Popular Corvette C8 Option Available Again After Year-Long Absence

The mid-engine Chevy Corvette has enjoyed insane levels of popularity since it launched, but the production process certainly hasn't been the smoothest. A lengthy UAW strike against GM delayed the start of production in 2019, then coronavirus came swooping in to hamper not just the automotive industry but the entire world. 40,000 Corvettes were planned for the 2020 model year; only half that number was realized when the dust finally settled.

Another hiccup in production – albeit small potatoes compared to everything else – was the early loss of the Carbon Fiber Ground Effects option. We reported on this almost a year ago to the day, with a Chevrolet representative telling us the $4,850 option was dropped "due to supplier constraint." That occurred just as COVID-19 was starting to spread, but we never learned whether the supplier issues were connected to the pandemic.

The good news now is that the ground effect package is available once more, and the kit is a bit cheaper to boot. However, you won't find the option listed in the Corvette's online configurator.

Instead, C8 buyers can order the kit through the Chevrolet Accessories website where it's listed for $4,695. The kit includes two side rocker panel moldings and a front splitter, as well as all the hardware needed for installation. The kit fits all C8 Corvettes, so if you missed out for 2020 or want it for 2021, you're in luck.

The downside? The price doesn't include installation, and since the kit is purchased separately, it likely isn't able to be financed along with the vehicle. We contacted Chevrolet to ask whether the kit would return at some point to the C8 configurator, and we'll update the article if we receive a response.

2021 Corvette production kicked off late in 2020, but delays are still a fact of life for eager C8 buyers waiting to have their orders filled. As of this article posting on February 1, the Corvette assembly plant is shut down for a week due to unspecified delays in the supply chain. Barring additional problems, production is scheduled to restart on February 8.