Most Powerful Corvettes of All-Time

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1st Generation: 360 hp - 1962 Corvette 327 Fuel-Injected

1960 Model Shown

The first-generation Corvette saw the most powerful version available in its final year. With improvements occurring year-over-year, by 1962 the small block V8 was now 5.4-liters in size, or the more widely known 327 cubic feet. Although multiple tunes of the engine were available, the top dog was the 360 hp version featuring fuel injection.

2nd Generation: 435 hp - 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L71*

1966 Model Shown

The second generation Corvette was short lived, but produced a lot of memorable models. In its final year, 1967, there were a bunch of 427 cu in (7.0-liter) V8 engines on offer. On paper, the most potent of them all was the might L-71 which was rated at 435 hp. Now, we say on paper, because the L-88 427 V8 was listed a hair lower, at 430 hp, but many believe was underrated and actually made more power.

Regardless of engine code, it was the 1967 Corvette with a 427 big-block V8 that ruled the second-generation.

3rd Generation: 435 hp - 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L71*

Regular 1968 Model Shown

New generation, same controversy. The Corvette for 1968 and 1969 were offered once again with the L-71 V8 rated at 435 hp and the L-88 V8 rated at 430 hp. Like the 1967 model, many believe the L-88 actually produced more power.

But there's a further twist with the third-generation Corvette. Allegedly, a 454 cu in (7.4-liter) V8 was offered in 1970 making 460 hp. The problem is, no one knows if these cars actually ever existed.

4th Generation: 405 hp - 1993 Corvette ZR-1

The fourth generation Corvette started off quite weak, with a 205 hp engine as the only option. In 1991 though, with the help of Lotus, an all-aluminum 5.7-liter DOHC V8 was introduced that made 375 hp. Two years later, power was bumped up to 405 hp. Not only did the ZR-1 have a lot of power, the rest of the car was upgraded too for maximum attack at a track.

5th Generation: 405 hp - 2003 Corvette Z06

2001 Model Shown

A proper performance Corvette returned for the fifth-generation in 2001 as the Z06. Initially the tuned 5.7-liter V8 made 385 hp, but a year later, was upped to 405 hp, much like the ZR1 that came before it. This was a high-perfromance machine that was unforgiving at speed compared to regular, more docile 'Vettes of the time.

6th Generation: 638 hp - 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

It was with he sixth generation Corvette where things really began to escalate. First, a 505 hp Z06 model debuted with a monster 7.0-liter V8. This car was quite the performer in its own-right, but there was more to come; much more.

For the 2009 model year a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 found its way under the hood of the Corvette, producing 638 hp. The ZR1 name returned for this super 'Vette, minus the hyphen.

7th Generation: 755 hp - 2019 Corvette ZR1

Much like the sixth-generation Corvette, the performance envelope really jumped with the seventh-generation model. The Z06 returned to the lineup, but it now had a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 as well, making 650 hp. That's more power than the previous generation ZR1, so where could the super 'Vette go from here?

Up to 755 hp; that's where. The ZR1 returned in 2019 sporting a larger supercharger to produce the extra oomph, and oodles of downforce that would make many race cars jealous.

8th Generation: 1,250 hp - 2026 Corvette ZR1X

With the mid-engine, eighth-generation Corvette, we hadn't really gotten over the fact that the new ZR1 makes in excess of 1,000 hp. That's an utterly insane amount of power for a rear-wheel drive car regardless where the engine is located.

But the crazy engineers at Chevrolet weren't down there. By combining the ZR1's 5.5-liter turbocharged V8 with the E-Ray's electric front motor, the new ZR1X becomes all-wheel drive with a total of 1,250 hp. Bonkers. Just bonkers.