The Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold (Auctions & Private Sales)

The Overview

Corvette collectors are known to be a serious bunch of folks. When a vintage or rare Corvette rolls across the auction block, hands go up, and the money flies. For those with the desire to own a highly collectible Corvette, and the bank account to back it up, any vehicle is theirs for the taking. There has been no shortage of iconic Corvettes to pass through premier automotive auction houses throughout the years. A number of these cars have gone on to fetch final sale prices that would leave the average collector weak at the knees. Where Corvette nostalgia and a room full of eager buyers meet, a significant sum of money is sure to be spent.

For eleven years the ceiling was $3.85 million, the price of a 1967 L88 coupe at Barrett-Jackson in 2014. Then the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum sold the 1957 Corvette SS for twice that in February 2025, and eighteen months later Grand Sport #003 sold for $18.7 million at Monterey, two and a half times the SS. This page is every Corvette that has brought a million dollars or more at public auction, with the venue, the date and the story behind each of the big ones, and it is updated after every major sale. Private sales are not counted; the ones that are known are listed at the end.

1963 Corvette Grand Sport #003

Sold for $18,705,000 · RM Sotheby’s Monterey · August 15, 2026

Zora Arkus-Duntov built five Grand Sports in 1963 to beat Carroll Shelby’s Cobras, and GM’s racing ban killed the program before the cars ever wore a factory decal. Chassis #003 was the first of the three coupes, raced by Dick Doane and then John Mecom’s team, with A.J. Foyt, Jim Hall and Augie Pabst among its drivers, and it had been in the Larry Bowman collection, off the market, for some twenty years when RM Sotheby’s offered it at Monterey with an estimate of $11–13 million.

Bidding opened around $5 million and climbed in half-million steps to a $17 million hammer, $18,705,000 with the premium: more than double the Corvette SS record set eighteen months earlier, and the most expensive American car sold at auction that week. Grand Sport #002, the roadster, had been bid to $4.9 million without selling at RM’s Arizona sale in 2009 and is believed to have changed hands privately for about $5 million soon after; #001 and #004 were shown together at Corvettes at Carlisle two weeks after the sale.

MORE: THE $18.7 MILLION SALE / THE GRAND SPORT STORY

1957 Corvette SS, Project XP-64

Sold for $7,705,000 · RM Sotheby’s Miami · February 2025

The magnesium-bodied Corvette SS was Chevrolet’s first purpose-built race car, Harley Earl’s last project and Zora’s first. Juan Manuel Fangio lapped Sebring in it faster than the lap record in practice, John Fitch retired it after 23 laps in the race, and the AMA racing ban of June 1957 ended the program before the three Le Mans cars Ed Cole had ordered were built. Zora took it to 183 mph at GM’s Mesa proving ground in 1959, and in 1967 GM placed it in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it stayed for fifty-eight years.

When the museum began deaccessioning cars in 2024 and 2025, the SS went to RM Sotheby’s ModaMiami sale alongside the museum’s Ford GT40 and Mercedes W196. It hammered at $7 million, $7,705,000 all in, exactly double the 1967 L88’s eleven-year-old record. It was the most expensive Corvette ever sold for eighteen months.

MORE: THE $7.7 MILLION SALE / THE STORY OF THE XP-64

1967 Corvette L88 Coupe

Sold for $3,850,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2014

Of all the production Corvettes to be auctioned throughout the years, the rare L88 cars of the late 1960s have commanded the most significant sum. Atop the list of most expensive production Corvettes to be sold at auction is the 1967 L88 Coupe, which brought a final sale price of $3,850,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in 2014. The coupe carried full documentation and was one of only 20 L88 Corvettes produced during the 1967 model year. Those L88’s that were produced in 1967 tend to be the most highly sought after, as they were the only such cars built on the C2 platform.

This particular model is distinguished as the sole L88 finished in Rally Red straight from the production line, and its acclaimed, award-winning restoration justified the sum. It came back to market at Mecum Monterey in August 2026, was bid to $2.5 million and went home unsold; its record stands.

MORE: THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE L88 / THE L88 STORY AND ITS TOP SALES / ALL L88 POSTS

2025 Corvette ZR1 VIN 001

Sold for $3,700,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2025 · for the American Red Cross

Chevrolet has sold the first retail example of every significant Corvette since 2008 for charity, and the 1,064-horsepower ZR1 drew the biggest number yet. The rights to VIN 001 of the 2025 ZR1 crossed the Scottsdale block on January 25, 2025 and sold for $3.7 million, the most ever paid for a new Corvette, with the entire amount going to the American Red Cross. The buyer, as it has been for almost every one of these cars, was Rick Hendrick.

MORE: WHO PAID $3.7 MILLION FOR ZR1 VIN 001

2023 Corvette Z06 VIN 001

Sold for $3,600,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2022 · for Operation Homefront

Featured at a Barrett-Jackson auction, the hammer dropped to sell this vehicle for an astonishing 3.6 million USD. The winning bid for this car went to Rick Hendrick, founder and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, and best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. In true gentleman fashion, the entirety of the proceeds from this sale went to Operation Homefront, which is a national non-profit organization that supports and benefits military families.

“The proceeds from the sale of this sensational Corvette Z06 will go a long way to helping us help our military families overcome their financial hardships and have the opportunity to thrive in the communities – our communities – they’ve worked so hard to protect,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., president, and CEO of Operation Homefront. This specific 2023 Corvette Z06, bearing the VIN 001, boasts the 70th Anniversary Edition package. This edition is decked out with unique Ceramic leather two-tone seats featuring suede inserts, a steering wheel wrapped in suede, and a distinctive set of luggage marked with the anniversary branding. It showcases a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter LT6 V8 engine equipped with dual overhead camshafts and a flat-plane crankshaft, and capable of revving up to 8,600 rpm, delivering a mighty 670 horsepower and 460 ft-lb of torque.

MORE: Z06 VIN 001 SETS A BARRETT-JACKSON RECORD

1967 Corvette L88 Convertible

Sold for $3,424,000 · Mecum Dallas · September 2013

For a period of several months from 2013 to 2014, a 1967 Corvette L88 Convertible held the distinction of being the most expensive Corvette ever to be sold at auction. When all bidding ceased, and the hammer fell at the 2013 Mecum auction in Dallas, this Corvette sold for $3,424,000. Aside from the convertible’s obvious appeal as one of the only 1967 L88 Corvettes still known to exist, much of the talk surrounding the car on the day of sale surrounded its well-documented racing pedigree. Prior to being retired in the 1970s, and receiving a full restoration in the 1990s, this convertible L88 was raced to much success in the NHRA’s A/Sports class.

MORE: THE 1967 L88 CONVERTIBLE

1969 Corvette ZL-1 Convertible

Sold for $3,140,000 · RM Sotheby’s Arizona · January 2023

The ZL1 Corvette is a super rare find, with just two of them ever made. For the production year, 21 different engine choices were available with the creme de la creme being an all-aluminum 427 cubic inch V8 engine with Regular Production Order (RPO) code ZL-1. Created in mind to provide racers with a street-legal option, the ZL-1 option nearly doubled the price of a base Corvette in 1969, allowing this gorgeous car to run a quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds.

The upgrades featured a new crankshaft, a camshaft with higher lift, beefier connecting rods, aluminum heads reinforced with four extra bolts, bigger exhaust valves, and tougher bearing journals. One of these two Corvettes, a Monaco Orange color scheme with the black vinyl interior and the only convertible, was auctioned off at RM Sotheby’s Arizona auction for a hefty sum of 3.14 million, showing just how much collectors are willing to pay for its unique rarity. It is the most expensive C3 ever sold.

MORE: THE ZL-1 CONVERTIBLE / ALL ZL-1 POSTS

The First C8 Corvette

Sold for $3,000,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2020 · for the Detroit Children’s Fund

In January 2020, GM auctioned off the very first C8 Corvette to be driven off of the assembly line in Bowling Green, KY. Ironically, at the time of its sale, the car had not even been built yet. GM offered this C8, carrying VIN #001, for auction in a bid to raise money for the Detroit Children’s Fund. Following the auction, the winning bidder would be allowed to pick up their new mid-engine Corvette upon the completion of its production. The first of its kind Corvette was sold at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. The winning bid of $3,000,000 was placed by NASCAR team owner, Rick Hendrick, who said that he plans to add the car to his already substantial Corvette collection.

MORE: BARRETT-JACKSON SELLS C8 VIN 001

1969 Corvette Rebel Racer Convertible

Sold for $2,860,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2014

The 1969 Rebel Racer Convertible was yet another L88 Corvette that captivated the minds of bidders. Much of the bidding for this Rebel Racer was driven by the iconic car’s extensive racing history. This car was sold when new, to professional racer Or Costanzo. Costanzo raced this L88 at both Daytona and Sebring to varying degrees of success, and it won the 1971 IMSA GTO championship. When all was said and done, the Rebel Racer sold for $2,860,000 in 2014 at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale sale, minutes before the Rally Red coupe set the overall record on the same night. The total sale price of this iconic Corvette solidified the true value of the L88’s racing heritage, as the Rebel Racer was perhaps the most well known of all such production Corvette race cars.

MORE: THE REBEL L88

The Last 2019 C7 Corvette

Sold for $2,700,000 · Barrett-Jackson Northeast · June 2019 · for Tunnel to Towers

Everything must eventually come to an end, and the C7 Corvette’s 7-year long production run is no exception. As C7 production drew to a close in 2019, GM formulated a respectable plan for the final seventh-generation Corvette. It was decided that this car would be auctioned off, in a bid to raise proceeds for the Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation. The final C7 ultimately rolled across the Barrett-Jackson auction block in June 2019, bringing a total sum of $2,700,000 for charity. Adding to this car’s value is not only the fact that it is the final C7 Corvette, but also the final front-engine Corvette to be produced.

MORE: THE LAST C7 GOES TO AUCTION

2026 Corvette ZR1X Stars & Steel One-Off

Sold for $2,605,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2026 · for Tunnel to Towers

The Stars & Steel Limited Edition was a 250-car run across the C8 range for America’s 250th birthday; this ZR1X was the one-of-one built outside it, billed as the first production ZR1X and finished in a livery no customer could order. It crossed the Scottsdale block on January 24, 2026 and hammered at $2.6 million, plus a $5,000 donation to the Scottsdale fire department, with the proceeds going to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The buyer was Rick Hendrick, again. At 1,250 horsepower it is also the most powerful car on this list by some distance.

MORE: THE STARS & STEEL ZR1X AT SCOTTSDALE / ALL ZR1X POSTS

1963 Rondine Concept Car

Sold for $1,760,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2008

The 1963 Rondine (pronounced Ron-dee-nay and means “swallow” in Italian) Concept Car is a unique and historic piece of automotive design, a one-of-a-kind prototype based on the Chevrolet Corvette C2. Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1963, the Rondine was crafted by the renowned Italian design house Pininfarina. This was a notable departure from the Corvette’s American design roots, showcasing what could happen when Italian style met American muscle. Zora Arkus-Duntov is said to have exclaimed that “for the first time I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.”

Underneath its bespoke bodywork, the Rondine retained the Corvette’s chassis and mechanical components, including its 327 cubic inch (5.4 liter) V8 engine, capable of producing 360 horsepower. The body was made with heavy steel as opposed to fiberglass, so despite its less-than-optimal design, the Rondine was never intended for production. Instead, it served as a show car to demonstrate Pininfarina’s design expertise and their interpretation of an American sports car. As an important piece of history for both Corvette and Pininfarina, it was kept by Pininfarina until it sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in January 2008 for $1.76 million, which made it the most expensive Corvette in the world until the L88s passed it in 2013. Given the provenance of this gorgeous concept car, we’d say that’s a bargain.

MORE: THE 1963 RONDINE GUIDE

1963 Corvette Z06 Tanker

Sold for $1,100,000 · Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale · January 2026

The 1963 Corvette Z06 Tanker is a highly sought-after and rare variant of the Chevrolet Corvette, especially cherished by collectors and enthusiasts. It was part of the second generation of Corvettes, known as the C2, which ran from 1963 to 1967 and introduced the Sting Ray moniker. The Z06 option code was introduced in 1963 to offer a performance package suitable for racing.

What makes the Z06 Tanker particularly unique is the “Tanker” part of its name, which refers to its large 36.5-gallon fuel tank, almost double the size of the standard tank. This feature was specifically designed for endurance racing, allowing the cars to run longer distances without needing to refuel as often, giving them a competitive edge in long-distance races. Tankers have climbed steadily: one sold through Mecum for $710,000 in 2016, another for $935,000 at Kissimmee in 2024, and in January 2026 two crossed the million mark within a week of each other, $1.1 million at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale and $1.045 million at Mecum Kissimmee.

MORE: THE 1963 Z06 TANKER