Does all of this unqualified praise have you feeling unglued like a delaminated sliver of Chevy's finest fiberglass? Need "buts" or a "it's good—for the price" to feel like the natural order of things remains intact? We have none to offer. The Z06 tosses aside the value crutch leaned on by its predecessors. Sure, it is objectively less expensive than, say, a space shuttle—or the McLaren 765LT or Lamborghini Huracán, blue-chip, 600-hp-plus mid-engine supercars that also competed for this same Performance Vehicle of the Year nod. That isn't why it won.
But because this is an Of The Year category, here are some numbers. The Z06 coupe starts at $110,290 including its guzzler penalty. (The drop top is $7,500 more.) Pile on every performance option, which you can shovel onto even the entry-level 1LZ trim level—including the Z07 package (which includes Brembo carbon-ceramic brake rotors) and required carbon-fiber aero package (add $1,000 for bare finish), plus the carbon-fiber wheels (again, add $2,000 for unpainted) and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, and the cheapest max-performance Z06 runs $138,175 all-in. A base 911 GT3? $172,450, which is almost 10 grand more than the fairly loaded Z06 3LZ we tested. The McLaren 765LT, which this Corvette effectively matches in certain performance parameters despite weighing more and making 85 fewer hp? Try $389,700 before options, which took our PVOTY contender to $490,810. You get the idea.
