2006 Chevrolet Corvette

This 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe has just 19,155 miles and is finished in an absolutely timeless combination: Black exterior over Red leather. More importantly, it was ordered the way an enthusiast would want it—with the 6-speed manual short-throw transmission, Z51 Performance Package, 3LT Preferred Equipment Group, limited-slip rear differential, staggered 18- and 19-inch wheels, Head-Up Display, BOSE® Premium audio and a removable roof panel. When new, this Corvette carried a base MSRP of $43,690. Its options—including the $4,795 3LT Preferred Equipment Group and $1,695 Z51 Performance Package—brought its original retail price to $50,980. But nearly two decades later, the number that may matter most is this: 19,155 Miles. This isn’t simply an old Corvette. It’s a remarkably low-mileage example of one of America’s great analog sports-car formulas. 6-Speed Manual Short-Throw Transmission Forget drive modes for a moment. Forget paddle shifters. Forget launch-control menus. This Corvette gives you something increasingly difficult to find: Three pedals and a short-throw 6-speed manual. The original equipment sheet specifically identifies the transmission as the 6-SPEED MANUAL, SHORT-THROW, paired with a 3.42 rear axle ratio. That completely changes the relationship between the driver and the car. You choose the gear. You operate the clutch. You match the revs. You decide exactly when the next shift happens. There is no computer trying to make the experience perfect for you. The satisfaction comes from getting it right yourself. And that’s exactly what a Corvette like this should be about. V8 Power Rear-Wheel Drive At the center of the experience is a proper 8-cylinder engine, sending its power to the rear wheels. It’s the classic Corvette recipe. V8 up front. Driver in the middle. Power at the rear. The supplied equipment sheet doesn’t state a factory horsepower figure or engine displacement, so rather than inserting specifications that aren’t documented on the sheet, we’ll let the hardware speak for itself. This is a V8 Corvette built around mechanical simplicity, immediate response and the unmistakable character that comes from eight cylinders working through a manual gearbox. $1,695 Z51 Performance Package This is where the specification becomes especially desirable. The original owner selected the Z51 Performance Package, a $1,695 factory option. That badge matters because this wasn’t configured simply to cruise. The rest of the factory equipment sheet shows a chassis built with serious performance hardware: 4-Wheel Independent Suspension Transverse Fiberglass Leaf Springs 4-Wheel Disc Brakes 4-Wheel ABS Active Handling All-Speed Traction Control Speed-Sensitive Rack-and-Pinion Steering Limited-Slip Differential 3.42 Rear Axle Ratio Rear-Wheel Drive Staggered 18”/19” Wheels Staggered Performance Tires The Z51 package tells you something important about this car’s original configuration: Someone didn’t just want a Corvette. They wanted the driver’s Corvette. 3.42 Limited-Slip Rear Differential Paired specifically with the manual transmission is a 3.42-ratio limited-slip rear axle. For a rear-wheel-drive performance car, that differential is a critical part of the experience. Rather than simply sending V8 power toward the rear axle and hoping the available tire can use it, the limited-slip differential helps manage torque across the driven wheels. It’s one of those mechanical components you may never physically see. But when you’re driving the car the way Chevrolet intended? You feel why it’s there. Active Handling This Corvette is also equipped with Chevrolet’s Active Handling system, designed to enhance vehicle stability and traction. It works alongside the car’s all-speed traction control and ABS to provide an additional layer of assistance when needed. That’s important because this remains fundamentally a rear-wheel-drive V8 sports car. The electronics are there to support the chassis. They aren’t there to replace the driver. Staggered 18” & 19” Wheels The stance isn’t accidental. Chevrolet equipped this Corvette with a staggered wheel setup: 18 x 8.5-inch Front Wheels 19 x 10-inch Rear Wheels The original tire specification was equally serious: 245/40ZR18 Front 285/35ZR19 Rear Eagle F1 Extended-Mobility Tires Look at that rear measurement again. 285mm wide. Those broad rear tires don’t just fill the arches beautifully—they’re exactly where you’d expect the larger footprint on a powerful rear-wheel-drive sports car. The staggered setup gives the Corvette its planted stance before the engine even starts. 4-Wheel Independent Suspension Underneath the body is a four-wheel independent suspension system utilizing transverse fiberglass leaf springs. It’s a distinctly Corvette engineering solution. Instead of following the conventional sports-car formula simply because everyone else did, Chevrolet developed a chassis architecture around the Corvette’s own priorities. The result is a car capable of being remarkably usable on ordinary roads while still delivering the low, responsive feel expected from a purpose-built sports car. 4-Wheel Disc Brakes ABS Backing up the V8 performance is a four-wheel disc braking system with four-wheel ABS. Combined with the Z51 specification, wide performance tires, Active Handling and low sports-car proportions, the braking system is part of a complete performance package. Because going fast is only one part of building a serious driver’s car. Control is what makes the speed enjoyable. $4,795 3LT Preferred Equipment Group And this Corvette isn’t a stripped-down performance car. The original buyer spent a substantial $4,795 on the 3LT Preferred Equipment Group. That gives this car a particularly appealing personality. You’ve got the manual gearbox and Z51 package when you want to drive. But you’re not giving up the equipment that makes the Corvette enjoyable when you’re simply heading out for dinner or settling into a long highway trip. The original specification includes desirable equipment such as: Red Leather Seating Front Sport Bucket Seats Memory Package Head-Up Display BOSE® Premium 7-Speaker Audio 6-Disc In-Dash CD Changer MP3 Playback XM Satellite Radio Universal Home Remote Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control Keyless Access Push-Button Start Cruise Control Tire Pressure Monitoring Driver Information Center Performance when you want it. Comfort when you don’t need to prove anything. Head-Up Display One of the standout features is the factory Head-Up Display. Even today, HUD remains a feature associated with premium and performance vehicles. In a low sports car, it makes even more sense. Rather than repeatedly looking down toward the instrument panel, key driving information can be projected into the driver’s forward field of view. It’s functional. It’s technical. And in 2006? It felt downright futuristic. Red Leather Sport Bucket Seats Then there’s the interior. Against the Black exterior, Chevrolet chose the perfect contrast: Red Leather. The equipment sheet confirms front sport bucket seats with leather seating surfaces, including a 6-way power driver’s seat. It’s an unapologetically sports-car color combination. Black outside. Red inside. Long hood ahead. Manual shifter beside you. There isn’t much ambiguity about what kind of car you’re sitting in. BOSE® Premium 7-Speaker Audio This example was also equipped with the upgraded BOSE Premium 7-Speaker Sound System. The factory audio specification includes: BOSE® Premium 7-Speaker System 6-Disc In-Dash CD Changer MP3 Playback Radio Data System Automatic Volume Auto-Tone Control TheftLock XM Satellite Radio It’s a premium setup for its era. Of course, with a manual V8 Corvette, there will always be another audio system available. Clutch in. Downshift. Throttle. Removable Body-Color Roof Panel Here’s one of the Corvette Coupe’s best tricks: The roof comes off. The factory specification confirms a one-piece removable body-color roof panel. That means you don’t have to choose completely between the structural appearance of the coupe and the open-air experience of a convertible. Beautiful afternoon? Remove the panel. Put the windows down. Take the long way. Now you’ve got the V8, manual transmission and open sky sharing the same experience. That’s a difficult combination not to fall in love with. Xenon HID Projector Headlights The front-end technology includes: Dual Projector Headlamps Xenon HID Low Beams Tungsten-Halogen High Beams Automatic Exterior Lamp Control Integral Front Fog Lamps Daytime Running Lamps Those projector lamps are part of the C6’s unmistakable face—and helped mark the return to exposed headlights after generations of pop-up Corvette lamps. Nearly two decades later, the design still looks low, wide and purposeful. Keyless Access Push-Button Start Another surprisingly modern feature for a 2006 sports car is Keyless Access with push-button start. The two remote transmitters allow the doors to automatically unlock and open through the door switch, while the car incorporates push-button ignition. Today we take that technology for granted. In a 2006 Corvette? It was another indication that Chevrolet wanted the C6 to feel like more than raw performance. Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control Both occupants also get their own climate settings thanks to dual-zone automatic climate control. The system includes: Individual Driver/Passenger Temperature Settings Automatic Climate Control Outside Temperature Display Pollen Filtration Rear Window Defogger Again, that’s the magic of this specification. The car doesn’t make you suffer simply because you wanted a manual, Z51-equipped Corvette. Tire Pressure Display The factory Tire Pressure Monitoring System goes beyond a simple warning light. The equipment sheet says the system includes individual tire pressure sensors with the pressures displayed through the Driver Information Center. That’s particularly useful on a sports car running staggered 18- and 19-inch performance tires. Polished 3-Inch Stainless Exhaust Tips Around the rear you’ll find an aluminized stainless-steel exhaust system with polished 3-inch stainless-steel tips. It’s a simple detail that suits the Corvette perfectly. No fake exhaust surrounds. No simulated engine noise needed to explain what’s happening. There’s a V8 on the other end. 18 City / 28 Highway MPG – Original Rating The original equipment sheet lists factory fuel economy at: 18 MPG City 28 MPG Highway For a V8, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a manual transmission, that highway figure illustrates another side of the Corvette’s personality. It can be the weekend toy. But it can also settle into sixth gear and become a surprisingly capable long-distance grand tourer. $50,980 Original Retail Price This wasn’t an inexpensive sports car when it left the showroom. Base MSRP: $43,690 3LT Preferred Equipment Group: $4,795 Z51 Performance Package: $1,695 Original Shipping Charge: $800 Original Retail Price: $50,980 And the money was spent exactly where you’d want it. The luxury of 3LT. The performance focus of Z51. The engagement of a short-throw 6-speed manual. And one of the most dramatic sports-car color combinations available: Black over Red. 19,155 Miles – That’s What Makes This One Different Specifications tell you what a car is. Mileage can tell you how unusual the opportunity is. 19,155 miles. That’s extraordinarily little road time for a 2006 performance car. And when the vehicle in question combines that mileage with a manual gearbox, Z51 Performance Package, 3LT equipment and a Black-over-Red specification, you aren’t looking at just another used Corvette. You’re looking at the kind of configuration enthusiasts actively search for. Because cars like this aren’t being made the same way anymore. Naturally simple. Mechanically engaging. Rear-wheel drive. Manual transmission. V8 power. And no apology for any of it. Black. Red Leather. Z51. 6-Speed Manual. 19,155 Miles. With only 19,155 miles, a timeless Black exterior, dramatic Red leather interior, V8 engine, short-throw 6-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, 3.42 limited-slip differential, $1,695 Z51 Performance Package, $4,795 3LT Preferred Equipment Group, Active Handling, four-wheel independent suspension, staggered 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels, Head-Up Display, BOSE Premium 7-speaker audio, Memory Package, Keyless Access with push-button start, dual-zone automatic climate control, Xenon HID headlights, removable body-color roof panel, and a $50,980 original retail price, this 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe brings together the exact ingredients that make an enthusiast car memorable.