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Something Special: Highlighting the History of Limited-Edition Corvettes
[Car & Driver] compiled a list highlighting special-edition Vettes, starting with the 1978 Silver Anniversary paint option. Which one would you like to park in your collection?
1978 Silver Anniversary Edition
This year marked the Vette’s 25th birthday, and Chevrolet marked the occasion with 15,000 or so Silver Anniversary editions. The recipient of the first two-tone paint scheme offered in more than 15 years, the car also got aluminum wheels and ‘sport’ exterior mirrors. The package cost just under $800.
1978 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
The Corvette paced the Indy 500 for the first time this year, and Chevy marked the occasion with a limited-edition Pace Car Replica model. It included a two-tone paint scheme with red detail striping, mirror-tinted T-tops, and special VIN numbers. Chevy had initially planned to produce 300 as a nod to the production run of the original ’53 model, but the automaker gave way to demand and some 6500 were produced.
1982 Collector’s Edition
The ’82 Collector’s Edition was the first Corvette to crest $20,000. For that money, buyers got a silver and beige paint scheme and interior treatment, decals inside and out, removable glass roof panels, and commemorative aluminum wheels.
1993 40th Anniversary Edition
Chevrolet celebrated the Corvette’s 40th birthday with an appearance package for both coupes and convertibles. Ruby Red was applied to both interior and exterior, 40th Anniversary emblems replaced the Vette’s standard fare, and bespoke center caps were added as well.
1995 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
Five-hundred and twenty-seven Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car Replicas were built, all convertibles, although none featured the Speedway-mandated roll bar and fairing seen on the real-deal pace car above. All came in Dark Purple Metallic with Arctic White trim, and featured a white leather interior, a white softtop, and special Indy 500 graphics.
1996 Collector’s Edition
A Sebring Silver paint scheme with Collector’s Edition decals, silver-painted 17-inch aluminum wheels, along with “Collector’s Edition” embroidery were all that set this limited-run Corvette apart.
1996 Grand Sport
The second batch of Grand Sports was 200 times larger than the first—1000 if you’re keeping score at home. Powered by the stronger, 330-hp LT4 V-8, the ’96 Grand Sport was finished in Admiral Blue with a white stripe running down the center of the car and red hash marks on the driver’s side front fender. Black-painted 17-inch aluminum wheels sat in front of black-painted brake calipers; flared fenders provided shelter for the rolling stock on coupes, although convertibles did without the body mods. Interior color choices were limited to black or black with red details, but all featured “Grand Sport” embroidery on their perforated leather seats.
1998 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
By 1998, the signature purple hue had a name: Pace Car Purple. It was slathered on this special-edition convertible, which came with a leather interior trimmed in black and yellow and rolled on yellow-painted wheels. The requisite Indy 500 graphics were applied, too. We recommend not staring at this image for too long lest you burn out your eyes—it’s like some sort of incredibly dated sun.
2003 50th Anniversary Package
For the Corvette’s 50th birthday, Chevy painted a batch of coupes and convertibles in Xirallic Crystal—that’s burgundy if you don’t speak GM’s color palette—and fitted them with champagne-painted aluminum wheels and a beige interior treatment. The 50th Anniversary Corvettes also came standard with Magnetic Ride Control.
2004 Commemorative Edition
Created to send off the C5, the Commemorative edition nods to the C5-R’s success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The exterior was painted Le Mans Blue, and Z06 verisons featured silver and red accent detailing, a carbon-fiber hood, and small lettering within the classic Vette emblems that read, “Commemorative 24:00 Heures Du Mans 2 GTS Wins.” Non-Z06 Commemoratives got the Le Mans Blue finish and “Commemorative” embroidery in headrests, but no direct Le Mans shout-outs.
2007 Z06 Ron Fellows Championship Edition
To commemorate Ron Fellows’s ALMS GT1 championship, Chevrolet produced an Arctic White Z06 featuring red and silver accent pieces. This scheme, as well as the maple leaf incorporated in the car’s graphics, is a nod to Fellows’s Canadian heritage. The Fellows Championship Edition Vette also featured 20-inch chrome wheels, a lip spoiler, a “Corvette” windshield banner, a red interior treatment, and Fellows’s signature on the armrest.
2007 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica
For the car’s ninth Indy 500 pace-car appearance, Chevrolet offered another Pace Car Replica, which was available only with a black ragtop and Atomic Orange paint. Orange also trimmed the engine cover and the interior. Indy 500 logos were applied to the doors and embroidered on the headrests, natch.
2008 Victory Edition
The Corvette’s racing heritage isn’t lost on Chevrolet’s European arm, and this Victory Edition Corvette was made available on the Continent for the 2008 model year. Available in black or Velocity Yellow Tintcoat, the car also wore five-spoke aluminum wheels finished in Competition Gray (18 inches up front, 19 out back) and a body-colored lip spoiler. The interior was finished in black and yellow, with yellow contrast stitching, carbon-look trim accents, and a numbered Victory Edition badge.
2008 427 Limited Edition Z06
To pay homage to a legendary engine, this special edition—powered by the 7.0-liter LS7, which technically displaces 428 cubic inches, but we digress—featured “427” badging on the hood and embroidery on the floor mats. The rest of what separates the 427 Limited Edition from regular Z06s included Crystal Red Tintcoat paint, a black hood stripe, unique wheels, and a body-colored spoiler. Just 427 were made available to North American customers, but a further 78 were produced for global consumption.
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2009 GT1 Championship Edition
Because releasing a special edition named for the driver who won you an ALMS GT1 championship two years ago isn’t enough, it was decided that there would be a GT1 Championship Edition Corvette. This would celebrate the Corvette’s 70 victories and eight class championships. This package was available on regular and Z06-spec Corvettes, although it provided no performance upgrades. The C6.R race car’s instantly recognizable Velocity Yellow was one available finish, with a black exterior also on offer. “GT1” emblems could be found on the black-and-yellow seats, the instrument panel, and the armrest. A unique VIN sequence and a carbon-and-black engine cover finished the package.
2009 Competition Edition
European markets received the Competition Edition Corvette to celebrate yet another season of Corvette involvement in motorsports. To that end, Chevrolet claimed that the Competition Corvette bore subtle resemblance to the C6.R and excluded many options in the name of weight savings. The Competition was set apart from plebeian Continental Corvettes by the Z06′s lip spoiler, Competition Gray five-spoke aluminum wheels, and a specific black exterior finish.
2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition
One of the truly special editions in Corvette-dom, Chevrolet offered to Z06 Carbon for two reasons: One, to meet demand for a middle ground between the Z06 and the ZR1. And two, to celebrate 50 years since the brand’s first involvement in Le Mans. This Z06 made use of the ZR1’s 15-inch carbon-ceramic brakes, adjustable magnetorheological shocks, and 19-inch wheels up front and 20-inchers out back. The “Carbon” portion of the name is no gimmick, either, as the ZR1-inspired hood, rocker extensions, front splitter, and roof panel all are rendered in the lightweight weave. To keep this car special—Chevrolet offered the vast majority of these performance goodies in two option packages—it received a Z06 Carbon emblem on the steering wheel, doorsills, and headrests; and was available in only Inferno Orange and Supersonic Blue. The production run was capped at 500 units.
2012 Centennial Edition
A hundred years of Chevrolet yielded the Centennial edition, which turned out to be not much more than an appearance package. Available exclusively in Carbon Flash Metallic, this special-edition Vette featured matte-black decals and red trim applied to the 19- and 20-inch black wheels, brake calipers, and interior stitching. It did add magnetorheological shocks to those Vettes that weren’t so equipped, as well as the performance mods gifted to the previous year’s Z06 Carbon Edition.
2013 60th Anniversary Package
Launched at the same time as the 427 convertible—which was basically a Z06 without a roof—this was a special-order pack available for all 2013 Vettes. Goodies included white paint and a blue interior, optional blue striping (that continued in fabric on the roofs of convertible models!), and a plethora of anniversary logos. Both this package and the 427 honored the end of the C6 generation.
2014 C7 Stingray Premiere Edition
The first special-edition C7, the Premiere Edition will be limited to a production run of 500 units. Those will be identifiable by the Laguna Blue exterior treatment and the brown faux suede interior, as well as the Stingray emblems applied to the center caps and doorsills. The car also makes use of an exposed carbon-fiber roof, and comes complete with special Premiere Edition luggage by Thule.
Article credit: Car & Driver Blog
