Most Powerful Chevrolet Corvettes Ever Built by the Factory

America's sports car has reached its fastest and most powerful form in recent models, including an all-new, all-wheel-drive hybrid.

Andy Stonehouse | 

Mar 21, 2024 | 3 min read

Chevrolet

Since its 1953 debut, the Chevrolet Corvette, an iconic American two-seater sports machine, has evolved with the times. But only in recent years has the vehicle's output truly jumped a few levels.

Here are five of the most powerful factory-built Corvettes created, from least to most powerful, straight from the plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, that has built this sports car since 1981.

Chevrolet

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

638 horsepower, 604 lb-ft of torque

The modern monster era of Corvette output really began with the model's sixth generation and the 2009 ZR1, the first factory Corvette to exceed 600 horsepower. A 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 V8 helped take the vehicle to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and the ZR1 could run the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds.

Its 205-mph top speed was also record-breaking, helping the Corvette set a competition-beating 7:26.4-minute lap at Germany's Nürburgring racetrack. Produced through 2013, the ZR1 cost about $105,000.

Chevrolet

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

650 horsepower, 650 lb-ft of torque

The C7 generation's version of the Z06 performance package was no slouch, with a 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 producing 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.

This was the first Z06 model to be offered with an automatic transmission. When equipped with the eight-speed automatic it was capable of 2.95-second zero-to-60-mph runs and could cover the quarter-mile in 10.95 seconds, hitting more than 127 mph in the process. If you added the Z07 package, this speedy Z06 could also top out at 196 mph. Factory pricing was approximately $79,000 and was produced for five years.

Chevrolet

2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

655 horsepower, 595 lb-ft of torque

Corvette took a bold step in its new hybrid, mid-engined E-Ray model, a precursor of Corvettes of the future. Combining a 6.2-liter LT2 V8 and a 160-hp electric motor system, this sophisticated machine is also the quickest of the bunch, going from zero-to-60-mph in just 2.5 seconds and with an eye-watering 10.5-second quarter-mile.

I credit the new E-Ray's all-wheel-drive system with helping to put all that power to the pavement. E-Ray prices start at about $107,000.

Chevrolet

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

670 horsepower, 460 lb-ft of torque

Some 70 years into the model's life, the newest, mid-engined rendition of the C8 Corvette is also one of the most powerful, using a high-tech version of old-school mechanics to make all that massive output.

The new Z06's heart is a hand-built, naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 LT6 motor with a flat-plane crankshaft, a setup derived from the Corvette C8.R endurance racing program.

While it's seemingly a bit low on torque, the 2023 Z06 revs to 8,600 rpm and is capable of running to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds and covering the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds. You can order one for about $107,000.

Chevrolet

2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

755 horsepower, 715 lb-ft of torque

The all-time king-of-the-hill honor goes to the ultra-high performance version of Corvette's seventh-generation model, equipped with a 6.2-liter supercharged LT5 V8 engine.

Available for a year, the 2019 ZR1 equipped with the ZTK performance package was capable of zero-to-60-mph in 2.85 seconds and could run the quarter-mile in a blazing 10.6 seconds. Top speed exceeded 210 mph. Original pricing was about $123,000.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Andy Stonehouse

Andy Stonehouse literally fell into the world of auto writing while working as a ski-town journalist, and has not looked back since. A childhood spent dealing with the eccentricities of a 1976 MG Midget has made any subsequent auto experience a more safe and reliable drive. He has been blessed with nearby mountain trails and snowy roads in Colorado to do TV-adventure-styled test drives on a weekly basis.