Not long ago, getting your hands on a C8 Corvette Z06 meant jumping through hoops, waitlists, markups, and dealer games. It was the car everyone wanted: a naturally aspirated screamer with a Ferrari-like howl and serious track chops. But fast-forward to mid-2025, and things have taken a strange turn. Dealers across the country are sitting on unsold Z06s. Lots of them.
According to Chevrolet’s live dealership inventory tracker, nearly half of the C8 Corvettes sitting on dealer lots right now are Z06s, almost as many as the Stingray and the E-Ray combined. For a car once treated like gold, it’s a surprising shift, and it raises a question: What’s keeping them from selling?
From Wild Demand to Slowing Sales
When the C8 Stingray dropped in 2020, fans knew a higher-performance version wouldn’t be far behind. Enter the Z06 in 2023, bringing a high-revving flat-plane crank V8 and serious engineering cred. It wasn’t just quick. It changed what people expected from a Corvette, and buyers lined up to get one. So how did we end up with so many sitting around?
Let’s look at the numbers. Chevy’s live dealership inventory tracker currently shows more than 1,800 Z06s in stock across the U.S. (roughly 48% of the Corvettes in inventory)—by far the largest chunk of available Corvettes. MacMulkin, the top-selling Corvette dealer, has over 100 Z06s in inventory. Ciocca and Bomnin also have dozens each. And now, dealers are starting to cut prices, which is always a sign that demand has cooled.
Why Z06s Are Sticking Around
There’s no single reason the 2025 Corvette Z06 inventory is ballooning; it’s more like a bunch of factors piling up at once. First, the price. A Z06 might start just over $112,000, but most of the ones on lots aren’t stripped-down models. Dealers stocked up on heavily optioned 2LZ and 3LZ trims, many pushing $140K to $160K. That’s a big ask in a market where buyers are pulling back.
Second, the E-Ray is undercutting it. It’s not as loud or as raw, but it’s still blisteringly quick and about $10,000 cheaper. Plus, it’s all-wheel drive and hybrid, which makes it more usable for daily driving or in rougher climates. For a lot of folks, that tradeoff makes sense.
Third, the spotlight is now on the newly launched ZR1 and the upcoming 2026 ZR1X, two high-performance heavy hitters that just dethroned the Ford Mustang GTD as the fastest American cars ever to lap the Nürburgring. The ZR1 brings 1,064 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged version of the Z06’s V8, while the ZR1X takes things further with a 1,250-horsepower hybrid setup using the E-Ray’s front-axle drive. While the Nürburgring achievement just happened, buzz around both models has been building for months, and many buyers have likely been holding off on the Z06 in anticipation of Corvette’s next evolution.
Now, some die-hard fans will argue that the ZR1 was always the most anticipated C8. And sure, it’s the halo car. But when the Z06 launched, it was the first real step up from the base Stingray. It brought race-car tech, a one-of-a-kind engine, and tons of excitement. At the time, it was the one everyone was talking about, and for good reason.
Dealers Are Feeling the Squeeze
This isn’t just a curiosity; it’s a real problem for dealers. Holding onto expensive inventory like the Z06 eats into their bottom line. Floorplan financing (basically a loan to stock vehicles) hits harder when the cars in question cost twice as much as a base Stingray.
What makes the timing worse is what’s coming in 2026. Chevy is expected to roll out a refreshed interior for the Corvette, a bigger update than anything we saw between 2024 and 2025. That’s already causing some buyers to hit pause and wait it out.
And it’s not like overall Corvette sales are on fire right now either. In Q2 of this year, Chevy delivered just 5,801 Corvettes—a 38% drop compared to the same time in 2024. So even with discounts on the table, moving units isn’t getting any easier.
A Supercar Buyer’s Market
It’s a weird place to be: the same car people once paid $30K over sticker for is now sitting quietly on showroom floors, hoping for a buyer.
But that’s exactly what’s happening. The Corvette Z06 is still a phenomenal machine, arguably one of the most exciting Corvettes ever built. The issue isn’t the car. It’s the timing, the price, the competition, and the simple fact that buyers now have options.
For anyone who’s been holding out, this could be the moment. The deals are starting to show up, both new and certified pre-owned. The hype might’ve cooled off, but the performance hasn’t gone anywhere.
And if you’re a dealer? You’re probably just hoping GM throws in some factory incentives soon, because right now, moving a Z06 isn’t as easy as it used to be.
