10 Rare Chevrolet Corvette Models You Never Knew Existed

To the automotive world, the Chevrolet Corvette is a lot like what the electric guitar is to rock music in that you can’t have one without the other, otherwise things would just sound wrong. For over 71 years, the Corvette has provided millions of car enthusiasts with a great blend of fun, noise, and value for money. Not to mention, the Corvette has always had a knack for turning heads.

With so much history behind the Corvette, it’s not surprising to learn how many rare models are out there. Hard-to-find ‘Vettes have become so popular, that even General Motors themselves have created some epic limited-production versions to help bolster the Corvette’s collectability. In order to sift through the litany of rarely-seen ‘Vettes, we’ve decided to curate a list of the 10 rarest models ever made.

Models have been ranked based on their production numbers. In instances where production numbers are identical, entrants have been ranked by production year, with the oldest coming first.

10 2023 Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition

Number Produced: 963

Our first and least rare Corvette to grace our list is the 2023 Z06 70th Anniversary Edition. While the 70th Anniversary Edition didn’t receive any sort of performance upgrades, it did get some exterior styling treatment. It came with a choice between two colors; White Pearl Metallic Tri-Coat and Carbon Flash Metallic, which is basically a black metallic. Buyers also received unique wheels with center caps commemorating the Corvette’s 70th anniversary.

9 2014 Corvette Stingray Premier Edition

Number Produced: 550

Next, we have the 2014 Stingray Premier Edition. Unlike the Z06 70th Anniversary Edition which had a pair of slick paint jobs and blacked-out wheels, the Stingray Premier Edition only came in an older gentleman-friendly dark green and tan ragtop combo with wide-spoke chrome wheels. Or, you could option one with blue paint and a targa top, although you’d have to make do with the same five-spoke chrome rims. The good news is, the Premier Edition only came in the top 3LT trim level, meaning it’s got all the bells and whistles you could want on an early C7 ‘Vette.

8 2008 Corvette Hertz ZHZ

Number Produced: 500

Few remember this one, but it caused quite a stir when you needed to rent a car for your trip to LA. When you arrived at the Hertz Rent-A-Car desk, you may have been offered the choice of driving the Hertz ZHZ special edition C6 Corvette. While it was merely a styling upgrade, the ZHZ definitely looked cool enough to catch your eye on the Hertz rental lot. The ZHZ was meant to join Hertz’s “Fun Collection” of cars, which also featured the Shelby GT-H Mustang (“H” for Hertz) and the Nissan 350Z.

7 1988 Callaway Sledgehammer C4 Corvette

Number Produced: 125

Next, we have a Corvette which started its life out as a normal C4 Corvette, but was then given a healthy dose of automotive steroids courtesy of a tuning company called Callaway. The normal, piddly 5.7-liter V8 offered in the C4 ‘Vette was heavily modified and fitted with two turbos, which bumped its horsepower rating up from 245 to 880. With this ludicrous power, the Sledgehammer was able to reach 254 mph, making it the fastest factory-built, street-legal car ever at the time.

6 1965 Corvette Stingray Convertible L84

Number Produced: 71

When it comes to older Corvettes, the special editions are few and far between, and the rare ones are the models which were optioned with upgrades that were either extremely expensive when they were new, or options which just weren’t popular. In the case of the L84 Stingray Convertible, it’s the latter, costing $528 in 1965. The L84 engine was a small-block V8 with a Chevrolet-bred fuel injection system called Ram-Jet Fuel Injection. This system, of course, replaced the carburetor you normally see on older engines. The L84 engine was also the most powerful small-block motor General Motors offered at the time.

5 1970 Corvette ZR1

Number Produced: 25

These days, the ZR1 Corvette is an iconic trim level, as it denotes the most powerful Corvette produced by Chevrolet. However, back when the ZR1 badge was first used in 1970, very few people knew about it, and even fewer actually got to own one. Only 25 were built, and they featured engine upgrades like a better camshaft, an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and an aluminum intake manifold. It also featured an M22 Muncie “Rock Crusher” close-ratio four-speed manual transmission. The ZR1 bade wouldn’t see use for another 20 years until the 1990 Corvette ZR1 was released.

4 2001 Callaway C12 Corvette

Number Produced: 20

The next rare Corvette on our list doesn’t even really look like a Corvette. The boffins over at Callaway took a handful of C5 Corvettes and gave them a total makeover, with only the original glass and doors left over from what was formerly a C5 Corvette. Callaway’s new body shell was entirely made of Kevlar, which is also used to stop bullets in armored jackets that police officers and members of the military wear. The engine was retained, as well, although tuned a bit to achieve its near-500 horsepower rating and a top speed of 194 mph. These days, the Callaway C12 is one of the most sought-after Corvette derivatives ever created.

3 1980 Corvette America

Number Produced: 6

One of the wildest Corvettes ever produced was actually one of the slowest. In 1979, Chevrolet saw a market for a four-door version of the Corvette. So, they approached a company called the California Custom Coach company and commissioned them to build a prototypical model of the four-door Corvette for testing. Five more were built for sale, although, as you can imagine, it was a total failure. With a $35,000 price tag in 1980, very divisive styling, and a wheezy engine, the five produced for sale constituted the entire production of the Corvette America, and it slunk back into obscurity.

2 1957 Corvette Ghia-Aigle Coupe

Number Produced: 1

One of the rarest Corvettes ever produced wasn’t even completed in America. Ghia, an Italian coachbuilder, decided to build a one-off Corvette styled in a then-typical European fashion. Its body was entirely made of aluminum, something that was unheard of at the time. Its interior was revamped, and trimmed with real wood and a matching wooden steering wheel, styling cues typically seen in Ferraris of the time. Until recently, the one-off ‘Vette was hidden from the public eye, until being unearthed in Portugal a few years ago with just 3,800 kilometers on the odometer.

1 1983 C4 Corvette

Number Produced: 1

Last on our list is, arguably, the rarest Corvette ever produced, for more reasons than just its one-off production. It’s also the only 1983 Corvette made, as the C3 Corvette generation ended in 1982 and the C4-gen didn’t begin until 1984. So, this sole ‘Vette was produced in the meantime. It’s so rare, in fact, that it lives full-time in the Corvette Museum under lock and key. Because it’s effectively the Corvette’s missing link between the nameplate’s first 29 years and the last 40, it rightfully earns the number one spot on our list.

Sources:
C8Tracker.com
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CorvetteMuseum.org
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CorvSport.com