- Official C6 Corvette Registry Members Only Hot News

May 1
HERTZ FUN CLUB ADDS ZHZ CORVETTE COUPES
Members – Does the term “IT’S A RENTAL, DON’T BE GENTLE” mean anything to you? Well, it certainly will be to Hertz starting in June when they release to the renting public 500 very limited and specially equipped Velocity Yellow 2LT 2008 Coupes with an easily recognizable ZHZ fender badge on both sides.

These very special Corvettes will be rented through the Hertz Fun Club Program at various Hertz locations throughout the United States, including Hawaii. This wonderful Hertz program has been ongoing for the last several years. They received considerable attention two years ago with the re-introduction of the Carroll Shelby Black and Gold Mustang GT-H that they have been successfully renting, just like they did back in 1966.

Hertz’s soon to be collectible ZHZ Corvette Coupe will include the 2LT Ebony interior (193) package with a ZHZ embroidered logo on the console arm rest and floor mats inside of a Velocity Yellow (45U) exterior tint coat paint with a Black Stripe, from front to back, laid down the center of this C6. The transmission of choice will be the Six Speed Paddle Shift Automatic, along with the (NPP) Dual Mode Exhaust and (F55) Magnetic Select Ride Control, including the cross drilled rotors.

Genuine Corvette Accessories will play a big part in the uniqueness of this Corvette. Hertz is including the (VPL) GCA Ultimate Appearance Package which includes the screen mesh package (side coves, exhaust plate screen, grille mesh), body-color rear license plate frame, underhood blanket and lamp kit, graphics package (as mentioned above), full-width spoiler and body-color door handles. The wheels for this very unique ZHZ will be the Seven-Spoke Forged-Chrome Wheel which certainly will add a dramatic appearance to this already exciting ride.

Members, the best news of all is that Hertz will be offering a very special discount program to Registry Members. We have placed this discount code in our MEMBERS ONLY section today and it will also be listed in the upcoming Spring 2008 Official C5/C6 Registry Magazine headed to your mailbox in June.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODES FOR REGISTRY MEMBERS RENTING HERTZ FUN CLUB CORVETTE ZHZs ARE AS FOLLOWS:

THESE DISCOUNTS ARE GOOD CURRENTLY THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008. Log on to www.Hertz.com to reserve your ZHZ!

We finalized with Hertz the list of cities that these Fun Club Corvettes will be available at. Please note the cities below and we hope you will coordinate them with your future travel plans.

Miami, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Palm Beach, Fort Meyers, Dallas, Houston, Boston, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oahu, Maui, Nashville, Charlotte, Charleston, Philadelphia, Dulles, Phoenix, Denver and Newark.

Indications are that this program will possibly run for a two-year period with 2009 C6s being brought into service early next year. Rumors seem to be confirming that they will add Convertibles as part of next year’s program. We know this program will be a hit with our traveling Registry members!

January 24, 2007
SPECIALTY CORVETTES TO BE UNVEILED AT THE UPCOMING CHICAGO AUTO SHOW!

Members – If you live anywhere near Chicago, you need to visit the 98th annual Chicago Auto Show which runs from Feb. 9 through 18 at the McCormick Place North and South Convention Center. Corvette is unveiling TWO specialty Corvettes for the 2007 Model year.

These TWO unique Corvettes, which will be produced in LIMITED numbers, will be produced with 2007 VIN’s. C6-R racing hero and champion driver Ron Fellows will have his own very limited edition Arctic White Z06. His edition is reported to be only up to 333 Z06s, with 33 going to Europe and 300 for the US and Canada buyers. There will be quite a bit of uniqueness to Corvette Hero’s RON MACHINE edition Z06 with unique striping and interior badging, along with his personal signature on every one of them! CAN YOU SAY HUGE DEALER MARK UP!

The other unique C6 is reported to be a 500 limited edition run of the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car for this year’s May race. This Indy 500 Pacer will also have unique striping and interior upgrade package. This will be the first complete factory produced Indy 500 Corvette Pacer available for purchase since the 1,163 C5 Radar Purple Metallic Convertibles produced in 1998.

Members, for those of you heading out to the McCormick Place, the hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 9-17 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 18. Admission for the event, which features some 1,000 cars and trucks, a Chrysler test track and entertainment, is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and older and children 7 to 12 and free for kids younger than 7 accompanied by a paid adult.

We look forward to hearing back from all of you who have the opportunity to see these TWO specialty Corvettes up close and personal. Please email us your thoughts to c5dan@c5registry.com on these unique models.

January 16, 2006
WHEELS, WHEELS, WHEELS…
That’s the BIG news all over the Corvette Kingdom!

Members, the SAGA CONTINUES…the latest version of this ever breaking story goes like this: Amcast Industrial Corporation, the sole producer of C6 and Z06 production Corvette wheels filed for bankruptcy, as we all know, late last year. Chevrolet filed an injunction with the Indiana Courts asking them to make Amcast Corp continue with their original pricing agreement and production schedule regarding Corvette wheels.

Here is some background…Chevrolet had chosen ONLY Amcast Industrial Corporation to be the SOLE PRODUCER of the C6 Corvette wheel in its various styles. Amcast Corp produced the base silver painted 5-spoke wheel (RPO QG6), the 5-spoke polished aluminum wheel (RPO QG7), the Competition (dark) Gray painted wheel (RPO QX1), and the 5-spoke Chrome wheel (RPO QX3) for the C6 Coupe and Convertible. Amcast Corp had also been awarded the contract to produce the Z06 painted aluminum wheel and it’s most beautifully sought after Polished version (RPO QL9). They also are producing the Z06 painted aluminum wheel in Competition Gray (RPO Q44). Note: We were told that all the chroming of the chrome wheels were being outsourced after production at Amcast Corp.

The Indiana Court ruling was very interesting. Those in the know tell us that the Courts did not really want to see this job producing industry leave the area. So the Court ruling goes something like this…Amcast Corp could not refuse to produce wheels for the Corvette, but GM also had to pay the fair going rate for these previously contracted wheels. It’s been indicated to us that the new rate per wheel from Amcast Corp is approximately three times the original contract price.

So GM began looking to The Old Country and low and behold Speedline Wheel Manufacturer of Italy was contacted. C5 owners and members will remember that Speedline was the producer of the Magnesium wheel that was an option during the C5 production run. We heard that Speedline had bid on the original C6 contract, but were underbid. But because of this bid process they also had a C6 wheel mold and were immediately able to begin producing C6 wheels as of mid December 2005. They are being produced daily and being flown over from Italy to the Corvette Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The current situation is that they can only produce QUICKLY the base style painted wheels in Silver or Competition Gray for the Coupe, Convertible or Z06. The high polished wheels will come back into production in late April or May 2006 if the quality standard has been reached.

That is why GM put out a very pointed statement to all its Dealers stating (and we paraphrase) that you can order your Corvette with any wheel you want…but we will put on it whatever wheel we have when it’s built!

Members, please understand even though your C6 order from your Dealer has been or will be accepted by the Plant, whatever wheel you specified on your order, you may NOT find it on your Corvette when it arrives. Of course this mostly applies to Polished/Chrome wheels for the Coupe or Convertible and Z06. You will receive a price reduction credit back if a lower cost wheel was placed on your C6.

But it’s clear to us that because of all this drama, there will be a REALLY BIG increase in the price of Corvette wheels in the future!

December 30
Z06 Production May come to a halt!
Members, as we informed you on December 3rd, Amcast Industrial Corporation, the sole producer of C6 and Z06 production Corvette wheels had filed for bankruptcy for the second time. They are no longer producing Corvette wheels for General Motors after December 31, 2005. Current stock piles of these wheels have been dwindling and Corvette is currently having SpeedLine of Italy (makers of the C5 Magnesium wheel) produce the standard 5-spoke PAINTED wheel ONLY for coupes and convertibles. As fast as these wheels are being manufactured, they are being flown in from Italy to Bowling Green, KY. The high polished wheels are currently being assessed by management to determine when their production will begin again. There may be up to a 60 to 90 day lag time on high polished wheels being available again.

BUT THE REALLY BIG ISSUE IS – THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ONE AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE THE VERY SPECIAL Z06 WHEELS. Production of the Z06 may come to a halt for up to 90 days while options are being considered by management on what to do. Of course, this will mean that any dealer with a Z06 in stock will ask prices somewhere as high as the moon for them! If there is a possibility to get a Z06 and your dealer doesn’t know about this, now is the time!

The old adage that a photo is worth a 1,000 words may never be more true in future Corvette history than a shot of the Bowling Green final assembly parking area, with 500 Z06’s all on blocks! It will look like the Viper Club and Porche Club of America members broke into the gates and stole all the wheels to keep the beast off the road!

October 4
Corvette is Listening to You F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Owners!
Members, for months now we have been receiving email after email about why F55 Magnetic Suspension Corvettes do not have the slotted rotors available as part of their suspension option. It’s clear that all the chatter on the C5/C6Net and emails from all of you are being heard at the highest levels. We hear there’s been quite a bit of discussion about the future in allowing slotted rotors like on the Z51 Handling Package to be made available for the Magnetic Suspension equipped C6s. This may be difficult to have happen for the 2006 model year, but look for it possibly in 2007. Our question is why not just have a FACTORY slotted rotor option available for all C6s, now matter which suspension option you have?

September 28
Z51 Production for 2006 C6s has been REDUCED to a Snails pace!
Members, how is this possible, you ask, when last years 2005 Z51 production (15,345) was 41.1%of total (37,372) C6 Corvette sales? This clearly indicates that 4 out of 10 buyers wanted a true performance handling Corvette with the finest handling package that Chevrolet can offer and are willing to pay a premium for it. Dealers have contacted us to advise us that NO Z51 orders are being processed at this time. The situation is as follows: The Z51 package has been placed in a very limited “hold production status” due to the fact that this very popular performance handling package is being rejuvenated and ENHANCED for 2006. Word is that it is going to be significantly improved for 2006 once it is released

September 27
2005 Total Production Numbers.
You've ask for it... so we got it a little early for you this year! The final Production numbers for the 2005 Model Year Corvette are now on line, in the members only section Click here!
Members Only Exclusive Click here for production numbers in Excel Format !!

August 11
TSB and Recall Information now online!
Exclusive to the members only area of the C6 Registry site, we are now listing all the Technical Service Bulletins, and Safety Recalls for the C6 Corvette online. CLICK HERE for complete list.

March 23
Have A 2006 Corvette Paint Color On Your 2005!
How is this possible you ask? Members, as you are aware, Millennium Yellow (79U) and Magnetic Red (86U) exterior paints have been discontinued for the 2005 current model year. But don’t despair, because both colors will be replaced with paints originally planned for introduction on the 2006 Corvette.

The plan is, that Millennium Yellow will be replaced with Velocity Yellow (RPO 45U). Velocity Yellow appears slightly lighter in shade than Millennium Yellow in part due to the fact that Velocity Yellow has an even “premiumer” "tint coat" finish. We’re told that the tint coat also gains a "depth" not seen with standard paint finishes. And of course, Velocity Yellow will be an additional cost paint choice.

The replacement for Magnetic Red II will be Monterey Red (RPO 80U). Just like Magnetic Red II, Monterey Red is a metallic finish that, in this case, is slightly darker than Magnetic Red II. Monterey Red contains deep metallic flake and is similar, although several shades lighter, than the 2003 Anniversary Red. Monterey Red is also an additional cost paint choice.

The new colors (RPO 45U and RPO 80U) will be accessible to your ordering dealer on Thursday, May 19, 2005. This will allow your dealer plenty of time to change your current order or place a new order for you in one of these two new and exciting 2006 colors.

Multi red JPG is every single "Color shade of RED" Corvette has used since the 97 C5 Corvette. The 2 new colors Monterey Red and Velocity Yellow will start up in June. Both colors are premium tint coats with a $750 option price tag.

Although production of these new colors is anticipated to begin in late June 2005; however, both will require a limited constraint period before they become freely available.

February 28
Upcoming C6 Color Changes!
Two new exterior paint colors, originally in the works for the 2006 Corvette, will instead be moved forward and introduced late in the 2005 model run. To accommodate these two new colors it will be necessary to expedite the build out of two of the current 2005 Corvette selections.

As a result both Millennium Yellow (79U) and Magnetic Red (86U) will be subject to this early build out situation. The following dates will apply:

Color	Last Order	Last Order Preliminary Orders	Last Production Submission	Change Flagged Week
79U	March 5, 2005	March 8, 2005	March 16, 2005	April 4, 2005
86U	March 12, 2005	March 15, 2005	March 23, 2005	April 11, 2005

Note: Once the remaining preliminary orders have been flagged for delivery, it will become
necessary for dealers to either change or cancel those orders as they can no longer be
selected for production. Please pay special attention to your preliminary orders
during this period to avoid unnecessary order processing delays.

Detailed information regarding the two new 2006 colors and their availability will
be announced shortly.

January 26
Dealer Constraints:
The Following is some additional clarification on current Corvette constraints.

Corvette Convertible (1YY67): The plant has begun to accelerate Convertible production. Once the Convertible has reached full production capacity, it should comprise 50% of all Corvette orders. We hope to achieve full capacity by mid-March, but are aggressively pursuing all options to improve on that date.

Power Convertible Top (CM7): Power top availability is also improving. Once again, we hope to achieve full capacity by mid-March. At full capacity we expect to build 50-60% of all Convertibles with the Power Top.

Dual Roof Option (C2L): As Convertible availability increases, availability of this option will also increase. We currently plan to free flow this option beginning on January 27.

Beige Top (35T) and Gray Top (37T): Still awaiting engineering validation on both of these tops. We hope to have more information about their availability by the end of January.

Polished Wheel (QG7): Our supplier is experiencing some throughput issues resulting in lower availability of the QG7 wheel. We are working with the supplier daily to improve this throughput. Unfortunately, availability may temporarily go down as the supplier works through some unforeseen challenges. Please ensure your orders in VOMS fit within this constraint. We hope to have more information by the end of January.

1SX Package: Various elements of this package are still awaiting engineering validation. We do not foresee this package being available prior to April at this time. This package is expected to penetrate only around 2-3%.

Navigation System (URB): Demand has exceeded forecast for this option. We are currently reviewing the potential for an increase from the Navigation System provider. We will provide you with additional information as it becomes available.

Z51 Sport Suspension Package (Z51): This option package will be constrained due to CAFE requirements. This constraint will be high over the next several weeks as we work through a backlog of orders, but should eventually improve to around 50% of total Corvette production.

January 24, 2005
Z06 CORVETTE FOR 2006 COLORS AND OPTIONS!!!!
Members – We hear you! Everyone is wondering what exactly is going to be included in the base Z06 and what are the package options and which options are free flow.

Option Package for Z06 includes: (we were told that there are TWO option packages – we are still working on additional clarification in this area)

Z06 free flow options: (we believe there are more individual options than what we have listed below – we are still working on additional clarification in this area)

January 24
Members - The C6 Garage is no longer empty
As of December 7, 2004 the total production for all C6's is 13,714. Of course, they have been building coupes since the last week of June, 2004 and their totals are 13,310. There has been a very small convertible production which has been inching along since September, totals only reaching 404 with 90% having black tops. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOTALS