[1]Some buyers of the 2015 C7 Corvette Stingray Z06 [2] might be in a bit of a predicament if they check off the box for the Engine Build Experience on their build sheet.
The reason is that the supercharged LT4 engines will be built in two places – Bowling Green, Kentucky and Tonawanda, New York. Only one plant will host the Engine Build Experience as part of the package. The build experience is pretty cool, though – the customer gets to aid in building their engine with a technician over an eight-hour day at GM’s Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan. At the end of the process, the technician and owner’s name are affixed to the engine on a certification plaque.
[3]Interestingly enough, the Bowling Green plant will only offer some Z06 buyers the experience to help build the engine in their new Z06, not every order. And it’s still up in the air about what percentage of the LT4s are going to be built in the Bowling Green plant.
At $5,800, the Engine Build Experience is an expensive option, but it’s also a special option because the customer gets to aid in the build of their own vehicle’s engine – it must be nice to actually say “I helped build the engine in my Corvette.” Not many get to say it, but at the same time, $5,800 can go a long way in terms of modding the car. We’re sure that it wouldn’t be too big of a deal if a customer had an extra $5,800 to spend on their car, but the experience of helping build the engine is something that will be remembered for a lifetime, for us gearheads at least.