Rare 7-speed C7 ZR1 Convertible Comes Out Of Hibernation

The C7 generation was the last rear-wheel-drive Corvette produced. The following C8 generation fulfilled Zora Arkus-Duntov’s original idea of making America’s sports car mid-engine to compete with its European competition. This massive change didn’t come easy, but GM engineers reported that the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform was nearing its performance threshold with the supercharged Z06. So Chevrolet sent the last rear-wheel-drive Corvette out with a bang and offered the C7 ZR1, and a rare example has come out of collector car hibernation for sale to the public.

The C7 ZR1 was only produced for one model year, 2019, and the production numbers were very low at only 2,953 made out of 34,822 Corvettes total for that year. But less than 100 were convertible ZR1s with the ZLZ Sebring Orange special design package and the 7-speed manual transmission. This rarity, combined with only 1,333 miles, is sure to bring big money at the Dallas Mecum auction this weekend.

Among carbon-ceramic brakes, special suspension, and ZR1-specific aero was the exclusive supercharged LT5 V8, owing its roots to the more common Z06 model’s LT4 engine. The 755-horsepower LT5 was exclusive to the 2019 ZR1 and was only offered as a crate engine through Chevrolet Performance in limited volume for a very short period of time, making the C7 ZR1 highly sought after and valuable.

The original window sticker shows an MSRP of less than $150k, but we all remember the C7 ZR1 selling for over sticker price when new due to its rarity, low production volume, and many wanting the last big-dog rear-wheel-drive Corvette before the new mid-engine C8 model came out in 2020. We suspect that this orange convertible will sell for roughly double its original MSRP based on previous Mecum auctions.