I now have a deposit reserving a spot in the queue to purchase a new C8 Z06 when they come available. They are expected in 2022. The specifications for the car have not been released so I'm hoping it can be built with (hard top convertible) HTC. I'm also hoping it comes with the flat plane high revving crank with a turbo charger.

In purchasing a new sports car, or any car, there are trade offs. Reliability, performance, cost, loyalty, luxury features, maintenance etc. are all in play.

 

Latest info is it will have the 5.5l DOHC flat crank at 675HP. It will come in both coupe and HTC. Expect to see price around $95K base. Should see car intro around Aug. of this year. Enjoy the wait.
Oh unless you have a deposit with either the number 1 or number 2 dealer you may not get one. It will be a low volume car as the present volumes for C8's are projected at 40K cars per year.

 

You're never too old!

https://carbuzz.com/news/90-year-old...a-new-corvette

 

Just a small update on my new ride. Just turned 2500 miles on it and so far no issues (knock on wood). Being my car was built in Nov. at the end of the 2020 build cycle it seems most of the early build problems were corrected. Hopefully nothing will come up but as a new model/platform it's just a wait and see. The one thing that I have noticed is the difference in ride vs the XKR. There is 2 differences that I didn't expect but it is what it is. The area is ride SMOOTHNESS both in suspension and in the seat. Even though I have the Mag ride option and while driving it touring mode the suspension is stiffer then the XKR. Maybe the 305 20's on the back with run flats contribute to this is a question. Also the seat padding is much thicker on the Jag so it absorbs more of the ride. But with the GT2 seats I do notice that they hold you in much better then the Jag. As you would expect all of the infotainment stuff and the gauge packages are pretty much modern tech so I expected that to be a world ahead of my 2012. The 15 HP difference isn't noticeable and if anything it feels like a lot more power in the C8. Just an short update

 

Can't wait to hear how it performs when the temperatures warm up the road surfaces.
One of the reasons I traded my Cadillac CTS was the magnetic ride did not offer a nice smooth touring feeling. It always felt twitchy, and in sport mode was super-twitchy. But then, that was a sedan trying to be a sports car. You have a sports car not trying to be a sedan!

 

Just an update here as I had just turned 6000 miles and 6 months of ownership and driving. The pros are it is a great daily driver and well suited for local and long run trips. So far local mileage is 22 mpg with trip millage at 32 mpg. The transmission is the best and smoothest I have ever driven as well as the fastest shifting one. It is also seamless when going from V8 mode to V4 mode . Still get a lot of lookers and is also still a unicorn in the area. The performance and handling are great and I expect a ticket is in the future. No body roll and no problem kicking out the rear under corner powering. Also my dealer sent me an email wanting to buy back the car for $10K over my MSRP. The electric Hard Top Convertible (HTC) is great and operates flawlessly for now but it is new so we'll see. Being electric you can stop the function and leave it in any position without any resetting issues. Last lots of travel trunk space available .
As for the cons I have only had one issue so far and that was on the OTA (over the air ) software update. Seems GM had a flaw in the program and as it uploaded it would drain the battery. Had to recharge and update re-installed. OK now. Next was ride quality. This is not your fathers Jaguar ride. It is firm even with the mag ride and in touring mode. That coupled with the large tires and the runflats it is not as comfortable as my XKR was. Its not a show stopper but as the seats are thinner in padding then the Jag you feel more of the road. Oh and every once in a while I look over my shoulder to the back seat and low and behold there isn't one. Old habit I guess.
So net is still a great car for me and a rare car in the wild with few of us out there. 23,000 2020 models built with 7300 HTC models and as it looks there will only be 26,00 2021 models built. Used car value now is $20 to $40 K over MSRP regardless of mileage. So let the fun continue and when winter hits I'll give you the snow drive update. Enjoy the ride.

 

I just parked next to one at Falmouth Heights Parking Lot. Owner gave me the 50 cent tour of the car. The digial rear view mirror is incredible. It's one heck of a car I must say. Nothing for money comes close. Looks are looks and that's a personal choice. All the black trim pieces he had were body matched. Looked neat.

 

I just finished replacing the dark trim stuff with Carbon Fiber. Just enough , and I think it look slick.

 

Pictures, pictures, pictures...

 

Only got inside pic's after the install . will get outside when weather gets better over the weekend.

 

The interior felt a little claustrophobic; like two single seat cars side by side.

 

Yep and that's just one of the reasons I like it. Just a matter of what one likes I guess. Enjoy the ride

 

Looks fantastic. Where did you get the carbon pieces? I'm on a wait list for the Z06. I was going to pickup a MB AMG GT-C, but the prices have gone up on the used 2018 models since 15 months ago. In Canada I could have bought one for $115-120K last year. Now they're around $135-145K. The midengine C8, I hate thinking of it as a corvette, should give more of a super car sports car feeling than the MB GT-C roadster.

 

There are several places like ACS or Paragon which have most of these parts . Also some are GM options . If you look up Corvette C8 carbon fiber parts you will find all of these aftermarket groups. Funny after coming back into the Corvette world it is amazing how many suppliers began producing aftermarket stuff. especially for C8. Still don't have the ECM hacker but I expect it to come . The twin turbo guys already have 800+ HP so if the Z06 comes in with 617HP the only benefit will be the 5.5L DOHC engine. So far the highest HP 6.2 L engine I've seen is 1075 HP RW

 

My friend (and fellow pantera owner) got his black on black on black hardtop convertible about 3 months ago, and was offered $25,000 over what he paid including all of the fees. He sold it and went on to buy an R8 V-10. I didn't get a chance to drive it, but did ride in it for a couple of minutes. My first and brief impression was it was certainly the highest quality Corvette ever made on the interior. However, those tiny little buttons (maybe 30 of them) on the center bar would necessitate me wearing my reading glasses 100% of time in order to see what symbols on each button represented. It would drive me crazy. In his whopping 2 months of ownership, he commented how instant and smooth the acceleration was and how solid the suspension felt. He also loved the hardtop convertible.
Jagtoes,
I'm glad you're enjoying the car even if tickets are on the horizon.

 

Ha the buttons aren't a problem. I only use 1 of them. First set the climate control to AUTO and adjust the temp and the only time I touch it (top button ) is for temp adjustment . Don't even know they are there anymore. These are unicorns and I just heard the factory is closed again so if GM is lucky they'll only make 25K C8's this year. Last year it was 23K so they are scarce and in demand. Hey I saw a red Pantera 2 days ago at a restaurant I go to. Looked like a recent restoration. Life is short , enjoy the ride.

 

The Vette owner I talked to was also offered like 25K for his car with the miles he put on. He obviously said no to their offer. He was going to buy a Ferrari 458, so that says a lot on Vette. His only big "detraction" to him is the engine doesn't sound as good as a Ferrari or Aston. He mentioned a future Vette variant that will have a flat plane crank. He didn't want to change the exhaust. For the amount of times I see him driving to the beach and up-down Main St.; he's having a ball in it.

 

Wow, what a horrible thing to do, to degrade himself so much. Uck.

 

Some of the guys on my vette form bought their C8 and also got on the Z06 order list. They plan to trade when the Z06 comes out for 2022. Maybe a Aug intro by GM. Plan is 5.5l DOHC NA at 617 HP and red line of 9000 rpm. Spy shots say sound similar to 488. Price $90 to $110K

 

Hey Cee Jay,
He bought an absoutely mint condition R8 V10 for so little that he plans on flipping it like he did the Vette and putting a deposit on a Z06. He loved the Vette. Interestingly, as scarce as they are, the Alfa/Maserati dealer a couple of blocks from my home has five C8 Corvettes sitting in their used car lot facing the main boulevard. That's about a month's worth of Corvette production all in one place.