Corvette Z06 & Ultimate DIY

“Very few cars in the world deliver 650 horsepower, true aerodynamic downforce, carbon fiber and performance technologies such as Magnetic Ride Control, Performance Traction Management and an electronic limited slip differential – and none gives the driver a transmission choice or the choice of a coupe with a removable roof panel or a full-power-top convertible.”

That’s Harlan Charles, Corvette product and marketing manager talking about the 2015 Corvette Z06.

The Z06 has an all-new, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine rated at an SAE-certified 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. The LT4 engine features direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and continuously variable valve timing.

There are plenty of packages that buyers can add to the car, which has an MSRP of $78,995.

For example, for $2,995, there’s the Carbon Fiber Ground Effects package.

Or, for $7,995 the Z07 Performance Package can be added to the Z06. This includes Brembo carbon ceramic-matrix brake rotors, adjustable front and rear aerodynamic components to the aforementioned Carbon Fiber Ground Effects package, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup tires.

But for those of you who read this site, and who are likely to be a bit more car-obsessed and mechanically oriented, there is a new package that Chevrolet announced last week for the Z06:

The $5,000 Engine Build Experience.

Which means that you can build the Z06 LT4 engine for your car. Think of it as “supercharged DIY.”

Put these together and make. . .

. . .this.

Harlan Charles: “Chevrolet recognizes the passion customers have for Corvette and the Engine Build Experience offers them a truly unique opportunity for hands-on involvement in the creation of the heart of their new car. It’s a chance to bond with their new car.” 

Now chances are, you don’t want to risk screwing up the engine for your car. So when you get to the Performance Build Center at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, there is an engine assembly technician who helps you build the V8.

Steve Stinson, an engine build tech, at the Performance Build Center, will help you out

When completed, a personalized plaque is added, a professional photo shot, and the engine moves to the vehicle assembly area of the plant.

It should be noted that you won’t drive away with your Z06 because the engine enters the production sequence that exists at the plant.

Still, building a 650-hp engine is quite an experience.

Of course, once you build your engine, you’ll probably spend as much time polishing it as you’ll spend washing the exterior. So you’d better factor that into your buying decision.