Hardcore Vette enthusiasts will recall that the LS7 and LS9 engines in the Corvette Z06 and ZR1 are hand-built in the metro Detroit area, meaning they’re touched and assembled by a real person’s hands rather than a series of robots. Now, buyers of the 2011 Z06 and ZR1 can opt to partake in that construction, building their very own V-8 as part of the Corvette Engine Build Experience.
The new program is more than just a marketing gimmick. Customers start with a bare engine block and install pistons, manifolds, and everything else necessary for a functioning motor. No need to worry if you’re not the most technically-savvy person, a GM technician shepherds the customer through the process so your hand-built engine will be just as reliable (and powerful) as any other. At the completion of the build, the customer’s name is affixed to a plaque on the engine—how’s that for bragging rights at cruise nights?—and the powerplant is sent to the Corvette assembly plant in Kentucky to be installed in the customer’s car.
The Performance Build Center (PBC) option must be chosen when a customer orders a 2011 Z06 or ZR1, tacking on $5800 to the car’s purchase price. The price includes food, lodging, and local transportation, but customers must pay for travel to and from Detroit, Michigan.
And if getting your hands dirty with your new machine doesn’t appeal, Chevrolet also has programs catering to the whims of other Corvette buyers. A customer can follow his or her new car along the assembly line at the assembly plant in Kentucky, or take delivery of a new car at the National Corvette Museum. Buyers of the ZR1 can also elect a complimentary high-performance driving school to help them learn the car’s performance characteristics. All are pretty cool ways to get intimate with this high-performance machinery.
And if getting your hands dirty with your new machine doesn’t appeal, Chevrolet also has programs catering to the whims of other Corvette buyers. A customer can follow his or her new car along the assembly line at the assembly plant in Kentucky, or take delivery of a new car at the National Corvette Museum. Buyers of the ZR1 can also elect a complimentary high-performance driving school to help them learn the car’s performance characteristics. All are pretty cool ways to get intimate with this high-performance machinery.
