This is a cool idea except for the $$ they charge. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-us-gm-corvette-engin,0,4989261.story http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/g-m-s-do-it-yourself-corvette-engine/?partner=rss&emc=rss
Why wouldn't there be warranty? You have a tech "assisting" you. Meaning you turn a wrench here and there and they assemble the block like they normally would. You pay for a behind the scenes tour of the factory, the experience, and a special nameplate for the car. Cool idea, I'm sure lots of corvette enthusiasts will jump on the opportunity.
Not everyone with money can turn a wrench effectively. It better be a one-on-one with a 'tech' and not a class room full of eagar lead-foots. Hopefully this is more controlled. But I'd like to see a statistic of warranty claims on these cars a few years down the road. Who knows if the actual engine you work on even gets into your car. Might be all for show.
That was my point. I'm sure the level of "assistance" will vary, but do you really think they'll let someone with little mechanical aptitude do anything beyond "turn this torque wrench until you hear it click." Still worth the experience imho. Regarding the price of this "option" if you're paying 70-100k+ for the car, what's another 6k do get the opportunity to help put together your motor? Plus everything that goes with the experience? Seeing the factory, seeing the car be built, meeting the person(s) assembling the heart of the car, etc... ****, some cars in the same price range have $6k interior trim options!
If that price included airfare and lodging for the day or two or whatever, then I could see it. They could then market it in the same vein as the European car maker's "Come over and buy a car to tour Europe and then bring back vacation" except you save money on those... Never mind I guess. It's a pretty neat idea, and anything that makes people appreciate the engine more is a good thing in my book.
If it's profitable for GM, then why not? If I was in that position, I'd gladly pay an extra $6k to be there and maybe turn a wrench or two on the initial build. lol
