Chevrolet Corvette Generation 2 (2006–2009)

Chevrolet Corvette Generation 2 (2006–2009) — production years, market prices by model year, NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, and live listings for sale on VehiSales.

Chevrolet Corvette — body generations

Generation Produced Facelift
Generation 2 2006–2009 —
Generation 3 2010–2013 —
Generation 4 2014–2019 —
Generation 5 2020–present —

Vehicles within one generation share the same platform and body style.

Engines used in the Corvette

Engine families this model shipped with, by NHTSA VIN build data — each links to every model that shares it.

Engine Years in this model Also used in VIN builds ⓘ
GM 6.2L V8 (L86/L87/LS3) 2008–2026 31 models 482
GM 5.7L V8 (350 / Vortec 5700) 1981–2005 53 models 85

About this generation

For the C6 Corvette GM wanted to focus more on refining the C5 than trying to redesign it. Car & Driver, and Motor Trend, described the C6 as an "evolution of the C5, instead of a complete redo". The C6 wheelbase was increased while body overhangs were decreased when compared to the C5. Retractable headlights were replaced with fixed units, for the first time since 1962. The C6 brought a new and improved interior compared to the C5.

As a result of the upgraded interior, the C6 had a slight increase in passenger hip room. It also sported an updated engine called the LS2, which bumped the LS1/LS6 to and gained 50 HP, producing at 6000 rpm and at 4400 rpm, and giving the vehicle a time of under 4.2 seconds. It can reach a top speed of . The C6 shared some components with the Cadillac XLR hard-top convertible introduced two years earlier in 2003.

The C6 generation did not match the previous generation's relatively good fuel economy, despite its relatively low 0.28 drag coefficient and low curb weight, achieving 16/26 mpg (city/highway) equipped with automatic or manual transmissions; like all manual transmission Corvettes since 1989, it is fitted with Computer Aided Gear Selection (CAGS) to improve fuel economy by requiring drivers to shift from 1st gear directly to 4th in low-speed/low-throttle conditions.

This feature helps the C6 avoid the Gas Guzzler Tax by achieving better fuel economy. The new Z06 arrived as a 2006 model in the third quarter of 2005. It has a 7.0 L version of the small block engine codenamed LS7. At 427.6 cubic inches, the Z06 was the largest small block ever offered by General Motors. Because of the Corvette's former use of 427 cubic-inch big blocks in the late-1960s and early 1970s, the LS7's size was rounded down to 427 cubic inches.

Official output was and has a time of 3.7 seconds. Top speed is . Another first for a Corvette, the Z06 featured a full aluminum chassis. The frame mirrored the C5/6 architecture, but substituted aluminum hydroformed rails and aluminum extrusions and castings fore and aft. This dropped weight from 419 to 287 pounds while improving chassis stiffness. For 2008, the Corvette received a mild freshening: a new LS3 engine with displacement increased, resulting in and ( and if ordered with the optional performance exhaust).

The six-speed manual transmission also has improved shift linkage, allowing for a time of 4.0 seconds, while the automatic is set up for quicker shifts giving the C6 automatic a time of 4.0 seconds, quicker than any other production automatic Corvette up to that point. The interior was slightly updated and a new 4LT leather-wrap interior package was added. The wheels were also updated to a new five-spoke design. The ZR1 was formally announced in a December 2007 press statement by General Motors, where it was revealed that their target of per had been reached by a new "LS9" engine with an Eaton-supercharged 6.2-liter engine producing and of torque.

The LS9 engine was the most powerful to be put into a GM production sports car. Its top speed was . The historical name Grand Sport returned to the Corvette lineup in 2010 as an entirely new model series that replaced the Z51 option. The new model was an LS3 equipped Z06 with a steel frame instead of aluminum. It retained many of the features of the Z06 including a wide body with 18x9.5 and 19x12 inch wheels, dry-sump oiling (manual transmission coupes only), 6-piston 14-inch front brakes and 4-piston rear, and improved suspension.

Manual transmission-equipped G/S coupe models received a tweaked LS3 with a forged crank, are built in Z06 fashion by hand, and utilize a dry-sump oil system. The first three gears were also made shorter for better throttle response and faster acceleration. A new launch control system was introduced for all models that allow for sub-4-second 0–60. EPA is estimated at 26 MPG highway, 1.0 G on skid pad.

Source: Wikipedia — Chevrolet Corvette — Sixth generation (C6; 2005–2013), CC BY-SA.

Recalls & complaints by year (NHTSA)

Year Recalls Complaints Most reported
2006 5 826 Structure, Exterior Lighting, Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
2007 2 770 Fuel/Propulsion System, Power Train, Engine

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.

For sale right now