Up next in 10
CORVETTE TODAY #249 - Corvette News & Headlines, Mid January 2025
0 views
Jul 12, 2025
CORVETTE TODAY #249 - Corvette News & Headlines, Mid January 2025 Happy 2025!!! Our first News & Headlines show of the new year features your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett and Keith Cornett from CorvetteBlogger.com (http://corvetteblogger.com/) . We have Corvette Racing new for you, we have C8 ZR1 news for you. Here's a few of the other things that Steve and Keith will cover: 1. GM delivers over 7,600 Corvette in Q4 of 2024 2. The first saleable ZR1's have now been built 3. 2024 Z06's and E-Rays are now available at Supplier Pricing 4. C8 ZR1 VIN #001 will be auctioned off at Barrett Jackson 5. The ZR1 Order Guide is now available online
View Video Transcript
0:00
[Music] Welcome to Corvette Today, the show that
0:06
talks about everything Corvette with your host Steve Garrett, lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum,
0:13
president of the Corvette Club of Kansas City, Missouri, and radio disc jockey at the number one radio station in Kansas
0:20
City for over 45 years. Here's Steve Garrett.
0:28
Thanks for listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette and the only
0:33
current podcast dedicated to Corvette. I'm your host, Steve Garrett. I appreciate you tuning in. Corvette Today
0:39
is brought to you by Wheelcraft. Want to dress up your Corvette with bright chrome or black chrome wheels? Visit
0:44
wheelcraft.com and learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can refinish your wheels or offer a wheel
0:50
exchange for most models, and it comes with a 5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com today or call them at
0:57
833-84-5334. You can listen to Corvette Today on all
1:02
podcast platforms. You can also listen on your smart device. Just say, "Hey Google," or "Alexa, play the podcast
1:09
called Corvette and you're connected." And be sure to visit the Corvette Today website. It's corvette.com.
1:15
You can access everything there, including the Corvette Today merchandise store. You can also join our Corvette
1:21
Today Facebook group there as well. Also, make sure you sign up for the Corvette Today emails, notifications,
1:26
and updates at corvette.k.page. And if you like YouTube, be sure to
1:32
subscribe to our Corvette Today YouTube channel. See all Corvette Today episodes on YouTube as well. And be sure to
1:38
patronize our flagship sponsors of Corvette Today, mid-engine Corvette forum.com, the forum that focuses on the
1:45
new mid-engine C8 Corvette. Meet a lot of fellow Corvette enthusiasts like yourself at mid-engine Corvette
1:51
forum.com. Soul Performance Products developed and manufactured in the United States. The Soul Performance Products
1:57
exhaust portfolio has been tailored to elevate the experience of the world's most exciting sports cars, including the
2:04
latest generation of the Corvette. Soul Performance Products at sulp.com,
2:09
the official performance exhaust of Corvette today. Aerolari wheels, a true forged wheel with over 20 unique styles
2:16
to choose from for your C8 and widebody versions of the C7, C6, and C5 Corvette.
2:22
It's an amazing value starting at only 23.88 for a set of four fully forged
2:27
wheels. And use the promo code CT111 and get $100 off your purchase. Visit
2:33
aerolari.com. That's a r o l r i.com. and use the promo code CT111 for your
2:41
$100 discount. Sioka Corvettes. If you're a Corvette enthusiast, and I know you are since you're listening and
2:47
watching Corvette Today, then you need to know about Sioka Corvette. They're based in Atlantic City, where you can
2:52
find over 100 new and pre-owned vets on the lot and inbound. Seioca also ships Corvettes all over the country,
2:58
customordered to your specifications. They're staffed with experienced pros who can answer all your questions, so
3:04
don't compromise. Visit seiocorvette.com. That's ciocorvette.com
3:10
and find out more. Chevrolet together. Let's drive E5 Wheels. E5 Wheels is a
3:16
passionate and dedicated wheel company that serves only Corvette. They make spun forged wheels for your C8, C7, and
3:23
C6 Corvette. With the best fitment in the industry, E5 Wheels ensures your wheels complement the aesthetics and
3:29
functionality while optimizing the performance of your Corvette. Visit e5wheels.com or call them at 3059647429.
3:39
And a shout out to Canadian Corvette Forum and Corvette Forum, welcoming Corvette enthusiasts from around the
3:45
world. All right, everybody. Here we go. It's time to bring you the latest Corvette news and headlines with my pal
3:50
Keith Cornet from corvette blogger.com. Keith with me every other week and we keep you current and uptodate on what's
3:56
happening with America Sports Car. Keith, welcome back to the show, buddy. This is our first show of 2025. It is.
4:03
And actually we had a few moments to spend with each other. We had day at Corvette day at Mikum. That was great seeing you there. And of course some
4:09
great cars there as well. But we had a little bit of sad news come out of Mikum as well. It was great to see you at Mikum CMI as
4:14
well. We lost a huge part of our Corvette hobby and world. John Kraman,
4:20
one of the TV co-hosts of Mikum Auction has passed away. John was a personal friend of mine. He was a friend of the
4:27
show. Always came on the show to talk about Corvettes. He was a big Corvette enthusiast. He owned three Corvettes,
4:32
including a C8. John's passing will be a huge loss to our Corvette community. Absolutely. Yeah, we'll miss John and
4:39
prayers to all his family and friends out there. Definitely. Well, buddy, let's start off the show like we always do. Let's get a
4:44
Corvette production update from the Bowling Green assembly plant. Absolutely. See, well, this is our first production report that we've discussed
4:50
since the plant was closed for that 3-week holiday shutdown. The assembly line was fired up again on Monday,
4:55
January 6th. So, our VIN counts as of the last available report show 7,785
5:01
Stingrays, 3,317 Z06s, and 1,045
5:07
- completed so far. So, that's a total of 12,147 Corvettes for the 2025 model year. A
5:14
couple of points to make now include the -ray has surpassed 1,000 units for this year. Kind of hard to believe that still
5:20
only 2400-rays have been completed total since production started in 2024. And also as you look through these daily
5:27
counts which are reported sometimes they don't accurately depict what's being produced daily but they kind of back up.
5:32
But there was one day in December where we actually saw 105 new Z06s were reported on a single day. And over the
5:39
last month we've been averaging about 54 Z06s completed daily. So they're really pushing those widebody models out.
5:45
That's good news there. Yeah. And then finally, after the first week of operations in 2025, Roger Ke's tracker
5:51
shows 507 new Stingrays were produced in that first week back. Again, that's a huge number of Corvettes. Many of those
5:57
are Corvettes being sold without a customer attached to it. They're dealer stock. Those cars will soon be headed to
6:03
dealership lots. Continue to look for dealers discounting the Stingrays until we get some better sense of what GM
6:08
might do with production-wise on that Stingray because they're really pumping them out still. And like I said, most of them are probably dealer stock orders at
6:15
this point. That's awesome. Also, we found out that GM delivered over 7,600 Corvettes in Q4 of last year, which is
6:21
also a great number, too. Yeah, not bad. Again, these are deliveries. These are sold Corvettes,
6:26
not produced Corvettes. So, General Motors posted their fourth quarter sales numbers on January 3rd, as they officially closed out 2024. And then for
6:33
that 3-month period, October, December, they delivered that 7,619 new Corvettes.
6:39
This was actually a 14.5% decrease from last year's fourth quarter numbers. We actually saw 8,915 new Corvettes
6:46
delivered during that period. And then for the 2024 calendar year, Chevrolet delivered 33,330
6:54
new Corvettes. That was a 3% decrease from the 2023 totals of 34,353
6:59
Corvettes delivered during that 12-month period. These figures are US sales only, but they are still very strong. And C8
7:05
shows no sign of slowing down. Definitely. And speaking of decreasing numbers, Keith, you and I talked about this on the last news and headline show.
7:12
Chevy's new live inventory tracker shows that the C8 inventories have gone down by 18% during that 3-week break. And
7:20
again, we talked about that two weeks ago. Yeah. So during that 3-we break, no Corvettes were being shipped from the
7:25
assembly plant to dealers. So I thought, you know, this will give us a really good idea to see this reduction in
7:30
inventory, see how much they do. So we're looking at the live inventory tracker. If you put in a zip code for I
7:36
don't know the exact number, but somewhere in Kansas and Missouri somewhere out there, you can do a 2,000 mi radius that looks at the entire
7:42
continental United States. Right after the break started, December 13th, we looked and there were 6,646
7:49
Corvettes on the ground. And then on January 8th, I believe we looked at it again and there was 5,442.
7:56
So about 1,200 Corvettes were sold during that 3-week time period, which was an 18% reduction in that current
8:02
inventory. I'm probably going to be running these numbers monthly now because they're both very interesting just to see what they are as well as
8:07
it's a great metric because they actually come directly from General Motors and it really gives us an idea to
8:12
see what the business on the ground looks like so to speak. I think that's a great idea. We should report that because it does sound like
8:18
something that everybody would like to know about. Also, Keith, this is pretty interesting. December's order cycle from
8:24
2024, it ended in January of this year. This was kind of strange, you know, and it was like, I wonder how they were
8:30
going to do this. So dealers for December, there was only one order cycle, but they got their allocations on December 12th. Then the actual order
8:37
started being placed on January 9th. So it was almost a month. And think about it, you're on the bubble. You get the
8:43
call from your dealership. Hey, we got an allocation. You're up on our list. As long as the constraints don't hamper
8:48
your order, you know, we're going to be able to place it. And then you got to wait for three or almost four weeks to find out if the constraints are going to
8:54
limit your order, right? Felt bad for those buyers out in the bubble like that. However, the good news is it was the same constraints as usual,
9:01
so they are probably prepared. It was the gloss black wheels for the Stingray, the carbon fiber arrow for the Z06, and
9:06
the visible carbon fiber ground effects for the -ay. Orders placed during this round are expected to be built during
9:11
February 3rd through the 9th. Okay. And then the next order cycle actually begins this Thursday with allocations and then ordering opens up on the 29th.
9:19
Moving right ahead, we got some good stuff going there. Absolutely. Right. Also, some of the biggest news we got was we have a lot of
9:25
new ZR1 information, don't we? Yeah. So, information's really coming in fast and
9:30
furious over they got it kicked into high gear, whatever. First, we got MSRP pricing on the ZR1. It shows that
9:37
174,995 will be the starting price for the base coupe. And then we also got the full
9:42
pricing for the car, which includes all the options and accessories. You know, one of the surprises there is we have the invisible carbon fiber arrow
9:48
package. That's $84.95. And then if you want to add ZTK, it's just another $1,500 on top of that. So
9:54
basically ZTK will cost you 10 grand on your ZR1, which is kind of in line with what we've seen on previous ZR1s as
10:01
well. Not only did we get the full pricing, but we also got the order guide, which helps buyers select and see
10:07
what options can be ordered between the two trim groups. And then finally, the word on the street was that Chevrolet
10:12
has actually built the first two captured fleet ZR1s. These are sailable VIN cars, meaning that they were built
10:18
then 001 002. These are going to go to Chevrolet. They're going to be driven by personnel. They're going to be in shows.
10:24
We're not sure exactly what the use of these two cars will be, but these are sellable units, meaning that when Chevy's done eventually, they'll go back
10:31
into the pipeline and be sold as a used car. These aren't to be confused with the first retail ZR1s that are going to
10:37
start up in second quarter, according to GM's press release. And then GM also says that ordering for the ZR1 will
10:43
begin in February as dealers receive their allocations and then ordering opens. Production will start sometime in
10:48
second quarter, April, May or so is expected. So, should be interesting there though. So, Steve, I actually
10:53
because there's no configurator yet other than what we see on Chevrolet.com, it doesn't add up the pricing, but I
10:59
pulled out a pen and paper and I started building my car and I did a black convertible with blue wheels, the carbon
11:05
fiber aero package, but I did not do ZTK because I think everything we've been told is that the ride is better if
11:10
you're just really going to be a street car as opposed to uh tracking it. Right. My build came out at $212,000.
11:18
Wow. That's why they call it a dream car because I'm going to be dreaming about it. I know you did a sample build as
11:24
well. Do you know what you came up with? Yeah, I did a sample build as well. I did the black car, the traditional
11:29
heritage ZR1 with the edge blue everything. Yes. Blue wheels, blue striping, blue seat
11:35
belts, all that kind of stuff. I did the Highwing with the Arrow package and that is not included in the ZTK. So, I was
11:42
real excited about that. But I did not get the carbon fiber wheels because I wanted the edge blue wheels that go with
11:48
the traditional heritage ZR1 look. My build came to $22,500.
11:55
Wow. It sounds like our builds are very similar cuz mine was the black convertible with the blue wheels and then I did black interior with the blue
12:02
stitching and blue seat belts as well. I did the coupe with the split window in the back. Oh, very nice. Yep. Very nice.
12:08
I want to still see that engine through the glass. That's for sure. I hear you there. So, yeah, exciting times. all kinds of ZR1 information.
12:15
We'll have this all up on links in the podcast and then of course you can find it all at Corvette Blogger. That sounds great. All right, buddy.
12:20
Time for our first break. When we come back, Corvette Racing and Corvette Rumors are on deck next here on Corvette
12:26
today. We all know that wheels make the car. Wheelcraft's PVD chrome finish in bright chrome or black chrome will take
12:33
your Corvette to new levels. And it comes with a 5-year warranty. Durability is defining feature of the Wheelcraft
12:39
finish. Their PBD chrome is superior to traditional chrome with a finish that is brake dust resistant and cleans
12:45
effortlessly with soap and water. Wheelcraft offers factory wheel exchange for select C4 through C8 models. Or they
12:51
can apply the PBD finish to your current wheels. No matter what generation you own, Wheelcraft will transform the look
12:57
of your Corvette. With every Corvette comes a unique story, and Wheelcraft has embraced this idea. When you purchase
13:03
your new set of wheels, you receive a lifetime membership to the Wheelcraft Pit Crew, granting you access to your
13:08
own page on Wheelcraft's website, where you can post pictures and tell your Corvette story. Visit our website at
13:14
wheelcraft.com or call 833639-4231. Arrive in style with Wheelcraft. The
13:21
National Corvette Resto Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 50 years of affirming and
13:28
promoting the preservation and restoration of the Corvette. 50 years as the foremost Corvette collector car
13:34
organization for building value with its prestigious awards. Have you ever considered joining NCS? Over 70,000
13:40
people have. Were so much more than just the nuts and bolts. The NCRS flight judging program can and often does
13:47
increase the value of America's sports car by researching and publishing the leading tech manuals and judging guides
13:53
for the 1953 through 2007 Corvette by training the best judges and by hosting
13:58
local, regional, and national judging events. And when you join, you'll get award-winning magazines like Corvette
14:04
Restore and Driveline all throughout the year. Joining is simple and easy. Just go to ncrs.org
14:10
and sign up. There are NCS chapters all throughout the US and all around the world. Chances are there's a local
14:16
chapter near you. So join NCS today at ncs.org.
14:21
We come for the Corvettes. We stay for the friendships made along the way. For the best in CV Stingray Z06 and -ray
14:29
aftermarket carbon fiber replacement components and body kits, check out racingsports.com
14:34
or call 1800815-3751. Tell him Steve sent you to save 10% with
14:39
coupon code Corvette today. Hi, I'm Mark Falter, host of the Retirement Income Hour podcast and
14:45
Corvette enthusiast. I know when I bought my Z06, I was thinking two things. These cars are fantastically
14:52
fast, and wow, are they expensive. Owning a Corvette isn't just about driving fast. It's about living life in
14:59
the fast lane. But are your finances keeping up? On my podcast, I'll make
15:04
wealth management as smooth as your Corvette on the open road. Whether it's planning a retirement, building your
15:10
investments, or how in the heck do I get my retirement accounts to pay for this Corvette, I have got you covered. Search
15:16
the Retirement Income Hour podcast wherever you find your podcast, and let's shift your finances into
15:22
overdrive. I'll see you on the open road financially and literally. investment advisory services offered through
15:28
Mid-American Wealth Advisory Group, an SEC registered investment advisory firm.
15:34
You're listening to the Corvette Today podcast with Steve Garrett. Hey, thanks for checking out Corvette
15:40
Today on podcast and YouTube. It's the only current podcast dedicated to Corvette. Corvette Today is brought to
15:46
you by Wheelcraft. You want your Corvette looking its best, don't you? We'll dress it up with bright chrome or black chrome wheels. Visit
15:53
wheelcraft.com and learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can refinish your wheels or do a wheel
15:59
exchange and you also get a 5-year warranty. So, visit wheelcraft.com today
16:04
or just give them a call 833639-4231.
16:09
I'm your host, Steve Garrett. With me is my partner in crime, Keith Cornet from Corvette Blogger. This is our first news
16:14
and headlines show of 2025. In segment two, we always cover Corvette racing and
16:19
Corvette rumors. Keith, let's start off with racing and racing at Daytona. Yeah, it's race week. Corvette racing
16:25
returns to action this weekend for the Rolex 24 Daytona. Action starts on Saturday. Green flag drops at 1:40 p.m.
16:31
for the 24-hour race. Over the weekend, we had all the teams in Daytona for the Roar before the 24 practice sessions.
16:37
And then this Thursday is when qualifying will happen for the race. This is really actually going to be a fun one to watch for Corvette fans cuz
16:43
there's a total of five Corvette Z06 GT3RS to root for in the GTD Pro class.
16:48
We've got our two entries from Pratt Miller Motorsports, the familiar yellow black Corvettes wearing the number three and number four. But then there's also a
16:54
special entry from TrackHouse Racing who has partnered with TF Sport to field the number 91 Corvette in the Pro Class as
17:00
well. So we got three in the Pro Class and then we got two in just a regular GTD class. That's AWA Racing is
17:06
returning with their number 13 car and then we have the new entry from DXDT racing which will field the number 36
17:13
Corvette. This is actually the largest number of productionbased Corvettes racing since 2007. And of course,
17:19
Corvette Racing has four victories at the Rolex 24, including the overall win in 2001. This is going to be a really
17:25
fun race. Block off Saturday, get your snacks in, get everything booked, and then don't forget also during that day,
17:31
you'll want to jump over to Barrett Jackson to check out the auction for the ZR1, which we'll talk about a little bit later as well. But Saturday is going to
17:37
be a full day of Corvettes, so plan accordingly. Get the popcorn ready, that's for sure. You mentioned Track House Racing, Keith.
17:44
They are partnering with WeatherTech for a GT3R entry at Daytona this year, too,
17:49
aren't they? Yeah, this is pretty cool. So, Track House Racing is normally can be found racing NASCAR. So, what they've done is
17:54
they've teamed up with TF Sport, who campaigns the Z06 GT3R in the World Endurance Championship. So, it sounds
18:00
like they're shipped a car over and they're going to race their number 91 Corvette at the Rolex 24. The livery is
18:06
really cool, as you said, sponsored by WeatherTech. It's red, white, and blue with nice striping on it. It's very
18:11
nice. It's one of actually I think one of the nicest ones I've seen yet. As we said, they're racing in the GTD Pro class against our home team. They're
18:18
stacked with drivers. Track House is bringing two NASCAR drivers, Connor Zillich and Shane Dan Gillsburgen. And
18:24
then we also have Indie Car driver Scott Mclofflin, who was joined by veteran sports car racer Ben Keading. Ben was
18:31
one of the drivers of the championship wet team that won two years ago, I believe, in the Corvette C8R. Right.
18:36
This is going to be a fun team to watch, so keep your eye out on the number 91 Corvette. It's a white with a red, white, and blue stripes on it. Really
18:43
exciting stuff this weekend. Can't wait to see that one. That'll be fun. Let's go to rumors now, Keith. The 2024 Z06's and -ays. Are they now
18:50
available for supplier pricing? And what is that? Yes and no. So, GM has a couple of
18:56
different discount programs in place. There's like their GM employee discounts and then there's a supplier discount. So, if you work for a company that
19:02
supplies to General Motors, you can get discounts on a bunch of their vehicles. They actually have a website called GM
19:08
supplier discount. allows the buyers to see what vehicles are available for discounting. The Z06 and the -ray both
19:15
showed up there in 2024s. So, that's what really got us interested. But actually, we learned that the Z06 was
19:20
added incorrectly. Shouldn't have been on the list. We spoke with our friend Dave Salvatore from Sioka who informed
19:26
us that only the Stingray and -ays are available for these programs. And in fact, they are not just the 2024s, but
19:32
the 2025s as well are available for supplier pricing. The biggest thing is always check with your dealer for
19:38
details and availability. They always have the latest up-to-date info on this stuff. You know, like I said, they're cranking out Z06s, so maybe at some
19:44
point they'll become available for this program, but currently they're not ready for supplier pricing yet. Okay, that sounds good. Also, another
19:50
rumor. This was kind of interesting. We had important 2025 and 2026 model year
19:55
ordering and production dates announced, didn't we? Yeah, this is interesting. This was not a big release. You know, we got the info
20:01
from our friend Rick Ki. And as always, these dates are subject to change. But what we're hearing again, ZR1
20:07
allocations and ordering is going to happen in February. February 13th we believe is when the allocations will drop. But then we also learned that the
20:13
2025 buildout dates will be May 30th with the last order date in March. So that means we could actually see the
20:20
2026 model start up on June 2nd, a little bit earlier than what we've seen previously, but who knows what they're
20:26
doing. We know that there might be a midyear refresh in the interior for 2026s. maybe they want to do some other
20:31
things there with the ZR1 for 2026. So again, a lot of this is kind of fluid, but what's going to be interesting is if
20:37
that's the case, ordering for the 2026es will start in April, as a lot of these dates fall before the NCM bash, we could
20:44
actually have a lot of this information released leading up to the bash. And so when we get to the bash, it'll be more of a recap as opposed to just being
20:50
announced for the new year. Pretty interesting stuff. Again, these are fluid dates, so we're kind of watching these to see if they're going to hold.
20:56
We'll definitely be watching for those. And also talk to me about exterior colors for 2025.
21:01
Yeah, so I was told by a friend of mine that my beloved Hysteria Purple Metallic wasn't selling all that well. I'm like,
21:06
man, those are some fighting words. You know, I'm going to go prove that cat wrong. So, I went to chalker.com. They
21:12
track all the window stickers that come, but they've been able to also extract data from it. So, you can go in and see
21:17
options and you can see colors. So, I went through and I pulled all the colors built on the 2025s from beginning of
21:23
2025 production in September through January 4th. really found some interesting data. There's always seems
21:28
to be in the grouping of colors. Here's your top colors. Then there's the colors that are in the mid group there. They always do pretty well. And then there's
21:35
your bottom color. So at the top, we've got the normal suspects. They're white, black, torch red, red mist, and then
21:42
seawolf gray. In our second grouping, the midline colors, we have riptide blue, hysteria purple, and competition
21:49
yellow. And then at the bottom, we have rapid blue and sebring orange. Wow. Sebring got a really late start. And
21:56
once it's come online, I think it started like at the end of October, it's actually been out selling rapid blue
22:01
each and every week. So I think actually what we're going to see by the end of the 2025 model year is rapid blue might
22:07
be that color that comes up dead last. Keep your eye on that if you're thinking that you want a rapid blue car. You
22:13
might not want to wait till the 2026es cuz there's no real guarantee that it's going to be around. As for Hysteria
22:18
Purple, there were 800 built. That's 7.8% 8% of production and it's just 19 cars behind Riptide and maybe 100 ahead
22:25
of competition yellow. So, those two new colors, Hysteria and competition are doing really well. I'm starting to see
22:31
the competition yellow is actually out there quite a bit as well. It's going to be interesting to see. We're going to keep an eye on this and see where these
22:36
colors actually shake out. I know people like the color information. I certainly like to pull it up as well. So, there you go.
22:42
I like it. I like it a lot, buddy. Let's take our final break. When we come back, the fun side of Corvette, the lighter
22:47
side of Corvette is on deck next here on Corvette Today.
22:52
Are you ready for a better insurance policy without the Corvette tax? With agreed value protection, the value of
22:58
your collector vehicle will never change. Plus, you'll save money. Get a quick quote at ncm insurance.com.
23:06
Hey Corvette lovers, this is Brian Sar from IntelliSense Family Office. You formerly known us as True Wealth and
23:12
Company. First off, a huge congratulations to Steve Garrett on celebrating five amazing years of
23:18
Corvette today. We've been proud sponsors every mile of the way. You know the thrill and drive and the pride of
23:24
ownership. But here's the big question. Do you have the same confidence in managing your wealth? At IntelliSense
23:29
Family Office, we specialize in helping high- netw worth individuals like you protect, grow, and enjoy their wealth.
23:35
Whether you're a successful entrepreneur, a professional athlete, or someone who's worked hard to achieve your financial goals, we've got you
23:42
covered with personalized expert advice, we understand the unique challenges you face and the dreams you have for the
23:48
future. From advanced tax planning to succession planning, we provide comprehensive services tailored to your
23:54
needs. Our goal to give you peace of mind so you can focus on what you love. Ready to take your financial management
23:59
to the next level? Visit intellisense.com or reach out to us today at 913-6538783.
24:07
Let's drive your financial success together. I'm Brian Sarf and I look forward to helping you live the dream.
24:12
Save the wave and see you on the road. Investment advisory services offered through IntelliSense Investment
24:17
Solutions Incorporated, an SEC registered investment adviser. When you want to buy a Corvette or any Chevrolet
24:24
for that matter, get yours from Hendrickk Chevrolet Shauny Mission located in Kansas City. Hendrickk Chevrolet is the largest Corvette
24:30
dealership and showroom in the Midwest. With a knowledgeable sales staff and Corvette sales specialists on hand,
24:36
they'll help you build the Corvette of your dreams. And they ship nationwide. With Corvette certified master mechanics
24:41
on site and a huge parts department with over 24,000 parts and $2 million in inventory, Hendrickk Chevrolet is well
24:48
equipped to take care of your every need. From sales to service to collision repair, Hendrickk Chevrolet has you
24:54
covered. Visit chevusa.com or call 913-384-1550.
25:00
Rev up your ride with the ultimate upgrade. The Radiator Grill Store is your go-to destination for topnotch C8
25:07
Corvette Stingray Z06 and -ray accessories. Elevate your style with custom painted engine bay covers, sleek
25:15
front splitters, and side skirts that scream sophistication. Keep your C8 protected with premium radiator grill
25:22
screens. Stand out from the crowd at car shows and beyond. Use code CT10 for an
25:27
exclusive 10% discount off your total purchase at radiator grilliltore.com.
25:33
Don't miss out on turning heads. Upgrade your Corvette today.
25:38
You're enjoying the only current podcast on Corvettes. Corvette Today. Thanks once again for listening and
25:45
watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette. Corvette Today is brought to you by
25:50
Wheelcraft. You want your Corvette looking its best. I know you do. So, dress it up with bright chrome or black
25:56
chrome wheels. Visit wheelcraft.com and learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can refinish your wheels
26:02
or do a wheel exchange and you also get a 5-year warranty. So, visit wheelcraft.com today or just give them a
26:09
call 833-639-4231. I'm your host Steve Garrett. With me is
26:15
my partner in crime every other week Keith Cornett from Corvette Blogger. If you want a deeper dive into any of the
26:20
stories that we cover, you can always go to corvetteblogger.com. In segment number three, we always cover
26:25
the fun side, the lighter side of Corvette. Keith, this is really, really cool. I wish I had the money to do it.
26:31
VIN number one for the C8 ZR1 will be auctioned off at Barrett Jackson. Yes, the very first retail example 2025
26:38
Corvette ZR1 will be auctioned on Saturday, January 25th. So, like I said, same day as the Rolex 24. So, make sure
26:45
you set your watch there. We understand that the exact time is somewhere around 5:30 p.m. Mountain time.
26:51
Oh, they're usually pretty accurate on their running of cars at Bear Jackson. The first retail C8 Z06 was sold for 3.6
26:58
million. And so some are estimating that the ZR1 could actually fetch $4 million or more. Wow. And when Chevrolet offers
27:04
these first retail versions, 100% of the proceeds of the sale will go directly to
27:10
charity. Whoever buys this car doesn't write out that check to Beric Jackson. They write it up to the charity. And in this case, that charity is the American
27:16
Red Cross, which actually turns out to be great because they're one of the leading organizations that's helping with all the fires out west. The winner
27:23
of this car actually will have the opportunity to spec it out however they want it. They'll be able to choose between a convertible or the coupe,
27:28
choice of color, and then decide whether or not to add GTK on the cherry on top. So, pretty cool little program that GM
27:35
has. Of course, the last few of these number one cars have all been purchased by Rick Hendrickk. He tends to like his
27:40
cars black. be interesting to see if that's what happens. Because this is an auction, you know, anybody can step up
27:45
with the funds and buy it. It only takes two to really have some fun with it. Yeah, I was going to say, Rick Hendrick,
27:51
are you listening? There's all the specs you need, buddy. And everybody's saying, "Oh, just give it to him. Just give it to him." Well,
27:56
no. He's got to earn it. And he earns it by stroking that check to the charity if he's the last man standing. Yeah.
28:01
Good for him if he can do it. And those proceeds all help the American Red Cross. So, good for them for being the recipient of these funds.
28:08
We're heading out to Barrett Jackson with the checkbook. That's right. when this happens, they're pretty good about putting up either a video or some photos
28:14
of the sale. So, definitely look for us on Saturday night. We will have all that info available at corvetteblogger.com.
28:21
Perfect. Also, Spring Mountain is going to start classes. That's got to be exciting for you, my friend. It is. So, we've been waiting. You know,
28:27
the first class registration's just open for the -ay. And my understanding is they actually sold out in about 10 minutes. I was smart. What you want to
28:34
do, you have to take delivery of your goes for all cars. So, Z8 and Z06. But if you want to make sure you're going to
28:40
the Ronfellows, you have one year to do it and their classes do fill up fast and it can be hard to get in there. So as
28:46
soon as you get your car, call Ronfellow's school. They're 800391-6891.
28:51
And you want to give them your VIN and let them know what class you're interested in. They've got classes available for like Z06 or Stingray. They
28:58
can get you in right there. As they release new classes like they did for the -ay, you're actually on the mailing list, so you can be there to respond
29:04
quickly and hopefully you can get in that class. I'm actually going to be attending one of the first classes with our friends Mike Ferman. We're gonna be
29:09
joined by friends Jeremy Welburn and Ken Berg. If you remember, Ken Berg famously dressed up as Prince to take delivery of
29:15
his hysteria purple at the National Corvette Museum. And I told Ferman that if Tweety's coming, he needs to bring
29:21
that Prince outfit to Spring Mountain so he can be our entertainment for the weekend. I'm sure he will. That's awesome.
29:27
And those videos of Tweety were great at museum delivery. They were a lot of fun. He had a good time with it.
29:32
Absolutely. Right. Also, the C8 E-Ray was honored as AutoGuide's 10 best cars
29:37
of 2024. That was cool to see. It was This is one of those new stories that dropped at the end of 2024 as many
29:43
automotive websites were publishing their top stories and the best moments of the year, just like we did in our last news and headlines podcast where we
29:49
focus on our top stories of 2024. One of those websites was Auto Guide, who called the Corvette one of the best
29:56
cars they drove in 2024. And they said, simply put, if someone wants a special Corvette and plans to hit the track
30:02
regularly, get the Z06. For those wanting similar performance and a more street capable car, the 2024 Corvette is
30:10
the right fit. Wow. We couldn't agree with that more. The track weapon is there for you that's got that beautiful sound. But if you find
30:16
yourself just driving on the street, I think the Ray is a great car to have. Definitely. Also, Corvette was ranked
30:22
really high in a study of most loved sports cars, which I thought was really interesting, too. This was an
30:27
interesting story. This is another one of these surveys from IC Cars. Uh they sought to determine scientifically just
30:33
how much the original owners of sports cars really like their vehicles. What they did was they researched the
30:38
percentage of 15-year-old cars that are still possessed by their original owner. That gives them the idea to
30:44
satisfaction. So basically, we're talking about original C6 owners that still own their cars. And the Corvette
30:49
coupe came in at number four on their list. They said that 3.2% of original owners are still possession of their
30:54
car. Wow. While in convertibles it came in at sixth place with 2.5% of owners retaining their cars. I did find this
31:00
interesting because I know that Corvette owners when they buy a car there's a certain percentage that does really hold on to them and they don't sell. So these
31:07
numbers actually seem a little lower to me. But what also happens too is some people you know are upgrading. So they
31:12
might have bought a pre-owned car and then they're holding that for a while. C6 was a great car. People are still
31:17
driving them today. Those that are original owners are owning it for a reason. They love that car. We love our Corvettes. That's for darn
31:23
sure. Our final story, Keith, how about the top 20 dealers of last year? Yeah, so at the end of the calendar year
31:29
comes the complete list of sales that we were able to get our hands on. We actually had two lists. We had that top
31:34
10 dealers list that we've been able to track nearly every month throughout last year, but then we got a top 20 dealers
31:39
overall, which is a little bit different. We had a couple Hendricks dealers in there that didn't quite show up on the other list. So, it's
31:44
something's a little weird about it. But what is not weird about it is the fact that McMullen Corvette just dominated
31:50
everybody. They sold 1,857 new Corvettes in 2024, while second place was Sioka Corvette of Atlantic
31:57
City with 1,074. And then our friend Mike Ferman and Crystal Chevrolet were third at 521.
32:03
These top 10 dealers represent about 20% of the total Corvette deliveries performed in this market. I say talk to
32:09
the volume market, these volume dealers, and then also your local and your regional Chevy dealers to see what kind
32:15
of deals they have as well. because now that especially if you're a Stingray buyer and you're not looking to order a
32:20
car, there's some great deals out there and not necessarily you have to go to a volume dealer to find those. So definitely check out those lists. I know
32:26
you'll have it shown on the YouTube recap as well. Yep. Some pretty interesting data there. So give that a look.
32:31
Fantastic. Well buddy, thanks for being back on Corvette Today. Next week is another milestone for Corvette Today,
32:37
episode number 250. We're going to have Jan Hyde on from the registry of Corvette race cars. He's going to be
32:43
talking about the legendary Corvette SS that's going up for sale in February at Saves in Miami.
32:49
Yes, that's going to be a great car. And some are estimating that car could go for $7 million or more. So, it'll be
32:55
interesting to hear his input on that car. Thanks again for listening and watching Corvette Today. And be sure to tell your
33:00
family, friends, and other Corvette enthusiasts about the Corvette Today Show. And thanks to our sponsors,
33:05
Wheelcraft. Want to dress up your Corvette with bright chrome or black chrome wheels? Visit wheelcraft.com to
33:11
learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can refinish your wheels or offer a wheel exchange for most
33:16
models and it comes with a 5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com today or call 833639-4231.
33:24
Soul Performance Products at sulp.com. The official performance exhaust of
33:30
Corvette today. Sio Corvette at ciocorvette.com.
33:35
E5wheels at e5wheels.com. Intellisense at intellisense.com.
33:41
Also, Aerolari wheels. Get $100 off your purchase with the new promo code CT111
33:46
at aerolari.com. Racing sport concepts at racingsports.com.
33:52
And Hendrickk Chevrolet in Kansas City at cheviusa.com. Thanks for checking out Corvette Today
33:58
on podcast and YouTube. If you'd like to contact Steve with ideas for Corvette today, you can email him at stevegared
34:06
djgmail.com. Garrett has two Rs and two T's, that's stevegaredgmail.com.
34:14
Also, sign up for email notifications at corvette. CK.page.
34:20
Follow Steve and the show on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and threads at Steve Garrett
34:27
DJ. Thanks again for listening and watching Corvette today.
#News
#Vehicle Shows