Here Are 13 Even Faster Versions of the Chevrolet Corvette

For pure bang-for-you-buck value, you really can't beat a Corvette. With big engines, sometimes supercharged and sometimes not, Corvettes have always been a constant reminder that you don't need a European sports car worth more than its weight in gold to be the fastest person around. As time has gone on and Corvettes have evolved, they have always, at their core, remained the affordable, everyday supercar.
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1962 Corvette Z-06

The first performance package for the Corvette was the Z-06. Introduced in 1962 for the 1963 model year, the Z-06 came with a larger fuel tank (16 more gallons than the standard 20 gallon tank) and a heavy-duty suspension. It had higher performance brakes and a ton of cooling to keep everything performing when it was run at the limit. It's no surprise then, that the first Z-06s built were immediately snapped up by the prominent race car drivers.
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1963 Corvette Grand Sport

Apparently, GM was working on a secret Corvette Le Mans race car. However, after submitting the Grand Sport's papers for recognition from the FIA, the corporation put an end to the racing program, which ended any further Grand Sport development. Before the program was canceled, just five Grand Sports were built. Today, authentic Grand Sports can go up for auction and fetch between $6 and $8 million.
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1966 Corvette Stingray 427

Chevy threw a 7.0-liter V-8 into the Corvette in 1966 "primarily to save weight." One Chevrolet man said "You must remember that cast-iron is very heavy, and by removing thirty cubic inches of it, we have made a significant reduction in weight." Removing weight and increasing displacement is never a bad thing, and though Chevy claimed that the larger engine didn't change in its horsepower output, the butt dynos of road testers everywhere begged to differ.
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1969 Corvette L88

Built in very limited numbers (216) and intended for the race track, the L88 had a 7.0-liter engine that was claimed to have 435-hp, but in reality, it made more along the lines of 540- and 580-hp. It could run the quarter mile in 11 seconds and is now one of the most desirable Corvettes ever made.
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1970 Corvette ZR-1

Also appearing first as a performance package, the 1970 ZR-1 had a two-year production run. It made 370-hp from a small, pushrod V8. It may not have been as powerful as the L88, but it offered people a more exciting version of the Corvette, and coined a name that would be a thorn in the sides of future European supercars.
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1993 Corvette ZR-1

With an engine that was born from a collaboration of Mercury Marine and Lotus, the ZR-1's LT5 was an all-aluminum V8 that made 375-hp—only 5-hp away from a Ferrari Testarossa. It also had a suspension developed by the tuning gurus at Lotus. Oh, did we mention it was fast? It had a top speed of nearly 180 mph and a 0-60 time of just over four seconds. Production went from 1990 to 1995, with 6939 ZR-1s total built.
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1996 Corvette Grand Sport

The 1996 Grand Sport only came in this "Admiral Blue Metallic" paint and had 30 extra hp over the regular Corvettes. It was one of the last special edition Corvettes, a sort of "send off" for the C4 before the C5 entered the fray.
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2001 Corvette Z06

From a racing package in the 1960s, the 2001 Z06 grew to become a full standalone variant of the Corvette with a more powerful V8 dubbed LS6. From the ground up, the Z06 was a different car than the standard Corvette. The LS6 made 385 horsepower in the first year and was bumped to 405 later in the run. The clutch was beefier and the gearing was changed to make better use of all that power. It was a serious track-focused sports car that is still a force to be reckoned with.
Read More: 1960 Corvette Might Be Most Original in Existence
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2006 Corvette Z06

For the third Z06, Chevy threw the monstrous 505 horsepower LS7 7.0-liter V-8 into the Corvette. And its numbers were absurd. It got to 60 in 3.8 seconds. It beat a Ferrari F430 to 120 mph and could keep up with a Ford GT through 150 mph. It had a higher top speed than the Ferrari, and cost a third of the price. And to this day, it'll run at a track all day long, pass nearly everything there, and then get you home without issue. It's an amazing car.
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2009 Corvette ZR1

The 2009 ZR1 was GM's most powerful production car ever when it was released. The supercharged LS9 engine made a hellish 638-hp, and you could apparently spin the rear tires all the way into third gear. If the Z06 was the ultimate track Corvette, the ZR1 was the ultimate Corvette. It was for people that wanted an American sports car that could embarrass foreign exotics, because that's exactly what it did.
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2010 Corvette Grand Sport

The Grand Sport was a way that people could get Z06 parts on a Corvette without actually spending almost $20,000 more for a Z06. You got the brakes, the dry-sump oiling system, tires, front clip, hood, and rear fenders from the track special without the LS7 V8. Not a terrible deal.
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2013 Corvette 427 Convertible

For people who were slightly bored with the Grand Sport's 436-hp output, Chevy created the 427 Convertible. This is what you get when you put the Z06's 505-hp V8 into a Corvette convertible, though it wasn't the hardcore track car that the Z06 was. Only available for a year, the 427 Convertible was a celebration of Corvette's 60th anniversary.
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2015 Corvette Z06

A price of $78,995 for a car that makes 650-hp and 650 lb-ft of torque? That's insane. This is the first supercharged Z06, which has led to a debate of whether this car is a true Z06 or more of a ZR1 and a Z06 blended into one car. It's better on the road than the last Z06 by a mile, but there have been some issues with overheating on the track. Still, when it works, it's one of the fastest cars you can buy today.
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