Chevrolet Corvette 70th Anniversary Edition: American sports car celebrated with special edition

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To celebrate the 70th birthday of America’s supercar, Chevrolet is releasing a special edition version of the iconic Corvette that will be available on both the regular 2023 C8 Corvette and the new C8 Corvette Z06 model. 

Timed to coincide with the start of MY23 Corvette production later this year, the 70th Anniversary Edition will be offered in two unique colours – white pearl metallic tri-coat and carbon flash metallic – on both coupe and convertible versions of the Corvette Stingray 3LT and Corvette Z06 3LZ models. 

Satin grey racing stripes can be optioned for a white car or satin black with the carbon flash paint. A special set of wheels that have a dark finish, commemorative centre caps and a red stripe around the rim are also included.

Inside, the 70th Anniversary Edition cockpit is fitted with two-tone ceramic leather GT2 or Competition sport seats with red stitching throughout, and red seat belts. 

Brake calipers are painted red, as are the engine covers. There’s also new 70th Anniversary badges and a custom luggage set featuring red stitching.

C8 Corvette and Z06 performance

For those expecting the 70th Anniversary Edition to potentially offer more power, the C8 Corvette will retain its standard outputs of 369kW/631Nm from GM’s 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8. 

Those wanting more kick can go for the fiery Corvette Z06, which will up the ante with an all-new 5.5-litre DOHC V8 with 500kW of power and 623Nm of torque – also unchanged for the 70th Anniversary Edition. This LT6 unit uses a flat-plane crank design that allows it to rev much higher and smoother than a traditional cross-plane V8. It also creates a unique, European supercar-style exhaust note. 

Will the 70th Anniversary Corvette come to Australia?

With production set to commence on the 70th Anniversary cars later in 2022, pricing has not yet been confirmed, and neither has the special edition’s chances of making it to Australia and New Zealand.

It’s likely that the 70th Anniversary Corvette will only be built in left-hand drive. 

The first 70th Anniversary model to be produced – a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – will be auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson in the US to benefit Operation Homefront, which supports military families in times of need.  

Regardless of whether the Corvette has been optioned with the anniversary package or not, all 2023 C8 Corvettes will come standard with a commemorative plaque mounted in the cabin’s centre speaker grille, as well as a graphic imprinted on the lower rear window.

As its name implies, the C8 Corvette is the eighth-generation model of a nameplate that stretches back to the C1 Corvette of 1953. This was then followed by the C2 Corvette (1963), C3 (1968), C4 (1984), C5 (1997), C6 (2005) and C7 (2014). 

Both the standard C8 Corvette and the higher-performance Z06 will be sold in Australia and New Zealand under the GMSV dealership structure. 

Prices start at $144,990 before on-road costs for the base 2LT with Z51 Performance Package. The convertible version costs $159,990 before on-roads. 

The Z51 Performance Package includes a dual-mode exhaust system, larger Brembo brakes, magnetic ride control dampers and an electronic limited-slip differential. 

Chevrolet Corvette 2022: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Corvette 2LT coupe: $144,990
• Corvette 2LT convertible: $159,990
• Corvette 3LT coupe: $160,500
• Corvette 3LT convertible: $175,500