Exclusive Program Lets Customers Help Create Their Own Corvette

DETROIT – For enthusiasts who want to be personally involved in creating their Corvette, Chevrolet's new Corvette Engine Build Experience allows them to literally build the engine for their new car.

In what is believed to be the world's most hands-on super car program, customers who order a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 can choose an option to help assemble their cars' LS7 or LS9 engines at General Motors' Performance Build Center (PBC) in Wixom, Mich.

"Corvette owners are some of the most passionate – and most involved – enthusiasts in the industry," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet marketing. "The Corvette Engine Build Experience offers customers an unprecedented opportunity to participate, hands on, in creating the car."

In addition to building their own engines, Corvette buyers can attend driving school in Arizona or Nevada, take delivery of their vehicles at the National Corvette Museum or watch their vehicles being built at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky.

"In a way, this is a dream program for a Corvette customer. I would have jumped at the chance to build the 427 in my '67 'Vette, and that didn't have half of what goes into one of these modern precision engines," said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations.

"Today's LS7 and LS9 Corvette engines are pinnacle achievements in engineering, and to personally involve our customers in their final creation shows the depth of Chevrolet's commitment to make lasting connections with the customer."

The Engine Build Experience is an option with a suggested retail price of $5,800. When a customer selects the PBC option for a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 and the dealer submits the order to Chevrolet, a special concierge contacts the customer to verify participation and help coordinate arrangements.

While travel arrangements to and from Metro Detroit are the customer's responsibility, the Chevrolet concierge helps schedule the engine build; coordinates the customer's activities at the Performance Build Center; assists with booking local lodging and meals, and arranges local transportation.

At the PBC, the customer doesn't merely view the engine's assembly; he or she builds it under the supervision of and support from skilled technicians.
When the engine is assembled, a personalized nameplate is added to the engine next to the builder's name. It is then sent to the Corvette assembly plant for installation in the customer's car.

The Corvette Engine Build Experience is possible because of the hand-assembly processes used at the 100,000-square-foot PBC. Technicians hand-build the Corvette Z06's LS7 7.0L engine, the Corvette ZR1's 6.2L supercharged LS9 engine and a variation of the Corvette Grand Sport's LS3 6.2L engine.

The PBC incorporates the best practices of low-volume niche manufacturers and the established quality and manufacturing standards at GM to ensure the highest-quality specialized engines.

Like all engines assembled at the PBC, Engine Build Experience engines are covered by Chevrolet's five year / 100,000-mile transferable powertrain warranty.

The Engine Build experience is the latest program Chevrolet offers for Corvette owners. Other programs include:

Corvette plant tour, where customers can follow their vehicle down the Bowling Green assembly line
Corvette Museum delivery, where customers take delivery of their new Corvette at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green
Corvette ZR1 Driving School, which offers complimentary attendance at either Bob Bondurant's Corvette Driving School in Arizona, or Ron Fellows' Corvette Performance Driving School near Las Vegas.

"Simply put, no other sports car manufacturer can match the level of personal customer involvement that Corvette offers," Campbell said. "The Corvette Engine Build Experience takes this personal involvement to an unprecedented level."

For more information, see facebook.com/corvette.

Watch as a 638 horsepower 6.2L super-charged LS9 engine is hand built from start to finish at the GM Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan. The LS9 is made for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the most powerful engine General Motors builds.
With the new Corvette Engine Build Experience, customers of the Corvette ZR1 or Z06 choose an option to come to Wixom and, under supervision of skilled professional engine builders, actually build the very LS7 or LS9 Engine that will later be installed their own Corvette.

With the introduction of the Corvette Engine Build Experience, no other performance car affords owners as many opportunities to be personally involved with their car as the Corvette. Only Corvette owners can watch their car travel down the assembly line, take delivery at the National Corvette Museum, and learn what their Corvette is capable of on the track.

“There are very few car enthusiasts in the world who can say their car is capable of 205 miles an hour,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “There are even fewer who can say they helped build their own engine, watched their car be built from the ground up, and took delivery across the street from the factory.”

ZR1 Driving School

Every customer who orders a ZR1 receives a complimentary attendance at one of two official Corvette ZR1 Driving Schools: Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nev., or Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Ariz.

Each school offers a two-day course designed to teach new owners how to fully enjoy the performance of the ZR1 in a safe, closed-course environment. Heel/toe shifting, threshold braking, and cornering are only some of the dynamic driving skills ZR1 owners will learn at the schools.

The Corvette ZR1 driving schools are also open to the public, with prices starting at $2,995.

Museum Delivery

Available as a dealer option, the Museum Delivery program allows customers to take delivery of their Corvette at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Museum schedulers notify the customer when their car will be completed and help the customer pick their delivery date. On arrival, customers receive a private tour of the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant, home of the Corvette, and the National Corvette Museum. The owner then takes delivery of their new Corvette from the museum showroom, where their own car is on display. The delivery process includes a personalized demonstration of their Corvette’s features, broadcast around the world via live webcam 24 hours a day.

The Museum Delivery option is $490.

Buyers Tour

The Corvette Buyers Tour is a unique opportunity for customers to watch their Corvette being built at the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant. The museum uses the customer’s order number to track the status of their Corvette, and then contacts the customer to let them know the scheduled build date of their car. The customer and one guest are then treated to a guided tour of the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, often following their actual Corvette through the build process from the start of body assembly to the end of the line. This tour includes the chance to witness areas of the plant not included on the general Plant tour.

The Corvette Buyers Tour is $400 and is coordinated through the National Corvette Museum.

Corvette Photo Album

Whether they take delivery of their Corvette at the National Corvette Museum, take the buyers tour or simply take delivery of their car at the dealership, all Corvette customers have the opportunity to purchase a photo album that documents the build of their car. The leather-bound album includes more than 20 pages of text and photos devoted to capturing the customer’s Corvette build process, as well as a letter of authenticity from the National Corvette Museum.

The Corvette photo album is $500 and is coordinated through the National Corvette Museum.