Back in June, the final C7 Corvette ever built was auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson’s Northeast 2019 sale. The car raked in $2.7 million, with all proceeds from the sale benefiting the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which constructs mortgage-free smart homes for injured service members.
The car that rolled across the auction block that day wasn’t the actual final C7 Corvette, however. That specific car was instead an exact representation of the final C7 Corvette, as production of the seventh-generation version of the sports car was still ongoing at the time. The auction was actually for the last C7 Corvette build slot – though the paint color and other options were already pre-set by GM.
But now, with the start of production for the mid-engine C8 Corvette approaching, the final C7 Corvette has rolled off the line at Bowling Green Assembly in Kentucky. In a tweet, Chevrolet said the end of production of the seventh-generation Corvette was “bittersweet,” and described it as the “end of an era.” However, with each ending comes a new beginning, and Corvette fans are understandably excited about the forthcoming arrival of the mid-engine C8 Corvette.
The final C7 Corvette is a black 3LZ trim Z06 coupe with an Adrenaline Red interior, Z07 package, seven-speed manual transmission and a Performance Data Recorder. This isn’t only the last C7 Corvette, but it will very likely be the last front-engine Corvette ever built. Considering the performance gains Chevrolet has seen in switching to a mid-engine layout for the C8 Corvette, it seems highly unlikely it would ever revert back to a front-engine design.
Bowling Green Assembly will now undergo downtime throughout November, December and January in order to retool the plant and retrain employees to build the radically different C8 Corvette. Production of the C8 is expected to commence in February, with the 40-day UAW strike having delayed the vehicle’s arrival by a couple of months.
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Comments
So long front engine c7 vette you will be remembered. ??
Sad, sad, sad.
Just not a fan of mid-engine cars.
I agree: By on-line pictures: the engine compartment will be so tight that a average joe could not easily work on it! It’s compared to an engine bay of a small block opening & trying to fit in a big block!
Any spy shots or leaks for the C8-Z06 ? I want to hear that DOHC V8 unrestrained.
Given that the C7 and C8 Corvette look and drive so differently.. one has to wonder whether it was a necessity to stop building the C7 Corvette especially as Ferrari continues to build sports cars that feature a front engine rear drive layout; just as the Cadillac XLR demonstrated, it was possible to build another car borrowing heavily on a Corvette chassis.
Do not like these mid engine vettes. The design & style is ugly & way overpriced. Government Motors you ruined another great car!
No one needs to drive a car so fast. My late husband’s ’61 Rambler Classic was plenty fast enough and got good gas mileage. The reclining front seats were a big plus…..until my late husband took the widow Irene from down the block to Johnny Cake Lake and did the nasty with her. But that is another story…….
I think the C7 was an outstanding Corvette, my 2017 Z06 never fails to amaze me with its capabilities. I think these cars will age well as they have a sharp edginess to them. I will end up with another newer Corvette, a C8, but the C7 Z06 will definitely remain in the garage. Long live the 7th Generation!
My Z06