Front view of a 2018 white Chevrolet Corvette C7 Carbon Edition

C7 CORVETTE - 2018

The 2018 Corvette

Corvette’s 65th-anniversary year produced just 9,686 cars amid a paint-shop shutdown, including 650 Carbon 65 Editions. The 755-hp 2019 ZR1 debuted, while the No. 3 C7.R retained its GTLM drivers’ and team titles without a race win.

2018 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible Carbon 65 Edition

Only 9,686 2018 Corvettes exist — fewer than any model year since 1959’s 9,670 — not because nobody wanted them but because Bowling Green stopped building them on January 28, 2018, less than eight months after it started, with three of those months lost to the new paint shop, to begin the 2019 ZR1 the next morning. The 650 Carbon 65 Editions are 6.7 percent of the year; 353 of them are Z06s, 72 of those convertibles, and 158 of the 650 have the seven-speed manual. The rarest ordinary 2018 is a Sebring Orange Stingray convertible: two were built.

DID YOU KNOW

Special & Limited Edition Models

The Carbon 65 Edition, the Grand Sport, the Z06 and the C7.R have their own sections below; the 2018 Indy 500 pace car (a 2019 ZR1) is here until its tag has company. Also here: the Heritage Package, the Callaway SC757 and AeroWagen, the Yenko/SC, and the 2018 tuner cars.

Paul Deutschman's carbon fiber hatch swaps onto any C7 coupe, Stingray, Grand Sport or Z06, adding roughly a pound and room for three golf bags while keeping factory latches.
Production of the 2018 Z06 came to 2,353 coupes and 449 convertibles, each with the 650-hp supercharged LT4. Colors, pricing, interior equipment and the Carbon 65 package that marked the Corvette's 65th year.
The No. 4 C7.R Corvette Race Car at Sunset in Daytona Beach, Florida
Pratt & Miller pulled C7.R frames straight off the Z06 line in Bowling Green. Doug Fehan and Tadge Juechter explain the cascade engineering that links the road car and the racer.
The 2018 Carbon 65 Edition Corvette
Chevrolet marked the Corvette's 65th anniversary with 650 numbered Carbon 65 Edition cars in a new Ceramic Matrix Gray. Which trims qualified, what the carbon-fiber package included and what RPO Z30 cost.
The first supercharged Z06 brought 650 hp and 650 lb-ft, an eight-speed automatic and, thanks to a 20 percent stiffer aluminum frame, a convertible for the first time since 1963.

2018 Corvette Carbon 65 Edition

Announced on April 10, 2017 and shown at the NCM Bash that month, the Carbon 65 Edition marked the Corvette’s 65th anniversary the way the C7.R Edition had marked the race car: RPO Z30, $15,000 on a Grand Sport 3LT or Z06 3LZ, in Ceramic Matrix Gray, a color new for 2018, with visible carbon fiber for the ground effects, the hood section, the rear spoiler and the quarter ducts (and the tonneau inserts on convertibles), black machined-groove wheels — Cup-style on the Grand Sport, Blade on the Z06 — with Carbon 65 center caps, blue calipers, fender stripes, door graphics and Carbon Flash badges and mirrors, a blue top on the convertibles, and inside a Jet Black suede-wrapped cabin with blue stitching, a carbon-fiber-rimmed steering wheel, gloss carbon trim, Competition Sport seats, Carbon 65 sill plates and a numbered plaque; Z07 or the carbon-ceramic brakes alone were optional. Chevrolet built 650: 297 Grand Sports (262 coupes, 35 convertibles) and 353 Z06s (281 and 72), 162 with Z07, 43 with J57 and 158 with the seven-speed, and 213 went abroad (127 to Europe, 49 to Canada, 17 to the Middle East, 12 to Mexico, 8 to Japan). Delivered, a Grand Sport coupe was $91,235 and a Z06 convertible $108,435. In 2026 they sold at auction for $71,500 to $110,000 against Classic.com’s $116,260 benchmark.

MORE: THE CARBON 65 STORY

Chevrolet has marked its milestones with special Corvettes since the 25th anniversary in 1978. Here is what set each one apart, including the one and only surviving 1983 pilot car.

2018 Corvette Grand Sport

The Grand Sport’s second year changed little and sold 3,081 cars, 2,569 coupes and 512 convertibles, 32 percent of the short year, at $66,490 and $70,490 delivered: the Z06’s wide body, 19 x 10 and 20 x 12-inch Cup wheels, six-piston Brembos, Magnetic Ride, electronic limited-slip differential, dry sump and coolers under the 460-hp LT1 with the performance exhaust, 3,428 pounds. New for 2018 were the carbon-ceramic brakes without Z07 (J57, $7,495, on the Grand Sport for the first time), the satin-black center stripe (DUR) and stinger, the Heritage Package at $795 (760 cars, 382 of them with Torch Red hash marks), and the Carbon 65 Edition, which 297 Grand Sport buyers took with its own black Cup-style wheel (Q90). 873 had the close-ratio manual, 1,282 the gloss-black wheels, 727 chrome; Arctic White (566) and Watkins Glen Gray (400) led, Ceramic Matrix Gray (458) carried by the Carbon 65s. In the fifth VIN position the 2018 cars confirm V for a 1LT manual and Y for a 2LT automatic. In 2026 ordinary 2018 Grand Sports sold at auction for $48,250 to $61,000, and a 900-mile Yenko/SC Stage I for $105,000.

MORE: THE C7 GRAND SPORT STORY

Four C7 trims barely share a wheel size, and the rear wells are already packed. Factory specs by trim, how offset and backspacing bite on widebody cars, cast vs flow-formed vs forged, and the install steps that prevent vibration.
With Grand Sport rumors swirling around the C8, the Bargain Hunting Series checks what the last real Grand Sport costs today. Members see all five AutoTrader finds with mileage, owner count, accident history and asking prices under $45,000.
White C1 1953 Corvette Roadster
Two 1969 ZL1s, one 1983 Corvette, 560 two-tone-blue 2020 Z51 3LTs. Production numbers tell the story of scarcity in every Corvette generation, and some of the answers are surprising.

2018 Corvette Z06

The Z06’s fourth year was its last as the top Corvette: 2,353 coupes and 449 convertibles, 2,802 cars and 29 percent of 2018, at $80,490 and $84,490 ($45 up), with the 650-hp LT4 and the cooling revisions of 2017, the seven-speed (783) or the eight-speed (2,019), most of the year’s 823 Z07s and 305 cars with the carbon-ceramic brakes alone, 1,239 as 3LZ, 1,002 2LZ and 561 1LZ. New were Gray interiors, the yellow-stripe black wheel (Q9C, 79), the Pearl Nickel Blade wheel on any Z06 (Q8U, 44) and the Carbon 65 Edition, which 353 Z06 buyers took — 281 coupes and 72 convertibles, 110 with Z07 — with its black machined Blade wheel (Q7Y); the engine-build program (PBC) was dropped. Black (517), Arctic White (512) and Ceramic Matrix Gray (485) led the Z06’s colors, Spectra Gray the wheels (1,102). The 2019 ZR1, revealed in Dubai on November 12, 2017 with 755 horsepower, took the crown before the 2018 run ended. In 2026 2018 Z06s sold at auction for $66,500 to $88,000 against a $76,619 C7 Z06 benchmark, the manuals at the top; Carbon 65 Z06s for $75,000 and $110,000.

MORE: THE 2018 Z06 GUIDE

2018 Corvette C7.R

Corvette Racing’s 20th season was a championship without a victory. The No. 3 C7.R of Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, with Mike Rockenfeller in the endurance rounds, never won a race but finished on the podium eight times in eleven starts — third at the Rolex 24 and at Mid-Ohio among them — and clinched the IMSA GTLM drivers’ title for the second straight year at Road Atlanta on October 13, 2018 with an eighth-place finish, the pair’s third title together after 2013 and 2017, while Corvette Racing and Pratt & Miller took the team championship, the program’s 13th; Ford won the manufacturers’ title on five wins. The No. 4 of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner won the Long Beach street race in April, Gavin’s 50th victory with the team since 2002, and finished second at Petit Le Mans. Le Mans was a long day: the No. 63 (Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller) ran clean to fifth on the road and was classified fourth after the No. 67 Ford’s drive-time penalty, and the No. 64 (Gavin, Milner, Fässler) lost laps to a suspension fault and an engine-floor repair and retired overheating on Sunday morning. The 2019 season would be the C7.R’s last; the mid-engine C8.R was already being built.

MORE: THE 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP STORY

Pictures, Videos, Wallpapers & Galleries

Eleven colors: Arctic White (1,966), Black (1,575), Torch Red (1,355), Watkins Glen Gray Metallic (1,115), Ceramic Matrix Gray Metallic (1,099, new; every Carbon 65), Admiral Blue Metallic (703), Long Beach Red Metallic Tintcoat (599, $995), Blade Silver (571), Corvette Racing Yellow Tintcoat (399, $995), Black Rose Metallic (219, $495) and Sebring Orange Tintcoat (85, new, $995). Interiors Jet Black (6,393; 798 of them the suede-wrapped 198), Adrenaline Red (1,906), Gray (700), Kalahari (606) and Spice Red (81); tops Black (1,358), Blue (140), Kalahari (96), Gray (58) and Spice Red (44).

FAQs

How many 2018 Corvettes were built?

Only 9,686, the fewest since 1959, because the model year ran from June 5, 2017 to January 28, 2018 with a three-month shutdown for Bowling Green’s new paint shop and the 2019 ZR1 waiting to start: 3,068 Stingray coupes (716 with Z51), 735 Stingray convertibles (198), 2,569 Grand Sport coupes, 512 Grand Sport convertibles, 2,353 Z06 coupes and 449 Z06 convertibles. 650 were Carbon 65 Editions (297 Grand Sports, 353 Z06s), 760 Grand Sports had the Heritage Package, 823 cars had Z07, 7,563 had the eight-speed and 8,624 stayed in the United States. GM’s sheet reconciles in every table.

How much did the 2018 Corvette cost when new?

Forty-five dollars more than 2017: $56,490 for the Stingray coupe and $60,490 for the convertible ($61,490 and $65,490 with the $5,000 Z51 package), $66,490 and $70,490 for the Grand Sport, $80,490 and $84,490 for the Z06, all including the $995 destination charge. The Carbon 65 Edition was RPO Z30, $15,000 on a 3LT Grand Sport or 3LZ Z06, so $91,235 to $108,435 delivered; Z07 was $7,995, the Heritage Package $795, the eight-speed $1,725, 3LT $9,745, 3LZ $8,945 and the PDR with navigation $1,795.

What was the 2018 Corvette Carbon 65 Edition?

The 65th-anniversary car: a Grand Sport 3LT or Z06 3LZ in Ceramic Matrix Gray with visible-carbon ground effects, hood section, rear spoiler and quarter ducts (tonneau inserts on convertibles), black machined-groove wheels, blue calipers, fender stripes and door graphics, Carbon Flash badges, a blue top on convertibles, a Jet Black suede-wrapped interior with blue stitching, a carbon-rimmed steering wheel, Competition Sport seats, Carbon 65 sill plates and a numbered plaque, RPO Z30 at $15,000, with Z07 or the ceramic brakes optional. Chevrolet built 650: 297 Grand Sports (262 coupes, 35 convertibles) and 353 Z06s (281 and 72), 162 with Z07 and 158 with the manual, 213 of them exported. In 2026 they sold at auction for $71,500 to $110,000 against a Classic.com benchmark of about $116,000.

What was new on the 2018 Corvette?

The Carbon 65 Edition and Ceramic Matrix Gray; the Z51’s 19 and 20-inch wheels standard on the Stingray and five new wheel designs (Torque, Motorsport and yellow-stripe patterns); HD radio standard; a sharper rear camera; Cosworth channels in the Performance Data Recorder; a head-up display rotation setting; Gray interiors on the Z06, a Spice Red top and interior, the suede-wrapped Jet Black interior with a carbon-rimmed wheel and blue contrast stitching; the ceramic brakes alone on a Grand Sport; the satin-black center stripe and stinger; Sebring Orange late in the year; and prices up $45. Gone were Sterling Blue, Dark Gray, Twilight Blue, the three design packages, the Collector Edition, the 18/19-inch wheels and the engine-build program.

Why was the 2018 Corvette model year so short?

Bowling Green started the 2018s on June 5, 2017, closed for about three months while the new paint shop was completed, and ended 2018 production on January 28, 2018 so that the 2019 model year, and with it the 2019 ZR1 revealed in Dubai the previous November, could begin the next day. The result was 9,686 cars in roughly five months of building, the lowest total of the C7 and of any year since 1959.

Did the 2018 Corvette pace the Indianapolis 500?

Chevrolet paced the 102nd Indianapolis 500 on May 27, 2018 with the new 2019 Corvette ZR1 — 755 horsepower, the ZTK package and its high wing, the eight-speed and carbon-ceramic brakes, Indy graphics and strobes — driven by Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, the 15th Corvette pace car and the 29th Chevrolet; Will Power won. GM’s Mark Reuss crashed a sister ZR1 pace car on the pace laps of the Detroit Grand Prix the following week. No 2018-model Corvette paced the race, and there was no replica.

How much is a 2018 Corvette worth today?

In the year to October 2026 Carbon 65 Editions sold at auction for $71,500 to $110,000 against Classic.com’s $116,260 benchmark, with dealers asking up to $145,000; ordinary 2018 Grand Sports brought $48,250 to $61,000 with dealers at $52,000 to $67,000; Z06s $66,500 to $88,000 against a C7 Z06 benchmark of about $76,600; and Stingrays $41,500 to $50,600. The short year has not put a premium on the ordinary cars. Auction figures are hammer prices before the buyer’s premium.