In this video by Fred’s Full Throttle on YouTube he covers whether or not the Carbon Fiber Wheels are worth it or not on the new 2023 C8 Corvette Z06 and how they are built. Also, he shares really good insights on all of the new C8 Corvette wheel options for the C8 Corvette Z06 if you decided you didn’t want to go for the Carbon Fiber Wheel option.
The Carbon Fiber Wheels on the C8 Z06 are made by Carbon Revolution who also produces the Ford GT and Ford GT500 wheels which are a $18,500 option with their Carbon Fiber Track Package. Also, if you wanted to replace the Carbon fiber Wheel on the Ford GT 500 is $7,000 each in the front and $5,000 for each rear wheel.
Also, carbon fiber has becoming increasingly popular with high performance cars to save weight and more strength with the cars. The carbon fiber wheels on the C8 Corvette Z06 are rated to save 41 lbs.
Carbon Fiber Wheels Pros
Weigh less than standard wheels
Sharper Handling
Better Acceleration
More Strength
No Corrosion
Carbon Fiber Wheels Cons
Cost
Your will need the C8 Z06 Z07 package for the Carbon Fiber Wheel option
Durability with broken pavement or pot holes, there has already been sighting of a bad curb rash on a Torch Red C8 Z06 with Carbon Fiber Wheels
Heat Degradation
UV Degradation
There is no such thing as Wheel or Rim Repair for Carbon Fiber Wheels
Replacement Availability with early production of the car and with recent supply chain issues
Visual Symmetry
In this video I go into detail about the wheel options for the C8 Z06. I dive into the specifics, cover the pros and cons of the standard aluminum alloy wheels, versus the carbon fiber wheels. I present all the information I have so to help anyone who is trying to decide which wheels to go with. This is the second in a series of deep dives I’m doing on the C8 Z06 options, so stick around if you want to learn more about the car, and help inform your choices for your own spec!
Carbon Fiber Wheels for the C8 Z06 (everything you need to know)
What do you think about the Carbon Fiber Wheels for the new C8 Z06? Leave a comment below on this blog post to share whether or not you will be getting the Carbon Fiber Wheels or the standard aluminum and titanium wheel options?
In this video from TJ Hunt on YouTube he helps his girlfriend Sabrina with her first mod to her new C8 Corvette they she purchased at West Coast Exotics. The first mod she is going with is a Magnaflow Exhaust ($4,739) for the C8 Corvette.
You will see them install the Magnaflow cat back exhaust for the C8 Corvette step by step and they take it for a test drive doing some rips.
In the video they are questioning whether it is loud enough or not and this is an exhaust that TJ Hunt helped with the design idea. The biggest thing TJ Hunt didn’t like was that it wasn’t too loud. However, he helped them create the X Mod which allows you to remove the mufflers and then it becomes a straight pipe exhaust.
What do you think should they take the X Mod exhaust mufflers off or leave it as it is? If you want to learn more about the Magnaflow exhaust system for the C8 Corvette check out this link and let them know C8CorvetteBlog.com sent you if you end up purchasing it from them.
In this video by Brink of Speed on YouTube he shares a step by step process of adding a ceramic coating or ceramic coat to your C8 Corvette.
They mostly use all of Chemical Guys products including Carbon Force ceramic coating. They share all of the products, tools, and the step by step guide on how to make your C8 Corvette look extremely clean and protected from dust, dirt, and water spots.
To ceramic coat a C8 Corvette professionally is anywhere from $1-2k but it does save you time and the cost of buying the products. They take about 3-4 hours to apply a ceramic coat on the C8 Corvette in this video. And the chemical guys package for what you need is usually in the $150 to $200 range and the ceramic kit is about $140 for 2-3 C8 Corvettes. If you didn’t own anything you would have to spend about $350 plus your time to get this done.
Step by Step Process for Applying Ceramic Coating to Car
Wash your car and get it cleaned as best as possible.
Then clay bar the car and use a detail spray or waterless wash
Use a LED light to see any imperfections
Use a wipeout or waterless spray again
C4 clear cut polish on the buffer from Chemical guys and their pad conditioner and keep the buffer on the lowest setting
Panel at a time and keep careful with the edges so you don’t burn any paint
Then switch to the Chemical guys P4 and take the same steps with buffing the car on a low speed.
Final step after two coats of paint correction go back and forth 3 times with the ceramic coating application on the applicator or bar they provide.
Take a clean cloth and wipe it off after a few minutes
In this high quality video done by Marque Media on YouTube they film a panel of the most important people that had their hands in building the new 2023 C8 Corvette Z06.
From members of the Corvette Racing team. Corvette Marketing and Product development to the Corvette Engineers.
They share the history and what went into building the new C8 Z06 corvette and what makes it so great with the 5.5 liter flat plane crank engine that revs to almost 9k rpms.
Also, you get to hear the C8 Corvette Z06 rev and hear their refined high pitch engine and exhaust system they put a lot of effort into getting an amazing sound. Even though we know many people will still get a new aftermarket C8 z06 center exhaust or straight pipe it like a F1 sounding Gintani tuned Lamborghini Aventador SVJ without having the V12 engine.
2023 Corvette Z06 Panel of LEGENDS | Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 Appearance with Craig Jackson
We noticed there are a lot of people searching online every month for a C8 Body kit and it was interesting to see because it’s a very niche segment of the automotive aftermarket that looks to modify their car with a body kit in general let alone a C8 Corvette Body kit.
Another reason we thought this would be a great topic to cover is our site founder of C8CorvetteBlog.com who has had a C8 Corvette since March of 2020 and has modified it many times have thought about the C8 Corvette Body Kits on the market and wasn’t a fan of going extreme with cutting the C8 Corvette up (not as bad as Shade Tree at least lol) video below…
Nothing against this option and the companies seem very professional and some have been around for years with proven widebody kits for not only the C8 Corvette but other automotive makes as well.
However, one way to still really transform your C8 Corvette to the next level if you don’t want to go to that extreme is choosing a C8 Body kit like the one Racing Sport Concepts provides where you can piece together a carbon fiber front splitter, side skirts, and the first ever made in the industry carbon fiber ducktail spoiler to get a “body kit” high quality look without the hardcore cutting fenders and auto body work it could take that isn’t easily reversed especially if you end up reselling your C8 Corvette eventually.
Racing Sport Concepts also allows you to buy each carbon fiber part al a carte and piece by piece and you don’t have to cut any section of your C8 Corvette to install any of the carbon fiber aero including a C8 Corvette Rear diffuser and accent pieces to really make your C8 Corvette a true show car while gaining that racing and track performance too.
In this video Speed Phenom on YouTube shares his behind the scenes footage from Barrett Jackson Scottsdale 2022 where there were multiple C8 Corvette Z06s on display including the first production order selling for 3.6 Million for charity.
In this video you will see the silver flare, amplify orange, and accelerate yellow C8 Z06 as well as some other C8 Corvettes that were sold at auction.
We found a C8.R Edition Corvette on Cars.com for 125k so someone definitely overpaid or was having a good time blowing money with friends at Barrett Jackson not really caring about getting a deal on one.
Join me at Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale with Chevrolet, as they sell Vin 1 2023 C8 Corvette Z06! Featuring exclusive coverage of this new model.
✍️ By TJ• C8 ZR1 Owner • Former C8 Z06 (×2) & Stingray Owner •@c8corvetteblog (30K+ on IG) • Last updated: October 10, 2026
⚡ QUICK ANSWER
A Nardo Grey C8 Corvette is a wrap, not a factory color.
Nardo Grey is an Audi color, paint code LY7C, a solid gray with no metallic flake. Chevrolet does not sell it on the C8, so a Nardo Grey C8 Corvette is wrapped or repainted. The car in the video below wears a color-shift vinyl sold by Paradox Styling as Candy Magenta Purple Nardo Grey.
Most people who land here typed some version of “Nardo Grey C8” and want to know if they can order one. You can’t. What you can do is wrap one, and the car in this video is a good example because the film is not plain Nardo. It is a gray that shifts toward magenta and purple.
I have owned four C8s (a Stingray, two Z06s and the ZR1 I have now), and I have daily driven them for years. Here is the full picture on this wrap: what the film is, which factory grays exist, how a wrap differs from paint and from paint protection film, what it costs, how long it lasts, and what to ask a shop.
🏁 WRAP FACTS
LY7C
Audi Nardo Grey paint code
$599
Film roll, starting price
$5,000
Pro wrap, luxury sports car (J.D. Power)
8 years
Expected film life, vertical panels (3M 2080)
Is Nardo Grey a factory C8 Corvette color?
No. Nardo Grey (you will also see it written Nardo Gray) belongs to Audi, and its paint code is LY7C. It is a solid color: no metallic flake and no pearl. That flat, wet-cement look is the whole appeal, and it is why people want it on a C8.
Chevrolet has taken a different road with its grays. Every gray I can document on the C8 has Metallic or Tricoat in its name. Corvette fans have been asking for a solid gray since the car launched. CorvetteBlogger ran a wish-list piece on Nardo back in February 2020 and compared it to Ceramic Matrix Gray, which the writer felt came out too light.
Gray
Finish
Where it fits
Shadow Gray Metallic
Metallic
Early C8 color, dropped for 2022
Ceramic Matrix Gray Metallic
Metallic
On the 2020 Stingray, still listed for 2024
Hypersonic Gray Metallic (GA7)
Metallic
New for 2022
Sea Wolf Gray Tricoat (GXA)
Tricoat
New for 2024, a $995 option
Pitch Gray Metallic (GEC)
Metallic
New for 2027, no extra cost
Nardo Grey (Audi LY7C)
Solid
Not offered by Chevrolet. Wrap or repaint only
For 2027 the Corvette palette is 10 colors, and GM Authority’s list shows one gray on it: Pitch Gray Metallic, RPO GEC, at no extra cost. Sea Wolf Gray Tricoat arrived for 2024 as a $995 option under RPO GXA. Hypersonic Gray Metallic, RPO GA7, came in for 2022, the same year Shadow Gray Metallic was dropped. None of them is a solid gray, so if Nardo is the look you want, the order sheet will not get you there.
The film is sold by Paradox Styling, the shop behind the Paradox The Wrapper YouTube channel, under the name Candy Magenta Purple Nardo Grey. As of October 2026 the listing starts at $599 and comes in rolls 5 feet wide, in lengths from 60 to 80 feet. The seller notes that anything past 60 feet is not one continuous piece. The extra length is taped onto the main roll.
What the listing does not give you: a separate film manufacturer, a product code, a stated finish, a thickness or a durability figure. If you want this exact color, the name and the seller are what you take to your installer. Ask the seller for the spec sheet before you buy a roll.
Video: one installer wraps a C8 with nothing taken off
The video comes from Paradox The Wrapper. He wraps a C8 convertible by himself and leaves every panel and trim piece on the car. He labels that choice controversial in the title, and it is. Plenty of shops pull mirrors, lights, badges and bumper covers so the film can tuck behind the edges. His approach is to work the film around those parts in place.
Neither method is wrong. Parts off means more hidden edges and more labor, and somebody has to put the car back together correctly. Parts on means less risk of a broken clip or a misaligned panel, but more exposed edges. Watch where he ends the film around the side intakes and the rear deck before you decide which method you want on your car.
What the color looks like in different light
The name tells you the recipe. The base is a Nardo-style gray. The “candy magenta purple” part is the shift. A color-shift film does not have one color. What you see depends on the angle between your eye, the panel and the light source, so the car reads gray from one spot and picks up magenta and purple from another.
That matters on a C8 more than on a flat-sided car. The front fenders, the side intakes and the rear haunches all curve hard, so one panel can show you several angles at once.
🏁 Owner take
Do not pick a color-shift film from a phone screen. A camera locks in one angle and one exposure, which is the opposite of what this film does. Get a sample, stick it on a fender and look at it at noon, at dusk and under your garage lights before you spend the money.
Color-shift wrap vs paint vs paint protection film
These three get lumped together and they do different jobs. A wrap changes the color and leaves the factory paint under it. A repaint changes the color for good. Paint protection film (PPF) takes the hit so the paint does not.
Vinyl wrap
Repaint
PPF
Main job
Change the color
Change the color for good
Protect the paint
Material
Cast vinyl film
Paint
Polyurethane film, self-healing top coat
Film thickness
3.5 mil (3M 2080)
Not a film
8 mil (XPEL)
Factory paint
Stays underneath
Replaced
Stays underneath
Maker’s stated life
8 years expected
Depends on the shop
10-year warranty
The thickness row is the one to remember. 3M lists its Wrap Film Series 2080, a common cast color-change vinyl, at 3.5 mil (0.09 mm) before adhesive. XPEL describes its Ultimate Plus Black PPF as an 8 mil polyurethane film with a self-healing top coat, built to stop rock chips, bug acids, bird droppings and light scratches, with a 10-year warranty. So the PPF is more than twice as thick as the vinyl. A wrap covers your paint, but it is a color product first.
A wrap also comes back off. 3M says its 2080 film can be removed with heat, chemicals or both. That is the argument for wrapping a C8 instead of painting it: the car can go back to its factory color before you sell it.
What a full C8 Corvette wrap costs
There are two bills: film and labor. The film is the small one. This color starts at $599 for a roll, as listed in October 2026.
Labor is where the money goes. I could not find a published, C8-specific price I trust, so here are the general numbers from J.D. Power’s wrap cost guide (June 2024). It puts most full professional wraps at about $2,000 to $4,000. Its example for a luxury sports car is $5,000. Specialty materials such as chrome and carbon fiber can run $6,000 to $8,000, with a chrome wrap starting around $6,000 on a midsize car, and high-end luxury jobs can pass $10,000.
J.D. Power does not give a number for color-shift film, and neither will I. My opinion: start your C8 budget at the luxury sports car figure, not the compact coupe one. The car is low and wide and the side intakes are deep. Get three written quotes that name the film.
How long a wrap lasts and how to care for it
The best published number comes from a film maker. The 3M Wrap Film Series 2080 product bulletin gives an expected performance life of 8 years for unprinted film on a flat, vertical, outdoor surface. Two catches. 3M calls that figure unwarranted, and it covers vertical panels only. The bulletin gives no number for horizontal panels, and on a C8 the hood, roof and rear deck are the ones facing the sun. The film in the video is a different product, and its listing publishes no durability figure at all.
Care is simple and it is mostly about what not to do:
Hand wash it. J.D. Power says to skip drive-through and automatic washes because the brushes can damage the film.
A pressure washer is fine at a distance. J.D. Power says a jet washer is acceptable as long as the nozzle stays an appropriate distance from the surface.
Get bugs and bird droppings off fast. Do not let them bake on.
Use a gentle cleaner. 3M’s spec: wet, nonabrasive, solvent-free, with a pH between 3 and 11.
Park it inside or cover it. Heat and sunlight are what age a wrap.
⚠️ Heads up
Some gloss films ship with a clear protective layer on top. 3M says the one on its gloss 2080 films must be removed after installation. Ask the shop to confirm that layer came off before you take the car home.
A wrap is only as good as the install. These are the questions I would put to any shop, and I would want the answers in writing.
Which film, exactly? Brand, series, color name and code. Ask to see the label on the roll, and ask for the maker’s durability figure for that film.
Have you wrapped a C8 before? Ask for photos of the side intakes, the rear deck and the mirror bases, not the glamour shot.
What comes off the car? Mirrors, lights, badges, bumper covers. If parts come off, who reinstalls them and who pays if a clip breaks?
Where will the seams and inlays be? Rolls are about 5 feet wide. Ask them to point at the car and show you.
Is the film laid in one direction? Color-shift film can look different when a piece is turned. Every panel should run the same way.
Are door jambs included? If not, the factory color shows every time you open the door.
How do you handle the roof? A coupe has a removable roof panel. A convertible has a folding hardtop and tonneau with moving seams.
What about PPF? If the car already has it, ask whether they wrap over it or strip it first.
What is the install warranty? How long, and does it cover lifting edges and bubbles?
What happens at removal? Who removes it, what it costs, and who is responsible if paint lifts.
If the car is getting wheels, a body kit or a drop at the same time, sort the order of work first. A widebody kit has to be fitted before any film goes on, and a gray like this changes which wheel finishes work on the car.
Frequently asked questions
Does the C8 Corvette come in Nardo Grey?
No. Nardo Grey is an Audi color and Chevrolet does not offer it on the C8. The factory grays have been metallic or tricoat finishes, such as Hypersonic Gray Metallic, Sea Wolf Gray Tricoat and, for 2027, Pitch Gray Metallic. A Nardo Grey C8 Corvette is either wrapped in vinyl or repainted.
What color code is Nardo Grey?
Audi’s paint code for Nardo Grey is LY7C. It is a solid finish with no metallic flake and no pearl, which is what gives it the flat, cement-like look. A body shop can mix paint from that code, and solid gray wrap films in the same style are easy to find.
What gray does the 2027 Corvette come in?
The 2027 Corvette palette has 10 colors and one gray: Pitch Gray Metallic, RPO code GEC, at no extra cost. Blade Silver Metallic is also a no-cost choice if you want something lighter. Neither is a solid, non-metallic gray like Audi’s Nardo Grey.
How much does it cost to wrap a C8 Corvette?
There is no single published C8 price. J.D. Power puts most full professional wraps at about $2,000 to $4,000, lists $5,000 for a luxury sports car, and says specialty materials can run $6,000 to $8,000. The color-shift film in this post starts at $599 for the roll alone.
How long does a wrap last on a Corvette?
It depends on the film and the sun. 3M gives its 2080 wrap film an expected life of 8 years on flat, vertical, outdoor surfaces, and that figure is not a warranty. The hood, roof and rear deck get more sun than the doors. Ask your shop for the figure on your exact film.
Is a vinyl wrap the same as paint protection film?
No. A vinyl wrap is a color product. 3M’s 2080 wrap film is 3.5 mil thick. Paint protection film is a thicker polyurethane layer made to absorb rock chips and light scratches. XPEL lists its Ultimate Plus Black film at 8 mil with a 10-year warranty.
Want more C8 content?
Daily photos, spec drops, and ownership reality from someone who’s owned 4 C8s.
In this video from Brink of Speed on YouTube he discusses C8 Forum chatter that is talking about another UAW strike like the one that happened in 2019.
You can learn more about the UAW possible strike again in his video below and at this Bowling Green News site.
What’s next for perhaps the region’s best-known employer?
Potential new labor problems, this time arising not from the national United Auto Workers union but from a local contract involving working conditions and perks that members of UAW Local 2164 believe aren’t being addressed.
The Chevrolet Corvette plant workers who make up Local 2164 sent an unmistakable message about the local contract last week, when 98% of the plant’s production workers and 97% of its skilled trades workers voted to reject an offer from plant management that didn’t include many of the demands being made by union leadership.
“We pretty much knew what the outcome would be,” said Jason Watson, shop chairman for Local 2164. “It’s disappointing that the company doesn’t take into consideration what the hourly workers are asking for in improvements.”
In 2019, the UAW strike cost GM 4 billion dollars an this was another reason their was a delay and lower C8 Corvette production numbers since this hit before Covid did in March of 2020.
In this video HorsePower Obsessed on YouTube shares a comment that was posted on a C8 Corvette Forum that states C8 Z06 production could start April, 22 2022.
The comment specifically says:
Which is very interesting since we recently posted from another YouTuber that was told from one of the top 2 selling Corvette dealers MacMulkin Chevrolet this is going to be a global car and they will not limit production of the C8 Corvette Z06
2023 C8 Corvette Z06 Production To Start MUCH sooner than originally expected!
There has also been information released that the 2023 C8 Corvettes including the C8 Z06 production should start in May 9th.
Another YouTuber Brink of Speed also shared his thoughts about the recent C8 Corvette Z06 production rumors, comments, and videos.
He has a direct email from a parts manufacture for the C8 Corvette Z06 and his email has some very specific details. They are estimating 60 per day production and about 10,200 C8 Corvette Z06 produced with about 15,000 Corvette C8 Z06s made every year after. Check out the video below to see the email that was sent from a Gmail account that coincides with the comment shared above on a C8 Corvette Forum.
Will GM produce MORE 2023 C8 Corvette Z06’s & SOONER than we THOUGHT!?
In this video from Fred’s Full Throttle on YouTube he shares why he thinks the C8 Z06 Corvette production won’t be limited due to being a global release of the car.
He also shares a car carrier spotted full of C8 Z06 corvettes, the C8 Z06 gearing will out torque the C7 Z06, MacMulkin (where he is in the 1400 range on their list for the C8 Z06) will have a dealer tour of the Z06, and how he will be continuing to cover the latest news and information about the Corvette C8 Z06.
