275/35/18 and 325/30/19 Goodyear F1 Supercar rubber on the pavement.

The interior is as comfortable as a standard Corvette’s, and loaded with amenities ranging from automatic climate control to a powerful stereo system to a heads-up display that can display things like cornering forces and acceleration data. The Z06 also has a revised gauge cluster that displays the Z06 logo on the 7000-redline tachometer and has a new readout on the oil pressure gauge to reflect the higher standard pressure of the dry-sump oiling system. The seats feature two-tone leathering surfaces, with Z06-logo embroidery, and the bolsters are fixed and more aggressive to better hold the driver when cornering, and they weigh less than standard Corvette seats. The passenger’s seat has manual adjustments to save some additional weight, and the sound deadening materials throughout the car are lighter to reduce weight and improve the sound—believe me, once you hear this engine at full song, you’ll forget there’s a fairly impressive stereo system in the dash. This car shows virtually no wear, and the only appreciable places where you can even tell it has been used is the driver’s seat. Everything else remains factory fresh, including the carpets and trunk.

Documentation on a nearly new car includes everything you’d get if you had ordered this car yourself, including the window sticker that shows the following options:

2LZ Preferred Equipment Group (AM/FM stereo with 6-disc changer, Bose speaker system, power telescoping steering wheel, heated seats, memory package, universal home remote, side airbags, cargo nets, steering wheel radio controls, enhanced acoustic package) ($3045)

Chrome aluminum wheels ($1995)

Jetstream Blue Metallic paint ($750)

We also have the original pre-delivery inspection form, order form, and owner’s manual package.

The window sticker price on this car was $77,915, and the cars being built today are virtually identical in every way. This car represents an opportunity to get into what amounts to a new Z06 for a 30% discount. There’s simply no car we can offer you that will deliver this level of performance for less money. Able to slay anything this side of a Dodge Viper, the Z06 is a take-no-prisoners machine, and on the track it is unquestionably a weapon. If you’re a Corvette fan who uses his car to its potential, this is the machine you need to be driving. And if you just like driving on the street, you’ll find that you enjoy having more than 500 horsepower under your foot. As-new in every way, this Z06 has no issues, no question marks, and a completely clean history. Give us a call and take this one home today.