2013 Corvette buyer's guide: the 427 Convertible, the 60th Anniversary cars and the last C6

What a buyer can see, from GM’s 2013 order guide and press guide:

• The 427 Convertible Collector Edition, the Z06’s engine in a convertible: see The 427 Convertible: Z06 power, top down.
• 60th Anniversary badges on every 2013. GM’s press guide puts them “on the fascias and the ‘waterfall’ panel on convertible models, as well as 60th logos in the instrument panel gauge cluster and on the sill plates.” The full 60th Anniversary Design Package, RPO Z25, was an option on any model.
• Paint. Black (41U) came back and Night Race Blue Metallic (GXH) was new. Carbon Flash Metallic, Carlisle Blue and 2012’s Centennial Edition were gone.
• Black-painted wheels replaced the Competition Gray option on every model.
• The ZR1-style rear spoiler (T43) became available on every model, and 5,926 cars got it.
• A power passenger seat (AG2) became standard on all models.

The bigger-bolstered seats and steering wheel of 2012 carried over, as did launch control on manual cars and the side airbags standard since 2010 (the 2010 Corvette guide covers that year).

What came next. The last C6 came off the line at 8:04 a.m. on February 28, 2013, GM said the next day: a 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible whose LS7 Corvette executive chief engineer Tadge Juechter built himself. Less than 30 minutes later, workers began remodeling the plant for the 2014 Stingray. No 2014 Z06, Grand Sport or ZR1 followed.

Chevrolet called it “the fastest, most capable convertible in Corvette’s history” in the release that announced it (opens in new tab), built from parts of the Z06 and the ZR1:

• Engine: the 7.0-liter LS7 V8, 505 hp at 6,300 rpm and 470 lb-ft at 4,800 from 427 cubic inches, 11.0:1 compression, with titanium connecting rods and intake valves and a dry-sump oil system that keeps the oil in a separate tank. GM called it the most powerful engine it had ever put in a production Corvette convertible.
• Driveline: a six-speed manual only, with the Z06’s driveline and rear axle.
• Body: a carbon fiber hood with a raised center (from the 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition), carbon fiber Z06-style front fenders and carbon floor panels, and the ZR1-style spoiler.
• Chassis: Magnetic Selective Ride Control (F55) standard, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear Cup wheels on Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires (P285/30ZR19 and P335/25ZR20), cross-drilled rotors of 14 inches front and 13.4 rear behind gray calipers, and the battery in the back, as on every dry-sump 2013 (see the battery guide).

GM’s curb weight is 3,355 lb, 134 lb more than a base convertible and 180 lb more than a Z06 coupe. GM estimated 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, the quarter mile in 11.8, 1.04 g and “more than 190 mph”; no magazine test was found for this guide. GM’s release also did the bragging: at 6.64 lb per horsepower, it said, the 427 beat a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet (6.90) and a Ferrari California (8.31). Top down, 505 hp, and Chevrolet’s own sums against Stuttgart and Maranello: that was the pitch.

GM unveiled it on January 12, 2012, for a public debut at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale on January 21. That April, GM’s Harlan Charles gave the starting price as $75,925, with a loaded 60th Anniversary car just over $90,000, Corvette Blogger reported; neither source says whether $75,925 includes destination.

How the 2,552 were ordered

GM’s release offered the 427 in 2LT, 3LT and 4LT trim, and its order guide codes them 1SA, 1SB and 1SC. Bowling Green built 179 1SA, 525 1SB and 1,713 1SC cars, plus 133 Canadian and export cars under two more codes and 2 coded 4LT. So two in three 427s are 4LT cars.

Two packages pulled in opposite directions. The 427 Heritage Package (Z27) added a Satin Black stripe on the hood and 427 floor mats, and 691 cars got it. The 60th Anniversary package (Z25) went on 1,088. On a 427, Z25 required the 1SC group, Arctic White paint, the blue interior, a blue top, Cyber Gray headlamps and the CFZ carbon package (splitter and rockers), and it couldn’t be combined with Z27. CFZ went on 1,439 427s in all.

Arctic White led the 427’s colors with 1,181 cars, then Black with 429; the scarcest were Supersonic Blue (28) and Inferno Orange (17). For wheels, 1,308 got the machined-face Cup wheels, 881 chrome and 363 black.

Every 2013 carries 60th badges; only 2,059 carry the package. GM’s 2013 order guide (opens in new tab) lists what Z25 brought:

• Arctic White paint over a leather-wrapped interior in Diamond Blue (the order guide’s name; GM’s releases say Blue Diamond, its ZR1 release Twilight Blue), with blue stitching and 60th logos on the seats and steering wheel.
• Suede on the steering wheel, shifter and brake handle.
• A blue top on convertibles, 60th center caps on the wheels and Dark Gray Metallic calipers.
• Body-color door handles and the ZR1-style spoiler.

Pearl Silver Blue stripes were a separate option, Z30, available only with Z25. The order guide tied the package to the top trim of each model: 4LT on a coupe, convertible or Grand Sport, 1SC on a 427, 3LZ on a Z06 and 3ZR on a ZR1.

That’s 2,059 across all seven models, more than half of them 427s. The Z06 and ZR1 counts agree with the C6 Z06 guide and the C6 ZR1 guide.

The trap: Bowling Green painted 2,938 cars Arctic White for 2013, so at least 879 white 2013s have the badges and no Z25 package. How to tell is in Real 427 or costume: reading a 2013.

Weights come from GM’s order guide (3,208 lb coupe, 3,355 lb 427 Convertible), except the ZR1’s, from GM’s ZR1 release (the order guide says 3,333 lb). The counts are Corvette Action Center’s table (opens in new tab) of Bowling Green’s figures, sourced to the plant’s production control lead. That’s 1,819 more cars than 2012’s 11,647, and the 427 alone accounts for more than the difference.

Engines. LS3 cars numbered 9,961, LS7 cars 3,023 and LS9 cars 482: more LS7-powered cars than any C6 year since 2009, thanks to the 427, though the Z06 itself had its smallest year. The owner’s manual gives the LS3 430 hp at 5,900 rpm and 424 lb-ft at 4,600 (436 and 428 with the dual-mode exhaust, NPP).

Grand Sports. 6,644 of them, 49.3 percent of the year. The 1,515 manual coupes have the Z52 dry sump, rear battery and differential cooler; GM’s bulletin PIP4768B says their oil gauge can peg on a cold start and calls that normal. Magnetic Ride went on 2,039 Grand Sports, and the Heritage package’s fender hash marks (Z15) on 878.

Gearboxes and axles. The automatic went into 7,229 cars, nearly three in four base cars and Grand Sports. Manuals have the 3.42 axle, Grand Sport automatics the 2.73 and nearly all base automatics the 2.56.

Options. The dual-mode exhaust went on 6,422 of the 9,961 LS3 cars (64 percent) and on nearly every LS7 and LS9 car. The head-up display went in 11,069 cars and navigation in 10,930.

Prices new. No GM price list turned up for this guide. Vette Vues, a Corvette magazine, lists these base prices, without saying whether destination is included: coupe $50,575, convertible $55,575, Grand Sport coupe $56,975, Grand Sport convertible $60,575, Z06 $76,575 and ZR1 $112,600. They’re the magazine’s figures, not GM’s; its 427 figure matches GM’s $75,925.

NHTSA, the US road safety agency, lists no recall for the 2013 Corvette (opens in new tab) (checked October 23, 2026), as the C5 vs C6 guide also says. The 2011–2012 coupe hatch hinge recall doesn’t reach it.

The rates are this site’s arithmetic. This site also read all 82 of the 2013’s complaints (opens in new tab) and filed each under one theme:

Read with NHTSA’s VIN decoder, 79 of the 82 carry a usable 2013 VIN: 35 Grand Sports (44 percent, against 49.3 percent of production), 26 base cars (33 percent, against 24.6), 16 427 Convertibles (20 percent, against 19.0), one Z06 and one ZR1. The 427 draws about its share, but a different mix: all five valve complaints, three of the four wheel complaints, both traction complaints, and only one of the 47 about fuel.

Fuel smell first, then GM’s smaller programs

GM’s Special Coverage 15682 (opens in new tab) covered 2007–2013 cars with fuel odor, drips under the left-hand tank with the gauge above half, or a check engine light, all from a leak at the left-hand fuel pump module’s flange; dealers replaced the module. It ran 10 years or 120,000 miles from the in-service date, so on a 2013 it ended in 2022–2024, by this site’s arithmetic. One owner told NHTSA a dealer refused on those grounds in early 2024, and put the bill at about $3,600; a ZR1 owner reported “over $5000” in 2025. The C6 guide explains the repair.

The rest of GM’s paper on a 2013:

• Airbag light. Special Coverage 15643: the power seat’s airbag connector can pull apart. Every 2013 has a power passenger seat. Expired.
• Clutch. Special Coverage 14717 covers the hydraulics on every 2013 manual, the 427 included. One 427’s clutch failed at 12,000 miles before GM’s letter reached its owner, who was quoted $674.75 for the revised part. Expired.
• Low beams. Program 14203: a warm underhood fuse box can bend the low-beam relay wire until it breaks. Dealers fit a jumper wire, kit GM 23273949 (OEM).
• Balancer and shake. PIP4750F: replace the balancer only with more than 0.0157 in (0.40 mm) of runout. PIC5202E: a slight steering-wheel shake at 72–78 mph from tires flat-spotted while parked should clear after about 30 minutes of driving.

Three owners, all with base cars or Grand Sports, complained of a hot center console; no GM bulletin for it turned up.

The 427’s file: valve guides and rear wheels

GM’s bulletin 13-06-01-001 (opens in new tab), dated January 2013, names the “Corvette 427” and the Z06 in its title and tells dealers how to handle owners’ questions about LS7 valve guide wear (the sleeves in the cylinder head the valves slide through). The June 2015 revision added a heads-off measuring procedure. There is no recall or special coverage for LS7 guides. The whole debate is in the C6 Z06 guide.

All five 2013 valve complaints carry 427 VINs. One owner found guides out of spec at 4,000 miles (filed 2017). Another measured 0.012 inch of guide play against what the owner called “a factory spec of .003” at 6,000 miles and paid $5,350 for refurbished heads (2022). A third dropped a valve in cylinder 2 at about 18,500 miles, with a dealer estimate of about $20,000 (2019). A fourth had an engine fail with metal in the oil in July 2013, and the engine was replaced. The fifth reported a concern only, so the C6 guide’s keyword count of four agrees.

Owners add a worry no GM document found here confirms: early 2013 LS7s with bearing or rod failures, blamed on everything from bearing material to a sticking oil pump relief valve. One owner in a 2025 CorvetteForum thread (opens in new tab) advised checking whether a car had its engine replaced early. It’s owner talk; ask anyway.

The wheels are the other 427 item. Four owners reported cracked rear wheels or stretched studs, three of them on 427s with 20-inch rears; one found hairline cracks inside both rear barrels at 34,000 miles. No GM bulletin or recall covers it. Both Service Active Handling complaints are 427s too.

The VIN sits at the front left corner of the instrument panel, and its eighth character is the engine: W for the LS3, E for the LS7, T for the LS9, per the owner’s manual. NHTSA’s VIN decoder reads the rest: it starts 1G1Y, the sixth character is 2 for a coupe or 3 for a convertible, the tenth D for 2013 and the eleventh 5 for Bowling Green.

The fifth character is the version. No GM 2013 VIN chart turned up for this guide, so this is how NHTSA’s decoder reads it, not GM’s statement:

The decoder reads that character on its own, so check it against the body and engine characters; every 2013 complaint VIN with a numeral there matches. A 427, then, reads 1G1Y, then 7, 8, Y or Z, then 3, D and E. A “427” with W in eighth place is an LS3 car in costume. GM’s release said the 427 carries “a unique vehicle identification number sequence, similar to the Corvette ZR1,” and owners say its last digits number the car among the 2,552.

The option label. The Service Parts Identification label is “on the inside of the glove box,” with the VIN, model, paint and production options. Look for Z25 (60th package), Z30 (stripes), Z27 (427 Heritage), CFZ (carbon package), B92 (carbon hood), F55 (Magnetic Ride), Z52 (Grand Sport dry sump), NPP (dual-mode exhaust) and, on 12 427s, PBC.

On the car. A 427 shows the raised carbon hood, 20-inch rear wheels, gray calipers, a dipstick on the oil tank and a battery in the back. A Z25 car shows the blue interior with suede and 60th logos; paint and badges alone prove nothing.

1. Match the VIN and the glove-box label to the ad, especially on a 427 or a car sold as a 60th Anniversary.
2. Fill above half a tank, let it sit, then smell around the rear and look under the left-hand tank. Ask for the 15682 module receipt, or price the repair.
3. Watch the airbag light through a full drive and while moving both seats.
4. On a 427, get proof of head work or a heads-off inspection priced in. Ask whether the engine was ever replaced, and consider oil analysis, as owners advise.
5. On a 427, look inside the rear wheel barrels for cracks, and check the studs.
6. On a dry-sump car (Z06, ZR1, manual Grand Sport coupe, 427), check the oil GM’s way: engine warmed to at least 175°F (80°C), switched off, a five to 20 minute wait, then the dipstick in the tank. A cold car can show no oil at all, which GM calls normal.
7. On a manual, work the clutch. The pedal must come all the way back, every time.
8. Drive until the engine is hot, then check the low beams. Ask about the 14203 jumper.
9. Listen for a chirping belt, and have the balancer’s runout measured if you hear one. A shake at 72–78 mph that doesn’t fade after 30 minutes of driving needs a look.
10. Pay for an inspection by a shop that knows C6s. A ZR1 needs the checklist in the C6 ZR1 guide.

How much is a 2013 Corvette worth? That depends on which 2013. On Bring a Trailer (opens in new tab), 31 were listed between January 1 and October 22, 2026, and 27 sold, for $20,750 to $82,000, a mix of every model.

• 427 Convertible: 16 listed, 14 sold. One modified car sold twice, leaving 12 unmodified sales from $45,000 to $82,000, a median $61,500. With the 60th package, 5 sold at a median $64,500 (two 1,200-mile cars brought $82,000 in June and $80,500 in October). Without it, 7 sold at a median $56,000.
• Grand Sport: 5 unmodified sales, $32,500 to $53,006, a median $41,000. Across every 2010–2013 Grand Sport sold in 2026, 22 cars, the median was $38,875, the same figure the 2010 guide gives.
• Z06: 3 sold, $51,000 to $63,000, all with engine modifications; no stock 2013 Z06 sold in 2026. In late 2025, a 12,000-mile 3LZ with the Z07 package brought $82,500.
• Base and ZR1: no stock base 2013 sold, and no 2013 ZR1 was listed.

Samples this small move with one sale. Hagerty’s valuation tool, archived in January 2026, put a 427 in #3 (“good”) condition at $43,600, a 60th Anniversary 427 at $48,800 and a Grand Sport coupe at $32,500. That Grand Sport value is for a manual; Hagerty takes 10 percent off for an automatic, and 3,393 of the 4,908 Grand Sport coupes are automatics. classic.com’s 427 page gave a market benchmark of $63,608 in February 2026. Those are past results, not a forecast.

Running costs. The EPA’s figures today: 16 mpg city, 25 highway for an LS3 manual; 15 and 24 for the automatic and the LS7; 14 and 21 for the ZR1. The manual recommends premium for the LS3, with 87 acceptable, and wants 91 or higher in the LS7 and LS9. Oil with the filter is 6.0 quarts (5.7 L) for a wet-sump LS3 and 10.5 quarts (9.9 L) for every dry-sump engine, per the capacities page.

For most buyers, the 2013 to buy is a Grand Sport, and the six-speed coupe is the sharpest of them: one of 1,515 with the dry sump, the Z06’s width and brakes, the 2012 seats and no cylinder head question. Insist on fuel module paperwork, a quiet airbag light and records. That’s the C6 guide’s best year in its most capable LS3 form, at a 2026 auction median of $41,000. A base coupe or convertible makes sense only well below that money.

The 427 Convertible is the year’s own car, and the right buy for anyone who wants 505 hp with the sky overhead. Buy one with receipts for head work, or with money set aside for a heads-off check, and ask about early engine replacement. Skip the 60th package unless you want the white and blue: it’s paint and trim, not speed, and on Bring a Trailer in 2026 the 60th 427s sold for a median $8,500 more than the rest. A Z06 is the rarer LS7 car (471), with the same head question and a fixed roof; a ZR1 needs the ZR1 guide.

Walk away from any 2013 that smells of fuel with no plan, any “427” whose VIN says W, and any 60th car whose glove box doesn’t say Z25. Find the right one and you’re driving the last C6, America’s sports car at sixty, with a 427 badge if you want one. The rest of the generation is in the C6 buyer’s guide.