A 19-Mile Corvette ZR1X Just Sold For $102,000 Over Sticker

There's zero question that the Corvette ZR1X is a very special car. Evidently, it's spectacular enough that someone just openly paid roughly $102,000 over MSRP to get one. This 2027 example with 19 miles on the odometer just sold on Bring a Trailer for $390,000. For the dealer on the selling side of this transaction, business appears to be booming.

The auction ended October 13, with a winning bid $101,936 above the car's $288,064 window sticker. That's a premium of roughly 35.4%, before the buyer's auction fee and taxes. It also suggests that, at least for this buyer, the desire to have a ZR1X outweighs any interest in paying what Chevrolet tells its customers they should pay for this car.

Of course, there's plenty of reason for Chevy to ask what it does for the car. The twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 and front-mounted electric motor deliver a combined 1,250 hp (932 kW) through all four wheels. The ZR1X's eight-second quarter mile time leaves no doubt this is an outrageous performance car, and even at its MSRP it's a steal against far more expensive metal. Whether it's reasonable to slap another $102k on top of that is another discussion entirely.

Before we condemn the purchase, let's at least talk about what makes this particular ZR1X unique. Aside from the super-low mileage, it's full of desirable options. The exterior paint isn't one of them. Listed as "Jet Black," it's about as simple and subtle as it gets. Of course, if you're trying to fly under the radar, it might be as stealthy as something with such a gigantic wing gets. The rest of the option list is more appetizing.

It includes a $13k Carbon Fiber Aero package, the ZTK Performance Track package, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a front-axle lift system, and a $16k set of wheels. They're pricey not just because they're made of carbon fiber to reduce unsprung weight, but also because they're 20-inch in the front and 21 in the rear. Then there's the interior with its mix of Habanero orange upholstery for a bit of fun.

It's worth noting that this seller wasn't a someone flipping the car after enjoying it for a few hundred miles — this ZR1X was actually sold by a California dealer. That means the buyer will the car's first registered owner, and the full factory warranty is still in effect, provided that the car isn't resold within a year. Auctions like this do provide added publicity, but the price markup one buyer was willing to pay for this car is far more transparent than a dealership's mysterious "market adjustment."

It doesn't make the result any less irritating for enthusiasts who would like to see desirable cars sold at the prices their manufacturers advertise. Call it market pricing, call it opportunism, or call it greed. The extra cash spent doesn't buy additional engineering. Chevrolet already did that work. Someone with a ton of cash was just willing to pay more for it and perpetuate the cycle in the process. At the end of the day, that's just capitalism at its finest.