Those who recall when the all-new mid-engine Corvette was revealed to the world will remember the collective gasp from the crowd when GM’s Mark Reuss announced the car’s MSRP would be under $60,000. Several comments on Corvette stories we’ve run leading up to the big announcement included debates as to whether the new supercar could be offered for anything under the mid-70s. As we now know, that answer is a resounding “yes!” To be honest, if you ordered a hamburger on your way home from the dealership, you’d easily click over that 60k threshold, but Chevrolet’s value-per-horsepower in the all-new car was cemented with that one statement.

Does Lightning Strike Twice?

With the introduction of the Z06 Corvette, enthusiasts and social media are again glaring into their crystal ball, seeking answers as to how much coin GM will be asking for the next variant of America’s favorite sports car. Not taking into account any premiums asked by dealerships or options stacked on top of the low-hanging MSRP, many are again touting six-figure numbers and yet hoping for another round of GM’s value-laden price structure.

The 2023 Corvette Z06 puts the performance world on notice and recent chatter hints it does so at a fraction of its competitor’s pricing.

Perhaps it could be classified as information gathered, “from a friend, who knows a guy whose uncle works with someone whose barber cuts the hair of a guy from GM,” but numbers have begun flying around the internet at an increasing rate. And, if those numbers are indeed true, many Corvette enthusiasts will be very happy. Much happier than many other “supercar” salesmen.

We’re telling people if you’re used to the previous-generation Stingray to Z06, base-to-base (roughly), it shouldn’t be something you wouldn’t expect. — Harlan Charles, Corvette Brand Manager

Even more, Harlan Charles, Corvette’s Brand Manager recently visited Steve Garrett on his Corvette Today Podcast. Harlan is always a great interview and shared several aspects of the new Z-car in a way only someone with intimate knowledge and undying passion could provide. One of the key speaking points was his veiled reference to the 2023 Corvette’s pricing structure.

“The pricing, we’ll have it announced soon,” Harlan said. “We don’t have it finalized yet. But we’re telling people, if you’re used to the previous-generation Stingray to Z06, base-to-base (roughly), it shouldn’t be something you wouldn’t expect.”

What does that mean? There was approximately a $23,000 to $25,000 difference between the two models’ base configurations. If you transfer that over to the current C8 model, that will put the new car’s starting sticker around the 80-90K mark. When you look around at what other offerings are asking on showroom floors, it becomes even more evident how much easier it is to see the USA in a Chevrolet.

Of course, the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 configurator is full of bits designed to add performance to the car as it reduces the weight of your wallet. True carbon fiber wheels are now offered to help round out the RPO Z07 performance variant of the new supercar.

While Corvette’s price tag may reside slightly above what may be considered “daily-driver” status, there’s no doubting it brings considerable value within its market. When your benchmark begins to focus on the performance specs, you can easily see how Corvette stands out as the value among the rest of the field. With the Z-car’s latest high-water-mark, Corvette has moved into a realm typically populated by one-off, limited-production, or exotic offerings. And yet, the most recent divinations from the web still keep the fastest-Vette-yet well under the $100,000 mark, so long as you don’t get too zealous checking option boxes.