All The Legendary Engines Behind the Corvette Z06 and ZR1 Ranked By Horsepower

You don’t even need to be remotely interested in cars to know about the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. It’s the car that small children will point to in parking lots and say “Look dad, a Corvette!” Million-dollar supercars are often mistaken for Corvettes in the US, simply because of their overall presence on the road and the sheer amount of weight the Corvette name holds in America. In essence, you can’t get much more American than you can with a ‘Vette.

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  2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupe

  The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupe is a high-performance sports car that represents the pinnacle of Chevrolet’s Corvette lineup. It is a mid-engine, two-seater coupe that offers exceptional performance, striking design, and advanced technology.   

   The Z06 is powered by a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. This engine features a flat-plane crankshaft design, which is typically found in high-performance sports cars and race cars. It delivers a distinctive exhaust note and revs to an impressive 8600 rpm. The engine is mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that provides quick and precise shifts. The Z06 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in the mid-two-second range and has a top speed of over 190 mph. It features advanced aerodynamics, including a large rear wing and front splitter, to generate downforce and improve handling at high speeds.   
   
  The Z06 has a sleek and aggressive design that is both functional and visually appealing. It features a wide body with flared fenders, a prominent front splitter, and a large rear wing. The interior is driver-focused and features high-quality materials and advanced technology.  The Z06 comes equipped with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It also offers a variety of driver-assistance features, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring.

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  2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Coupe

  The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is a high-performance sports car that pushes the boundaries of American automotive engineering. Powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 engine, it delivers an astonishing 1,064 horsepower, making it the most powerful production V8 ever built in the United States.

  The ZR1’s design is both striking and functional. The distinctive split rear window, a nod to classic Corvette models, enhances aerodynamics and cooling. Aggressive aerodynamic elements, including a large rear wing and front splitter, generate significant downforce at high speeds.

  Inside, the ZR1 offers a luxurious and driver-focused cabin. Premium materials, such as carbon fiber and leather, accentuate the sporty character. Advanced technology features, including a digital instrument cluster and a high-performance audio system, complement the performance-oriented nature of the vehicle.

As many of you will know, the Chevrolet Corvette has been around for 72 years now, and there’s no end in sight to the ‘Vette’s reign of the quintessential American sports car. However, while the car itself has been around for over seven decades, special versions of the Corvette such as the Z06 and ZR1 are more recent additions. But, while they don’t go back that long, the Z06s and ZR1s have certainly made an impression on the sports-car community, mainly due to their impressive and, in some cases, crazy power figures and impressive performance.

The following entries have been ranked based on their horsepower output, ranging from least to greatest. Where one engine may have produced multiple horsepower figures, such as following an engine upgrade, the most powerful iteration of the motor will be shown in the specs table.

10 C2 Corvette Z06

Naturally Aspirated 327 CID (5.4L) V8 / 360 Horsepower

The first of the famous performance ‘Vettes on our list is the C2 Z06, the grandfather of virtually all performance Corvettes. It was first conceived by the father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov. When the Z06 was being designed, General Motors had an AMA racing ban in place, meaning that the Corvette couldn’t be raced legally by Chevrolet. However, Duntov knew civilian customers would still be interested in racing Corvettes on their own time. To get around this problem, Duntov focused on creating performance parts for the COrvette that could be added by the consumer.

However, once the racing ban was lifted, the various performance parts created were all added together in one package, and that car was coined the Z06. The performance ‘Vette carried upgrades like a larger fuel tank, beefier sway bars, a dual brake master cylinder, a vacuum booster, and upgraded springs and shocks.

9 C3 Corvette ZR1

Naturally Aspirated 350 CID (5.7L) V8 / 370 Horsepower

Next on our list is the first iteration of the Corvette ZR1, which came about right at the pinnacle of American muscle in 1970. The C3 ZR1 was an extremely limited production model, with only about 53 sold in its two-year run. It was meant to be a stripped-out, hardcore version of the Corvette meant for track racing, as evidenced by its Muncie M22 close-ratio four-speed manual transmission and lack of virtually any creature comforts such as air-conditioning, power steering, or electric windows.

8 C4 Corvette ZR1

Naturally Aspirated 350 CID (5.7L) V8 / 405 Horsepower

The ZR1 grade went into dormancy following the 1972 C3 model until 1990, when Chevrolet brought back the nameplate for the C4 Corvette. The LT5 installed in the C4 ZR1 was a technical marvel for the time, boasting all-aluminum construction, four camshafts, and 32 valves. British sports-car maker Lotus helped with the engine’s development, designing a unique air-management system which allowed the ZR1 to shut off eight of its 16 intake valves during low load, helping to increase fuel efficiency without losing much power.

7 C5 Corvette Z06

Naturally Aspirated 5.7L V8 / 405 Horsepower

After a 34-year hiatus, the Z06 grade roared back onto the scene attached to the 2001 Chevrolet Corvette C5. Like its ancestor, the Z06 was meant to be a more track-focused and purpose-built car over the standard C5. In order to aid the C5 Z06 in its circuit racing-oriented dreams, General Motors supplied a tuned version of the Corvette’s normal LS1 V8 which threw out 385 horsepower upon its debut in 2001, and was then bumped to 405 horsepower starting in the 2002 model year.

6 C6 Corvette Z06

Naturally Aspirated 7.0L V8 / 505 Horsepower

The C6 Corvette arrived on dealership floors near the end of 2005. It was meant as a homologation vehicle for Chevrolet’s Corvette racing division, and sported the largest engine ever fitted to a Z06 Corvette to date – the 7.0L LS7. On top of having a massive engine with over 500 horsepower on tap, the C6 Z06 also received upgrades such as a dry-sump oiling system, which enhances lubrication under hard cornering, along with a balsa wood and carbon fiber floor, and a magnesium engine cradle to help reduce weight.

5 C6 Corvette ZR1

Supercharged 6.2L V8 / 638 Horsepower

The first ever Corvette to come standard with a supercharger was the C6 ZR1, introduced for the 2009 model year. It boasted a 2.3-liter Eaton R2300 screw-type supercharger along with water-to-air cooling. Initially, the C6 ZR1 was allegedly going to contain an engine larger than the C6 Z06’s 7.0-liter unit, but when the production model was released, the engine only sported 6.2 liters, but supercharged to well over 600 hp. The C6 ZR1 was also the first ‘Vette to reach a top speed of over 200 mph from the factory.

4 C7 Corvette Z06

Supercharged 6.2L V8 / 650 Horsepower

Instead of the massive 2.3-liter supercharger unit seen on the C6 ZR1, Chevrolet employed a 1.7-liter Eaton supercharger for use on the C7 Z06’s LT4 V8. Despite its blower having a smaller displacement, it still managed to give it 12 more horsepower than the C6 ZR1, along with a 0-60 mph time that, for the first time, was under three seconds.

3 C8 Corvette Z06

Naturally Aspirated 5.5L V8 / 670 Horsepower

For the C8 Z06, Chevrolet decided to go full Euro regarding its engine. Unlike all previous Corvette motors which had cross-plane crankshafts, the brand-new LT6 seen in the C8 Z06 uses a flat-plane crank. The flat-plane unit is better for high-revving and horsepower, but sacrifices torque along the way. GM was so keen on developing the LT6 correctly that it sourced a wrecked Ferrari 458 engine from Poland for about $25k to help their engineers better understand the intricacies of a high-revving flat-crank V8.

2 C7 Corvette ZR1

Supercharged 6.2L V8 / 755 Horsepower

For just one year only, the C7 ZR1 sold in limited numbers, with just 2,953 examples built in total, including pre-production and display models. Its engine, codenamed LT5, utilized a gigantic 2.6-liter supercharger courtesy of Eaton to help create the 755-horsepower figure. Along with its blower, the LT5 sported a total of 13 total radiators, a larger intercooler over the similarly-supercharged C7 Z06, and enlarged front hood vents.

1 C8 Corvette ZR1

Twin-Turbo 5.5L V8 / 1,064 Horsepower

The incoming C8 Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful Corvette ever to leave a Chevrolet factory by more than 300 horsepower. In July 2024, Chevrolet unveiled the C8 ZR1 and shocked the world with its use of twin turbochargers, rather than the usual supercharging seen in the previous two generations of ZR1s. Their decision to delve into turbocharging paid off, as the C8 ZR1 makes over 1,000 horsepower, a number normally reserved for ICE-powered cars that cost well over half a million dollars – not the comparative bargain-priced $175k the ZR1 cost at launch. While this isn’t cheap, it’s a great deal cheaper than the litany of supercars and hypercars the C8 ZR1 will humiliate around a track, or in a straight line.

Sources:
Chevrolet, GM Heritage.