(By Tom Lohnes) – As we all know, 2022 just started. But General Motors thinks otherwise. Just now sort of recovering from the never-ending chip shortage, they have decided that they will be kicking production off for the 2023 model year Corvette on May 9^th.  You know what else is labeled as a 2023? That’s right, the shockingly potent ZO6 model.

Chevy plans to get a head start on 2023 ‘Vette orders, because the orderbooks allegedly open up on March 24^th.  Production for the 2022 model stops on May 6^th, which leaves a pretty slim gap between the two separate years of vehicle. Although there was no specific mention of the hot ZO6 model in this production plan released by Chevrolet, the ZO6 is very much a 2023 model car, so it is expected that these new beasts will be rolling off the line this spring along with its little brother, the Stingray.

Of course, there could be a delay to ZO6 production due to the factory in Kentucky having to learn to build a whole new type of engine, but that training may have already been conducted in preparation for the May 9^th release date.

If orderbooks open up as planned in late March, we’ll see the ZO6’s pricing for the first time. If the rumors are true, pricing will start just below $90,000, which would give the new ZO6 one of the best performance-per-dollar ratios of any car in years. Until then, we can only dream.