The car is being built in right-hand-drive and there’s one with the national distributor. That’s the good news. Nothing more, at this stage.

TORCH Red exterior offset by metallic black racing stripes, as well as 20-inch and 21-inch Spider design forged black wheels; black interior with red seat belts … oh yes, and just 15 miles (24 kilometres) on the odometer.

Noice, noice, noice. 

And it sold in auction in Kissimmee, Florida, recently for an eye-widening $US275,000 (just under $NZ435k).

What made the 2023 Corvette Z06 worth more than three times its list price in the United States was that … well, it was a 2023 Corvette Z06 that was available.

The demand for the first of the fully ‘performance’ models in the C8 range in its home country is astounding. Some folk well down the waiting list but also well-heeled enough to see that as being nothing more than hindrance seem set to pay ANYTHING to secure one now rather than in, say, a year or so.

The Kissimmee price was just the latest. It wasn’t actually a pinnacle. So far the highest amount paid to secure an example was paid in December. The GM Authority website reported on a new Z06 Coupe with 25 miles on the clock and an asking price of $US375k ($NZ593k).

That’s a jaw-dropping 251 percent price increase over recommended retail. Which, in turn, is almost 50 percent higher than Stateside pricing for the cheapest Corvette Stingray.

So there’s money to be made. So long as money can be spent.

 Which isn’t the case in New Zealand. Not yet.

Two weeks ago General Motors Speciality Vehicles, the factory-appointed distributorship for Corvette and Silverado, announced it had landed the first right hand drive Z06. The car, pictured here, resides at the regional head office in Melbourne and will undertake promotional duties.

The outfit’s release about this, and subsequent news stories out of Australia about expectation of Z06 becoming available for customer delivery from later this year naturally triggered interest on this side of the Tasman about when it was coming and for how much.

Questions, as it transpires, that are more easily answered in  Australia than here.

That media announcement is a false start here – the distributor’s NZ arm quickly explaining it will not take orders and is dissuading dealers from accepting down payments.

It’s not even 100 percent clear if the derivative will ultimately join the small cache of officially distributed C8 Stingrays in circulation.

GMSV NZ’s spokesman said there’s no clarity about the Z06’s NZ allocation and, until that’s sorted, there’s no idea when it will come … or how much it will cost. Because of that, it isn’t prepared to accept customer cash.  

“GMSV is advising our dealers they should not take any deposits,” a spokesman said.

As for availability? “This information isn't available at this stage but will be released when we receive details regarding our allocation.”

 In sporting a competition-tuned flat plane 5.5-litre V8 which generates 500kW and 624Nm in North America, Z06 stands as the line’s kick-off kingpin, though as said that status might only last until 2025.

 That’s the likely arrival date for the electric-assisted e-Ray – cited as the fastest Corvette yet and also New Zealand-confirmed.

 That landmark model, in turn, stands to be gazumped in time by an ultimate old-schooler, a new-generation ZR1, which is intended to sport a turbocharged edition of the Z06 mill, making 596kW.

The situation with Z06 reminds that Corvette has not been any easy car to secure in NZ. For various reasons, the renowned Bowling Green Plant in Kentucky, United States, has so far only been able to drip feed this country.

 In addition to GM having to contend with the usual coronavirus-associated travails affecting almost all the world’s car producers, the famous factory was smashed by a tornado.

 Though NZ-market pricing was announced in April 2021, almost two years after the C8 was confirmed as the first factory-built right-hand drive model, it took until October that year before the first example landed. It is still retained as a brand-owned demonstrator.

The first C8 into NZ customer hands, a 3LT coupe, was delivered two months later. Four cars were registered by end of 2021.

Since then, it appears GMSV has fulfilled the original allocation of four C8 Stingrays for each of the seven national dealerships: 28 cars. It has also has two fleet cars, used for evaluation and media driving.

Registration statistics show GMSV NZ provisioned 33 cars for all of 2022.

The NZ C8 Stingray range spans 2lT and 3LT coupe and convertibles, plus a smattering of launch special Carbon Editions, all with a 370kW/637Nm 6.2-litre V8 paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic driving the rear wheels.

GMSV has steered clear of discussing the state of the C8 order bank and if any orders placed when the car was first announced have yet to be fulfilled.

By the end of  last year, C8 Stingray list pricing uniformly rose by $15,000, taking the entry 2LT Coupe from $154,990 to $170,000 – as much as was originally asked for the 3LT Coupe, which in turn jumped to $185k.

The Australasian spec bases on the top-of-the-range grade available in the US, known as 3LZ. Standard features are expected to include a carbon-fibre-accented steering wheel, carbon-fibre shift paddles, microfibre interior accents, leather-wrapped interior door and instrument panels, and 'GT2' bucket seats with nappa leather upholstery.

E-Ray was revealed on January 18 and GMSV here quickly asserted the intention is to sell it. But the spokesman says there’s still nothing additional to be said about battery-involved derivative. Including about expressions of Kiwi interest in the car that, as well as being the first with electric is also (because of that) the first all-wheel-drive Corvette. By virtue of using the electric motor to run the front wheels while the V8 feeds the backs.

“We revealed that the E-Ray is coming less than two weeks ago … it will be some time before we can share anything else.”

With 0-100kmh in 2.5 seconds claimed, e-Ray is the fastest accelerating production Corvette. 

The 120kW front-mounted electric motor and mid-set 370kW LT2 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 provide 482kW in total - falling slightly short of the C8 Z06 on power and the C7 ZR1 – yet it is quicker than both to the legal open road limit. 

The C8 Z06’s outputs for here might be lower than for the US, as the car coming here is missing the centre-mounted quad exit exhaust system of domestic editions.

Instead it has a system closer to the Corvette Stingray, with two exhaust pipes on either side of the rear bumper. That system is understood to have an emissions-busting petrol particulate filter, in order to meet strict European emission standards (Euro 6d).

 It is also likely fitted to help meet European and Australian vehicle noise rules, which are stricter than those in the US.