On Saturday, January 29, 2022, Chevrolet rolled a preproduction 2023 Z06 across the auction block at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. The auction winner would receive the first C8 Corvette Z06 (VIN #0001 and not a preproduction model) scheduled to be built later this summer.

C8 Z06 Image courtesy of Barret-Jackson

Sean Finegan, Corporate Events & Vehicle Distribution at General Motors (GM), said, “The winning bidder will not only get the very first ever built Z06 mid-engine VIN 001, it will be a 70th Anniversary number one.” Meaning, as an added bonus, the first production Z06 will also be the 70th Anniversary trim package released a week ago, making this Corvette even more desirable if that’s possible.

While the new C8 supercar was expected to bring a price tag of around $1,000,000, it didn’t take long to figure out that it would fetch a lot more than that. In fact, the car hit the $1,000,000 mark in less than one minute after the bidding started. The C8 racked up a staggering $3.6-million before the bidding ended, with the winner being NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, who also won the bid for the first-ever C8 Stingray two years ago.

C8 Z06 Image courtesy of Barret-Jackson

This auction was historic for a couple of reasons. First off, Mr. broke his record when he placed the winning bid for the first production, C8 Z06. The previous record was a $3,000,000 winning bid for the first production 2020 Corvette C8. Secondly, GM donated this vehicle for auction. All of the proceeds will benefit Operation Home Front, a nonprofit organization that aids post 9/11 wounded military families and veterans with housing support and financial assistance.