# Chevrolet Corvette (C6)
Source: https://fullysorted.com/research/models/chevrolet/corvette-c6
Publisher: Fully Sorted (fullysorted.com), collector car research
Last updated: 2026-09-24

## Key facts
- Make: Chevrolet
- Model: Corvette
- Generation: C6
- Factory code: C6
- Years: 2005 to 2013
- Body styles: 2-door hatchback coupe with a removable roof panel, body color or transparent (2005-2013), 2-door convertible with a soft top, power operation optional (2005-2013), 2-door fixed-roof coupe on an aluminum frame, Z06 (2006-2013) and ZR1 (2009-2013), Grand Sport coupe and convertible with Z06-width fenders on the steel frame (2010-2013), 427 Convertible, LS7 engine in the steel-frame convertible (2013 only)
- Engines: 6.0-liter (5,967 cc) LS2 pushrod V8, naturally aspirated, 400 hp at 6,000 rpm and 400 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm (2005-2007); 6.2-liter (6,162 cc) LS3 pushrod V8, naturally aspirated, 430 hp at 6,500 rpm and 424 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm, or 436 hp and 428 lb-ft with the dual-mode exhaust (2008-2013; dry sump on manual Grand Sport coupes); 7.0-liter (7,011 cc) LS7 pushrod V8, naturally aspirated, dry sump, titanium connecting rods and intake valves, 505 hp at 6,300 rpm and 470 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm (Z06 2006-2013, 427 Convertible 2013); 6.2-liter LS9 pushrod V8, Eaton R2300 supercharger with intercooler, dry sump, 638 hp at 6,500 rpm and 604 lb-ft at 3,800 rpm (ZR1 2009-2013)
- Production notes: The generation total depends on which table is read. CorvSport and Wikipedia both give 215,223 C6 Corvettes. Corvette Central's tech blog prints a year-by-year table by body and variant that totals 215,125. The two agree on every model year except 2011, which Wikipedia gives as 13,696 and Corvette Central as 13,598, a gap of exactly 98 cars that accounts for the whole difference. No fetched source explains it, and no Chevrolet or National Corvette Museum table was retrieved to settle it, so productionTotal is left empty. The agreed years are 37,372 (2005), 34,021 (2006), 40,561 (2007, the peak), 35,310 (2008), 16,956 (2009), 12,194 (2010), 11,647 (2012) and 13,466 (2013). CorvSport dates actual production from June 2004 to February 28, 2013. Corvette Central's variant columns give 6,272 Z06s in 2006, 3,461 Z06s and 1,415 ZR1s in 2009, and 2,552 427 Convertibles in 2013, the last figure matched by Wikipedia. Corvette Central alone states that Grand Sports outsold the base coupe and convertible in 2010, and its table carries 3,707 Grand Sport coupes and 2,335 convertibles that year. Wikipedia alone gives the special-edition counts: 399 Ron Fellows Z06s, 33 of them to Canada; about 125 GT1 Championship Editions against a plan of 600; and 252 Z06 Carbon Limited Editions against a plan of 500, though the same article elsewhere says about 250. Corvette Central's variant columns were not summed here because the 2010 row's Z06 and ZR1 columns cannot be confirmed against a second table. US prices also disagree: CorvSport's 2005 page lists the coupe at $44,245 and the convertible at $52,245 in its spec block and option table, but its text gives initial base prices of $43,710 and $51,445, $125 under the last C5 coupe, while Corvette Central says the 2005 undercut the 2004 base price by $300.

## Summary
The C6 is the sixth-generation Corvette, sold in the United States for the 2005 through 2013 model years and built at Bowling Green, Kentucky, from June 2004 to February 28, 2013. It kept the rear-transaxle layout and transverse leaf springs of the C5 but gave up pop-up headlights for the first exposed lamps on a Corvette since 1962, on a body 5.1 inches shorter with a wheelbase 1.2 inches longer. The base car began with the 400-hp 6.0-liter LS2 and moved to the 6.2-liter LS3, 430 hp or 436 hp with the dual-mode exhaust, for 2008. Around it Chevrolet built the aluminum-framed Z06 with the 505-hp 7.0-liter LS7 for 2006, the supercharged 638-hp ZR1 at $103,300 for 2009, the wide-body Grand Sport for 2010 and the 427 Convertible for 2013. Sources put the total at 215,223 or 215,125, a split that sits entirely in the 2011 figure. LS7 valve guide wear, harmonic balancer failure and the 2005 manual car's battery drain are the documented faults. As of September 2026 classic.com averages the C6 at $52,184.

## Specifications
- power: 400 hp (LS2); 430 hp, or 436 hp with dual-mode exhaust (LS3); 505 hp (LS7); 638 hp (LS9)
- brakes: Z06: 14.0-inch front and 13.4-inch rear rotors with six-piston front calipers; ZR1: 15.5-inch front and 15.0-inch rear Brembo carbon-ceramic rotors (Car and Driver)
- engine: 6.0-liter LS2 (2005-2007); 6.2-liter LS3 (2008-2013); 7.0-liter LS7 (Z06, 427 Convertible); 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 (ZR1)
- layout: Front-mid-engine V8, rear-wheel drive, rear transaxle; two seats
- torque: 400 lb-ft (LS2); 424 lb-ft, or 428 lb-ft with dual-mode exhaust (LS3); 470 lb-ft (LS7); 604 lb-ft (LS9)
- weight: Base car 3,288 lb and Z06 3,147 lb (Car and Driver, 2005 test); Z51 coupe 3,273 lb and ZR1 3,350 lb (Wikipedia, citing Car and Driver)
- chassis: Steel frame on coupe, convertible, Grand Sport and 427; aluminum frame on Z06 and ZR1 with a magnesium engine cradle; carbon fiber and balsa composite floors on the Z06
- us_msrp: 2005 coupe $44,245 or $43,710 and convertible $52,245 or $51,445 (CorvSport, both figures; see productionNotes); 2006 Z06 $65,800 (Car and Driver); 2009 ZR1 $103,300 including $850 destination, plus $1,700 gas guzzler tax (Chevrolet via Jalopnik)
- assembly: Bowling Green, Kentucky; June 2004 to February 28, 2013
- top_speed: 186 mph for the 2005 base car (Corvette Central); 198 mph for the Z06 (manufacturer claim printed by Car and Driver); 205 mph for the ZR1 (Chevrolet, via Jalopnik and Wikipedia)
- dimensions: Wheelbase 105.6 in (2,682 mm); length 174.6 in (4,435 mm), Z06 and ZR1 175.6 in (4,460 mm); width 72.6 in (1,844 mm), Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1 75.9 in (1,928 mm) per Wikipedia
- acceleration: 0-60 mph: 4.2 sec (Chevrolet claim for the 2005 coupe, per CorvSport) or 4.3 sec (Corvette Central); 4.1 sec for a 2009 Z51 coupe, 3.6 sec for the Z06 and 3.4 sec for the ZR1 (Car and Driver tests)
- quarter_mile: 11.7 sec for the 2006 Z06 (Car and Driver); 11.3 sec at 131 mph for the ZR1 (Chevrolet claim, via Jalopnik)
- transmission: Tremec T56 six-speed manual to 2007, TR6060 six-speed from 2008; four-speed 4L65-E automatic in 2005 only; six-speed 6L80 paddle-shift automatic from 2006 on base and Grand Sport; Z06, ZR1 and 427 manual only
- epa_fuel_economy: 2009 per fueleconomy.gov: 6.2-liter manual 16 city, 26 highway; 6.2-liter automatic 15 city, 25 highway; 7.0-liter manual 15 city, 24 highway. ZR1 14 city, 20 highway per Chevrolet via Jalopnik

## Notable variants
- 2005 coupe and convertible (LS2): The one-year car with the four-speed automatic, which 22,380 of 37,372 buyers chose. Manual cars must be parked in Reverse to stop a battery drain, and the 2005 differential is described as weaker than later units. Listed at $44,245 for the coupe.
- 2006-2013 Z06: Aluminum frame, fixed roof, carbon fiber front fenders and the 505-hp LS7. Car and Driver tested a 3,147 lb car at 3.6 seconds to 60 mph for $65,800 base. The LS7 valve guide question attaches to every one.
- 2008-2013 base car (LS3): The LS3 at 430 hp, 436 hp with the dual-mode exhaust, plus the TR6060 six-speed and revised steering for 2008. Vette Vues calls 2008 the sweet spot of the run and the LS3 the most durable base engine.
- 2009-2013 ZR1: The Blue Devil project: supercharged LS9 at 638 hp, carbon fiber roof, hood and fenders, a hood window over the intercooler and the first carbon-ceramic brakes on a Corvette. $103,300 including destination, plus a $1,700 gas guzzler tax.
- 2010-2013 Grand Sport: Replaced the Z51 option with Z06 fenders, brakes and wheel sizes on the steel frame. Manual coupes got a dry-sump LS3 and launch control. It outsold the base coupe and convertible combined in 2010 per Corvette Central.
- 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition: Inferno Orange or Supersonic Blue, ZR1 carbon-ceramic brakes, Magnetic Selective Ride Control and a carbon hood. Chevrolet planned 500 and Wikipedia says 252 were built. classic.com benchmarks it at $85,149 as of September 2026.
- 2013 427 Convertible: The final-year collector edition: the Z06's 7.0-liter LS7, manual gearbox, steering and brakes in the steel convertible. 2,552 built per Corvette Central and Wikipedia; the last C6 of all was a white 427 completed February 28, 2013.

## History

### Why the C6 kept the formula and changed the face

The C5 had already done the hard engineering: aluminum small-block, rear transaxle, transverse composite springs. Corvette Central describes the C6 as continuing the team's mission to improve on the previous generation in every category, and the brief was refinement rather than reinvention. Wikipedia credits the design to Tom Peters in 2001. The new body was 5.1 inches shorter than the C5, an inch narrower and on a wheelbase 1.2 inches longer, with a larger cabin and, for the first time since 1962, exposed headlights. The test was price. CorvSport notes that buyers expected a sizable increase and instead got a 2005 coupe priced below the last C5.

### 2005: the LS2 car

The 6.0-liter LS2 made 400 hp and 400 lb-ft, only five horsepower short of the 2004 Z06 by CorvSport's reckoning. Chevrolet claimed 4.2 seconds to 60 mph; Corvette Central prints 4.3 seconds and 186 mph. CorvSport lists the coupe at $44,245 and the convertible at $52,245, and its option table shows how the cars were ordered: 22,380 of the 37,372 built had the four-speed automatic, and 15,345 took the $1,495 Z51 package. Black was the most popular color at 7,995 cars. Chevrolet did not offer Torch Red that year; the plant built a single Torch Red car to test the color, and the National Corvette Museum later acquired and sold it.

### 2006: the Z06 and a 7.0-liter small-block

The Z06 returned for 2006 as a homologation car for racing, with a fixed roof, an aluminum frame that Car and Driver says weighed 136 lb, a magnesium engine cradle and carbon fiber front fenders and floors. Its 7.0-liter LS7 used titanium connecting rods and intake valves and a dry sump, and made 505 hp at 6,300 rpm on the way to a 7,000-rpm redline. Assistant chief engineer Tadge Juechter's team added coolers for every fluid except brake fluid. Car and Driver's October 2005 test car weighed 3,147 lb, 141 lb less than a base car, ran 3.6 seconds to 60 mph and 11.7 seconds in the quarter, stopped from 70 mph in 162 feet and cost $65,800 before options. The same year the base car got a six-speed paddle-shift automatic.

### 2008-2009: the LS3 and the Blue Devil

For 2008 the base engine became the 6.2-liter LS3 at 430 hp, or 436 hp with the dual-mode exhaust, the Tremec TR6060 replaced the T56 and the steering was revised. Above the Z06, a project code-named Blue Devil, for the university of GM chief executive Rick Wagoner, became the 2009 ZR1. Its LS9 used an Eaton supercharger and a water-to-air intercooler visible through a window in the hood for 638 hp and 604 lb-ft, and it was the first Corvette with carbon-ceramic brakes. Chevrolet announced it in June 2008 at $103,300 including destination, plus a $1,700 gas guzzler tax, and claimed 205 mph.

### 2010-2013: Grand Sport, special editions and the 427

Production fell to 16,956 for 2009 as the financial crisis took hold, and Wikipedia records that the 2009 GT1 Championship Edition was cut from a planned 600 cars to about 125 after the government takeover of General Motors. The Grand Sport replaced the Z51 option for 2010 with Z06 fenders and brakes on the steel frame, and Corvette Central says it outsold the base coupe and convertible that year. The 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition was planned at 500 and built in 252 examples per Wikipedia. The run closed with the 2013 427 Convertible, the LS7 in the steel convertible, 2,552 built. The last C6, a white 427, was completed on February 28, 2013.

## What to look for

On a Z06 or 427 Convertible, the LS7 valve guides come first. Vette Vues says some production runs wore exhaust-side guides early; Vettes of Atlanta describes the wiggle test, a dial indicator on the valve stem, with movement over .0037 inch taken as a worn guide, and the fix of replacing the powdered-metal guides with manganese-bronze ones. That dealer puts a head repair at $3,500 to $6,500; no second fetched source prices it. Ask whether the heads have been done and by whom. On every C6, watch the crank pulley at idle for wobble and listen for belt chirp: the harmonic balancer's rubber separates, and Vettes of Atlanta prices replacement at $1,100 to $1,900, driven by 6 to 10 hours of labor. On a 2005 manual car, ask whether it has been parked in Reverse, the owner's workaround for a battery drain. Wipe the Magnetic Selective Ride Control shocks and look for oil at the seals, and listen for clunks from the torque tube coupler. Check the NHTSA recall record: 2005-2007 removable roofs and 2006-2007 Z06 roofs for adhesive separation, the 2005-2006 power steering hose and the 2005-2007 headlamp relay wire. Vettes of Atlanta relays a RepairPal average of about $737 a year in repairs for a 2006; that is one secondhand figure. For color, 2005 production ran from 7,995 Black cars down to 717 in Monterey Red and 760 in Velocity Yellow, a $750 paint option, and early 2005 red is Precision Red, paint code 27, before Victory Red, code 74.

## Common problems

The fault most attached to the C6 is LS7 valve guide wear on the Z06, which Vettes of Atlanta traces to owner forums and describes as a route to engine failure if a valve drops; the accepted cure is reworking the heads with bronze guides. The harmonic balancer on LS2, LS3 and LS7 engines loses the bond between its inner and outer rings and wobbles, and Vettes of Atlanta warns that a full separation can damage the timing cover and steering rack. The 2005 car carries three first-year issues: the four-speed automatic, a rear differential described as weaker than the 2006 and later unit, and a parasitic battery drain on manual cars unless they are parked in Reverse, which Vette Vues calls Dead Battery Syndrome. Vettes of Atlanta also reports differential seal leaks with age, automatic shifters stuck in Park from a failed plastic shift-cable bushing, torque tube coupler noise, and a Service Steering Column Lock message from the anti-theft lock or its sensor. Magnetic Ride shocks leak and are expensive to replace, per Vette Vues. NHTSA lists six recalls for the 2005 model year, including roof panel adhesive separation, rear brake lines exposed to exhaust manifold heat, a power steering hose that could fracture, a tilt and telescoping column signal fault and a headlamp relay wire that could break and cut the low beams. No fetched source documents a window regulator pattern.

## Market notes

All figures are US dollars as of September 2026. classic.com averages the C6 across all variants at $52,184, a figure pulled upward by the ZR1, and records the lowest C6 sale as $8,500 for a 2006 coupe on November 9, 2023. Its CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmarks by variant are $40,621 for the Grand Sport, $48,457 for the Z06, $62,569 for the 2013 427 Collector Edition and $99,019 for the ZR1; no benchmark is shown for the base coupe or convertible. On its Z06 page classic.com averages the C6 Z06 at $52,548, benchmarks the standard Z06 at $48,455 and records the lowest Z06 sale as $25,300 for a 2008 on April 10, 2026. The Z06 special editions benchmark higher: $53,765 for the Ron Fellows Championship Edition, $64,072 for the GT1 Championship Edition, $76,654 for the Centennial Edition and $85,149 for the 2011 Carbon Limited Edition. Vette Vues, undated, places excellent LS3 base cars in the low-to-mid $30,000s, higher-mile or average early LS2 cars in the upper $20,000s and clean Z06s in the mid-to-upper $40,000s. The classic.com listing rows fetched were dealer asking prices rather than sales and are not used, no individual auction lot page was fetched, and a classic.com ZR1 page returned a 404 error, so no dated ZR1 sale is quoted here.

## Value trajectory

The C6 is a car whose ordinary versions have fallen far below their sticker and whose limited versions have not. A 2005 coupe listed at $44,245 has sold for as little as $8,500, a 2006 coupe in November 2023 per classic.com. The Z06 cost $65,800 in 2006; as of September 2026 classic.com benchmarks the standard car at $48,455, and its lowest recorded sale was $25,300 for a 2008 in April 2026. The ZR1, $103,300 plus gas guzzler tax in 2009, benchmarks at $99,019, the closest any C6 comes to its new price. The special editions separate by rarity: the Carbon Limited Edition, 252 built per Wikipedia, benchmarks at $85,149, and the 2,552-car 427 Convertible at $62,569, while the Grand Sport sits at $40,621. Vette Vues, undated, reads the base-car market by engine, with LS3 cars ahead of early LS2 cars. On the evidence fetched, documented LS7 head work, mileage and edition decide more of a car's price than model year does. None of this is a forecast.

## Sources

- [C6 Production Numbers - Corvette Central Tech Blog](https://tech.corvettecentral.com/2013/04/c6-production-numbers/) (Corvette Central)
- [C6 Corvette Production Figures](https://www.corvsport.com/c6-corvette-production-figures/) (CorvSport)
- [Chevrolet Corvette (C6)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette_(C6)) (Wikipedia)
- [2005 C6 Chevrolet Corvette: Specifications, VIN, & Options](https://www.corvsport.com/2005-c6-corvette/) (CorvSport)
- [Tested: 2006 Chevy Corvette Z06](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a18201273/chevrolet-corvette-z06-road-test/) (Car and Driver)
- [Tested: 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 vs. Z51 vs. Z06](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15390153/2009-chevrolet-corvette-zr1-tested-compared-with-z51-z06/) (Car and Driver)
- [2009 Corvette ZR1 Pricing Released: 638 HP For $103,300!](https://www.jalopnik.com/2009-corvette-zr1-pricing-released-638-hp-for-103-300-396344/) (Jalopnik)
- [NHTSA recalls by vehicle: 2005 Chevrolet Corvette](https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=chevrolet&model=corvette&modelYear=2005) (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
- [Gas Mileage of 2009 Chevrolet Corvette](https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2009_Chevrolet_Corvette.shtml) (US Department of Energy and EPA (fueleconomy.gov))
- [The C6 Corvette Buying Guide (2005-2013): Avoid These Costly Mistakes](https://vette-vues.com/c6-corvette-buying-guide-2005-2013/) (Vette Vues Magazine)
- [C6 Corvette FAQ: LS7 & LS2 Flaws & Specs (2005-07)](https://vettesofatlanta.com/c6-corvette-faq-ls7-ls2-flaws-specs-2005-07/) (Vettes of Atlanta)
- [Chevrolet Corvette - C6 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c6/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - C6 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c6/z06/) (CLASSIC.COM)

Cite as: Fully Sorted, "Chevrolet Corvette (C6)", https://fullysorted.com/research/models/chevrolet/corvette-c6, updated 2026-09-24.