The 10 Quickest Factory Corvettes... So Far
If you're concerned with getting to 60 miles per hour as fast as possible, these are the ten Corvettes you'll want to seek out. (Yes, we already did a similar piece, but this one uses different data, not just Car & Driver Magazine)
10. 2008 Corvette ZHZ - 4.3 seconds
You've probably never heard of the ZHZ, but there's a good reason for that. These special edition rides were produced solely for Hertz, the rental car company, in 2008 and only 500 of them were built (with 350 additional convertibles built in 2009). But the hottest rental around had more going for it than its distinctive yellow paint job with a black stripe. It also sported a 436 hp 6.2 liter V8 under the hood, with the vacuum operated exhaust cut out, good enough for a 4.3 second sprint to 60 mph, despite the automatic transmission.
9. 2013 Corvette Grand Sport - 4.0 seconds
The Grand Sport name has always signified impressive performance when it comes to Corvettes, and the 2013 model was no exception to that rule. With a 6.2 liter V8 producing 430 horsepower, this hi-po 'Vette could reach 60 miles per hour in only 4.0 seconds flat, with a good driver rowing the manual transmission.
8, 7 & 6. 2012 Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition/2013 Corvette 427/2016 Corvette Z51 - 3.8 seconds
Our three way tie for fifth place shows you just how far we've come in the last few years. The 2012 Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition, with its 505 hp 7.0 liter V8, was a six-figure special edition produced to celebrate Chevy's 100th birthday. One year later, you could pick up a Corvette 427 with the same powertrain for a much lower price. Today, showing just how much better the C7 is, you can buy a plain ol' Stingray Z51 that equals both with a 3.8 second 0-60 time. Plus, it does so with "only" 455 horsepower and a base price just over $50,000. That's what we call progress.
5 & 4. 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon/2009 Corvette GT1 Championship Edition - 3.7 seconds
The 2009 GT1 Championship Edition Corvette was produced specifically to celebrate Chevy's racing success with the C6.R. It did just that, with a 7.0 liter V8 capable of propelling it to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. That 0-60 time was matched two years later by the Carbon Edition Z06, a hybrid Z06/ZR1 build that was just as agile as it was quick.
3. 2017 Corvette Grand Sport - 3.6 seconds
The latest Corvette Grand Sport isn't built to be the fastest Corvette in Chevy's lineup. Heck, it shares its 460 hp 6.2 liter engine with the base Stingray. But Chevy worked a little voodoo with the car, with improved aero and some suspension changes. Those tweaks allow the Grand Sport to reach 60 miles per hour in only 3.6 seconds, making it the third quickest factory Corvette to date.
2. 2013 Corvette ZR1 - 3.4 seconds
When the supercharged, 638 horsepower ZR1 dropped back in 2013, everyone was stunned. This was, after all, the fastest Corvette ever produced - at the time. Not only was this car the quickest 0-60 mph spinter GM had ever made, it was also the fastest, with a 205 mph top speed. That is, if you could get the rear tires to hook, because as we already know, power isn't always the ultimate answer.
1. 2015 Corvette Z06 - 2.95 seconds
Ah, progress. Today, you can buy quite literally the fastest Corvette (and fastest car, period) to ever roll off any GM assembly line. The latest Z06 produces an astounding 650 horsepower and an equally astounding 650 lb-ft of torque. That insane level of power, combined with Chevy's finest Corvette underpinnings to date, is good enough for a 2.95 second blast to 60 miles per hour. Of course, who knows how long this will be at the top of the heap, especially with the C8 coming any minute now.
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