Chevrolet Corvette C6 2005-2013: Essential Buyers Guide - Softcover

Smitheram, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 178711919X ISBN 13: 9781787119192

Publisher: Veloce, 2025

Synopsis

The Chevrolet Corvette C6 features stunning looks, effortless V8 performance and soundtrack, sharp handling, rugged reliability, with surprising practicality. If you’re looking to buy one of these classic cars, this handy little book will steer you in the right direction.

There were more than 200,000 C6 cars produced in their nine-year production run; which one will best suit you and your budget? Are there any model years to avoid, and how do you know what to look for? If you follow the advice in this essential buyer’s guide and find the right example, the sixth generation Corvette can be surprisingly cost-effective to buy, run and maintain.

Colour photos throughout this guide help to show you common problem areas; save yourself days of trawling the internet and social media, this pocket-sized, printed book distils first-hand experience and knowledge from specialists and owners.

Marque expert David Smitheram covers every model, from the most attainable 2005 LS2 coupes and convertibles, to the wide-bodied Grand Sport and Z06, through to the late-model ZR1 supercar and a multitude of special editions.

The author maintains and modifies his own C6, nicknamed ‘Clive The Corvette’. Steadily approaching 250,000 miles, his 2007 C6 Coupe sees almost daily use, has won track championships and enjoyed long-distance road trips across the USA, Europe and Africa.

About this title

About the Author

David Smitheram lives in the South West of England, and is currently the Director of a motorsport organising club. Previously he founded a business filming cars on the race track, qualified as an ARDS race instructor and worked for a Japanese manufacturer.
Over the past 20 years, David has taken part in well over 250 track days and races around the world, in at least twenty different marques.
David bought a Corvette C6 in California, driving it 2500 miles in the States, before shipping it back to the UK. 'Clive The Corvette' has now travelled more than 230,000 miles on road and track, in the US, around Europe, down to the North Africa and the Sahara Desert and up to the Arctic Circle. These journeys have produced a series of children’s books about 'Clive The Corvette'.
David carries out all maintenance and upgrades on his cars himself.
His articles, videos and photographs have been used by various car clubs, magazines and publications.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Chevrolet Corvette C6, and its now legendary LS V8 engine, is the perfect antidote to today’s uninspiring and complicated cars. This Essential Buyer’s Guide combines expert, first-hand experience with clear color photos to ensure you avoid buying a lemon, and instead get to enjoy one of the most versatile two-seat sports cars in the world.

This book will guide you through the choosing and buying process, helping you understand and compare the various models, before selecting the best C6 for your budget, pointing out common and potential problem areas along the way.

My C6 has travelled across the States, down to the Sahara Desert in Africa, around Europe, and in the Arctic, along the most northerly highway in the world.

It has won championships on the track, and has delivered exceptional reliability and cost-effectiveness. I have found the C6 an easy sports car to work on, with good parts availability, plenty of tuning potential, support from specialists, and a keen enthusiast following.

In this era of social media and the internet, there is a wealth of information available, but it can take hours and days to establish what are the genuine, common issues to look for. The purpose of this book is to cut through the often-repeated myths and one-off breakages and give you a real-world, condensed source of what to look for in a C6.

Background

On its launch in 1997, the C5 set a new benchmark for Corvette design and engineering, with the now legendary 5.7-liter LS1 ‘small block’ engine. The C5’s hydroformed steel chassis was considerably more rigid and lighter than that of the C4, allowing for enhanced suspension tuning. Design cues, like pop-up headlights and the interior were due a refresh, the racing programme would benefit from an updated model, too.

When the C6 was launched in 2004, for the 2005 model year (MY), some commentators suggested that the C6 could actually have been called a C5.5, such was the close evolution of chassis design and parts sharing. It appears Corvette kept the best bits of the C5 and improved on them, keeping the weight and cost down, too. The design was all-new, with shorter overhangs (by 5.1in) and more European styling cues. The return of circular rear lights was welcomed, as was the contemporary interior design.

With each new C6 model year came changes and improvements, some small, others significant, with greater choice of body type, equipment, special editions and increased engine capacity and power. The Z06’s LS7 set a power record for GM in 2006, at 505hp. This was later beaten by the ZR1, its supercharged LS9 producing 638hp and a record for the fastest production car lap around the Nürburgring, with a 7:26.4, bettered again in 2012. The C6R racing programme enjoyed great success worldwide, with championship and Le Mans victories.

The global financial crisis, starting in 2008, saw production figures cruelly slump, despite the introduction of the ZR1, Grand Sport and 427 models. The Corvette C7 took over for the 2014 MY and, whilst it certainly raised the bar, particularly in interior quality, some say that the C6 is the peak blend of reliability, simplicity, power and comfort.

All Corvette C6s were built at the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant. The rare and desirable Callaway Corvettes were further assembled at its Connecticut, California or German facilities.

Edition details

• Publisher: Veloce
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178711919X
• ISBN 13: 9781787119192
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96