Chevrolet Will Launch Twin 70th Anniversary Special Edition Corvettes

It might come as a surprise to hear that Corvette is the proud holder of the record for the being the oldest surviving sportscar nameplate on the road today, beating the Morgan 4/4 which ended production in 2019. At the start of its long history, the first ever 300 Corvettes were hand-built convertibles in 1953. Almost 70 years later, and the legendary motor manufacturer is planning a special edition package consisting of the Stingray and range-topping Z06 to mark its 70th anniversary in 2023.

Both the Z06 and the Stingray special editions will get bespoke anniversary commemorative badging which will include special Corvette cross-flags. Outside, each car will show off anniversary edition alloys in a dark finish featuring red and black wheel caps – both the Z06 and Stingray will feature separate wheel designs. Initially, there will be two exterior colours to choose from: a choice of White Pearl Metallic Tri-coat or Carbon Flash Metallic. If you really want to make sure you get noticed, you can also opt for striping in colours sympathetic to your main colour of choice – these will be a Satin Grey if you choose the white colour scheme and Satin Black if you opt for carbon paint.

Inside, there will be 2-tone ceramic leather Competition Sport or GT2 seats which will feature red stitching to match the red seatbelts and the brake callipers. The seats will also get 70th anniversary edition logos, as will the sill plates and the steering wheel. In fact, the anniversary logo will be everywhere; you will also find it on the centre speaker grille and on the bottom of the rear window. Complimentary red stitched luggage will also come with anniversary model – badged of course.

While the Corvette Stingray is a long-established sportscar, the new mid-engined Z06 was revealed in October last year with a surprise announcement of a 5.5-litre LT6 V8 engine, inspired by the Corvette C8.R racer, to replace the maybe more expected 6.2-litre V8. The object of the new engine is to ‘exceed the power’ that any naturally aspirated V8 engine is capable of throwing out. What that means is 670bhp with 460lb ft of torque and a 0-62mph of just 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 185mph. It’s going to be some car…

By the time you read this, the first example of the next-gen Z06 – a 70th anniversary special edition – will have been auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale Arizona on 29 January 2022. (VIN 001). Proceeds of the auction will go to Operation Homefront, a non-profit scheme designed to make sure that military families can live comfortably within their own communities. Chevrolet has been a supporter of Operation Homefront since 2017.

Once full production and sales of these anniversary Corvettes kick in, owners will be able to add plenty of options to personalise their special edition – and if the meagre colour choices are not to your liking, not to worry as Corvette will be eventually be phasing in a total of 14 colour options to choose from in 2023.

Images: media.chevrolet.com