Sadly, I think this will be my last Corvette. I am a huge Corvette fan and have been ever since I was a teenager. I started driving in 1967, and I thought that the ultimate car was a 1967 Corvette. When I started collecting cars, a 1967 427-435HP car was my first car. It was my first collector car and will certainly be my last.
Over the years, I have owned 20 Corvettes. This car is my 20th. I have enjoyed all of them and have watched the evolution over the years. My first was a 1984 Corvette, and it was pretty rough. I used to tell people that if I ran over a quarter, I could tell if it was heads or tails. The cars progressed, and I bought more as they became much better to handle.
While I am partial to 1967’s, some of my favorites were my 1994 LT-4, my 2003 Z06 and especially my 2006 Z06. I loved the 2006. I had a 2009 ZR-1, which was a good car, but my 2019 Z06 was spectacular. I loved that car, and always considered it one of the best cars I had ever had. When Chevrolet came out with the C8 in 2020, I was disappointed. I didn’t like the looks of the car, and the reduced horsepower wasn’t impressive.
I was at an auction in 2022 where I got to see the 2023 Z06. It was sitting right next to a regular C8. When you see the 2 cars next to each other, the differences are subtle. I had to look closely to find the differences. That said, when I looked at the C8 I thought “ok”. When I looked at the Z06 I went “WOW!!!” Subtle differences, but they were spectacular.
I was extremely fortunate to be able to order a 2023 Z06. It is an incredible car and is the end of an era. Chevrolet came up with a flat crank motor which will be a 1 year motor which produces 670 Horsepower. In 2024, they are going with a 495 Hp motor with electric motors.
I must admit, I’m not into electrics. I grew up with big motors and big Horspower. I like the thunderous sound and exhaust, and don’t like when car manufacturers come up with fake exhaust sounds.
That said, I think my 2023 Z06 will be the best Corvette ever made.
