In the recent Brink of Speed video from the Texas State Fair, Brink’s second question for the random visitors to the Chevrolet tent was, “What’s your favorite question of all time?” Your author’s knee-jerk reaction to this was “2011 Z06 Carbon, especially the third of them painted Inferno Orange.” Even though, if push came to shove, I’d be hard-pressed to take an IOM Carbon over a new Z07 Convertible or the Carbon’s PDE-equipped ZR1 contemporary, it’s safe to say that from the 7.0L brute under the bulging carbon fiber hood, the stunning contrast between my favorite paint color and the black accents, and the lighter approach to early 2010s track pace vs. the ZR1, I absolutely adore the Carbon, and even if a handful of its successors might have managed to become better sports cars, I’d call the C6 Z07 the ultimate manifestation of what it means to be a great Corvette.
BUT, when an example hit the open market for the first time since August (if you’re curious, the Stock one sold right away, and the modified one is still looking for a home), after an intriguing initial mystery, my excitement was replaced by shock, confusion, and even a touch of sadness.
The car in question is, in fact, one of the 66 units blessed with the bright metallic orange. It wears an incredibly early VIN: 00005, and the requisite low miles – 2,405 – to be one of the higher sales we’ve ever seen. The details aren’t specified in the North Carolina-based Exotic Car Trader listing, but it also features a smattering of enigmatic signatures that made for one of the most exciting “For Sale” write-up puzzles we’ve featured in some time.
Around the time the Carbon hit the scene, NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick started his amazing run of bidding up and winning VIN 001 Corvette Auctions offered by Chevrolet for charity. As he has with pretty much every major Corvette release since, “Mr. H” won the rights to Carbon #1. But it being one of his favorite exemplars of the Corvette breed, he also claimed the final sample, #252, and it didn’t stop there. He also gifted one of these Special Edition ‘Vettes to each of his Sprint Cup drivers that season, the Murder’s Row of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin.
Photo Credit: National Corvette Museum
From that list, we can narrow in on Martin, who drove the number 5 (just like our VIN) Impala in 2011. Apart from the car’s location in the thick of NASCAR country and the conveniently number-matched VIN (we’d heard rumors that Hendrick pulled specific build numbers for his guys, with 24 going to Gordon, 48 to Johnson, and 88 to Jr., but this is the first of those car’s we’ve come across), there’s the matter of the autographs adorning multiple surfaces of this particular Carbon. Before landing on the likely culprit, the overload of signatures, which can be found above the driver’s window, on the engine cover, on the passenger dash, and under the console lid, had us racking our brains for Corvette connections with alliterative names both starting with an “M” and not many other legible clues.
With that frustrating little matter almost certainly solved with the realization that Martin was on the team in ’11, we’re left to ponder the greatly inflated asking price. The Carbon Special Edition retailed right around $100,000 in 2011 ($144,394 in today’s dollars), and they haven’t seen much depreciation in the decade and a half since leaving Kentucky, either. This is evidenced by the quick sale of the $80k example from August, and our experience says they usually change hands for between $87,000 and the original MSRP. While, based on their extensive insurance data, Hagerty places a big $123,000 valuation on “#1, Concours” condition specimens, but has “#2 Excellent” values – which is probably where Martin’s ex-Carbon lands – questionably falling all the way to $69,800.
As those same collector car value experts point out in three excellent reads, Celebrity ownership either doesn’t really matter, has a shelf-life (per Jay Leno, even!), or is largely dependent on a connection to the “right” celeb. All of which shines a spotty, at best, light on the 66-year-old Martin, who, while a Hall of Famer and a highly-regarded driver, undoubtedly stands as the fourth most popular driver on his four-man Hendrick team (probably fifth if you include Hendrick, himself), never won a championship – his best finish was 2nd, which he achieved five times (1990, ’94, ’98, ’02, and ’09) with an impressive 20 seasons passing between the first and last occurrences –, and, worst of all, is most easily associated with Ford and Roush.
All things considered, we’d recommend this car all day at $100,000 and might even take a swing at the top Hagerty number as it is certainly the nicest Carbon to hit the block in several years, but it’s hard to think of any scenario where it’s worth the staggering $163,999 where it’s currently listed. Its story as one of the Hendrick cars is cool, but four signatures from a guy whose autograph goes for $8 on eBay should only add, at best, $32, and, especially in the case of the one on the exterior paint, is actually a (literal) black mark on this otherwise stellar vehicle.
If this car answers the favorite Corvette question for you, too, and you have the cash, we say you might as well start negotiating now. A better one isn’t likely to become available, and you can’t take the money with you, but owning a modern 427-powered Corvette is forever. Big picture: it will eventually be worth even more than the price that seems excessive in 2025. Nobody has to know that you’re playing and enjoying the heck out of the long game!
Source:
Exotic Car Trader
Related:
Competitive Spirit Drives Rick Hendrick’s Passion for VIN 001 Corvettes
Hendrick Picks Up a 2011 Black Carbon Z06 and Other Rare Corvettes at the NCM
NASCAR’s Hendrick Builds His Own LS7 for a 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition
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This Inferno Orange beauty would be an absolute awesome Z06 to own if it least didn’t have his signature on the roof panel and dash and didn’t cost way more than it’s worth.
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