Any time one of the 252 Carbon Special Edition Corvette Z06s built in 2011 hits the open market, it’s big news here at CorvetteBlogger. If the vehicle in question is Orange, the stakes go even higher, and two orange cars up for grabs at the same time is completely unheard of.
Available in either Inferno Orange or Supersonic Blue – unless you happen to be Rick Hendrick, who scored one in Black – the Carbon was produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette’s first time competing at Le Mans, and its purpose was to close the performance gap that had formed between the supercharged ZR1 and the aging naturally aspirated 7.0L Z06. To that end, everything in the ZR1’s parts locker was free game, save the blower. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, Carbon Ceramic Brakes, Magnetic Ride Control, and extensive carbon fiber were ported over to create the Carbon/Z07, essentially a lighter, higher-revving ZR1 at a $20k and 133-horse discount.
While this didn’t help it catch its LS9 “Blue Devil” sibling in a straight line, it all but erased any difference when the road got twisty. At VIR, the Carbon was about 5 seconds faster than the 2007 version and within 1.7 ticks of the ZR1. On the 12.9 miles of the ‘Ring, those numbers were even more impressive, with a ’12 model wearing the new Cup tires shaving the Z06 highwater mark by 20 seconds and even beating the ’09 ZR1 by nearly 4 seconds, while the ’12 ZR1 on the new rubber only finished about 3 seconds earlier.
In addition to the wicked performance enhancements, the Carbon package received unique exterior cues, including black ZR1-style 20-spoke wheels, silver brake calipers, and black mirror caps. Inside, you’d find Alcantara on the steering wheel, shifter, armrests, center console lid, and seat inserts. To add some pop to the proceedings, contrasting blue or orange French stitching was also included.
An original run of 500 was truncated to 252, with the bulk (185 units) of them getting the blue/gray paint and just 66 in Inferno Orange, hence the excitement when an example sprayed the rarer and, to your author’s eye, at least, better hue crosses the block. In the past two weeks, that is precisely what happened… twice, and now buyers have the incredibly uncommon choice between a bone stock specimen and one that has been treated to at least one major enhancement.
There isn’t much to say about the “as-intended” one, except that it is exceptional. It wears VIN 195 and has traveled just 6,750 miles in the 15 years since going down the line at Bowling Green. It is also available for an incredibly reasonable $79,999 at Marysville, Washington’s Kendall Chevrolet. We just hope this one lasts until we hit “publish.”
The example that’s been under the knife, so to speak, emerged with an Edelbrock “E-Force” supercharger crowning its LS7. The effects of the forced induction aren’t listed, but Edelbrock’s site claims that their product elevates the big 7-liter above the C6 ZR1 by 19 ponies and over its LT4 C7 successor by 7 ponies, with a grand total of 657 – interestingly, that’s five more than Callaway’s contemporary “SC” kit achieved. This one, currently housed at Greenwood Automotive in Parker, CO, is number 117, and its odometer surprisingly isn’t far ahead of the competition with just 12,300 indicated miles. If you’re on the fence about these two beauties, price isn’t going to be your decider, either, because just $4 separates the two with the ‘roid raging Coloradan landing at $79,995.
What a conundrum the market has cooked up for the Corvette Nation this week! Would you choose the time capsule with enough miles to keep you from feeling guilty about enjoying it, or do you prefer the one that can still outmuscle – or at least hold its head high around – a lot of more modern ‘Vettes? Let us know below, and best of luck to those of you who are in the market; these kinds of comps can make you pull your hair out in indecision!
Source:
Greenwood Automotive and Kendall Chevrolet Marysville
Related:
Hendrick Picks Up a 2011 Black Carbon Z06 and Other Rare Corvettes at the NCM
The Best Corvettes of the 2010s: No.2 – The C6’s Z07 Ultimate Performance Package
Ten Years Ago: GM Reveals the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition
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The Inferno Orange paint on these two cars sure does look different to be the same color. I think I would have to go with the modified one.
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