2015 Corvette Z06 Rated at 650 Horsepower

Supercharged LT4 V-8 engine is the most powerful ever from Chevrolet

It’s official: when the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 arrives at Kupper-Chevrolet later this year, it’ll deliver a staggering 650 horsepower, and 650 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful production car in Chevrolet’s history.

“The 2014 Corvette Stingray raised the bar for the Corvette by delivering incredible power and performance,” says Bob Kupper of Kupper-Chevrolet, “but the new 2015 Corvette Z06 takes things to new levels. With 650 horsepower on tap, the Z06 promises to deliver the sort of performance few cars – including some rather exotic competitors – can match.”

The 2015 Corvette Z06’s supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 small-block V-8 is officially SAE certified at 650 horsepower at 6,400 rpm, and 650 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. Low-end torque, important for launching quickly off the line, is plentiful. Just off idle, the LT4 delivers 457 lb-ft of torque, while 90 percent of its peak torque (592 lb-ft) is delivered from 2,500 - 5,400 rpm.

With this sort of power on tap, the 2015 Z06 is the most powerful production car ever built by General Motors. Not only does the new Z06 deliver 145 horsepower and 180 lb-ft more than the previous generation model, it also bests the renowned C6 Corvette ZR1 by 12 horsepower and 48 lb-ft of torque.

The new 2015 Z06 also outguns many exotic sports cars from around the world. The LT4’s peak power ratings trump the Porsche 911 Turbo S by 90 horsepower and 134 lb-ft of torque. Further, The Z06 delivers 28 percent more torque than the 6.3-liter -liter V-12 found in the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, and delivers that power much lower in the rev band.

Because the LT4 is derived from the same Gen 5 small block foundation used to create the LT1 found in the 2014 Corvette Stingray, the 2015 Corvette Z06’s LT4 engine is one of the smallest and lightest 650-hp engines in the industry. The LT4 gains several unique features designed to support its higher output and the pressures created by forced induction, including titanium intake valves, forged steel connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, and special heavy-duty aluminum cylinder heads.

The 2015 Corvette Z06’s LT4 V-8 will be assembled at the new Performance Build Center at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant along with GM’s Tonawanda engine plant in New York. Z06 customers will be able to pair the LT4 with either a standard seven-speed manual transmission or an all-new, paddle-shift eight-speed automatic – the first ever offered in a Corvette Z06.

The 2015 Corvette Z06 goes on sale at Kupper-Chevrolet in the fourth quarter of 2014

Corvette Stingray Most Efficient Sports Car on the Market

2014 model unmatched in combo of 455 hp and EPA-estimated 29 mpg highway

  The 2014 Corvette Stingray will deliver up to an EPA-estimated 17 miles per gallon in the city, and 29 mpg on the highway, making it the most fuel efficient sports car on the market, for Bismarck-Mandan area owners, as no other car offers more than 455 horsepower and greater than 29 mpg highway.

“The Corvette Stingray establishes the benchmark sets the bar by using technology to deliver more performance and more miles per gallon,” said Bob Kupper of Kupper Chevrolet “I expect that Bismarck-Mandan area Corvette owners and enthusiasts are going to love this car.”

The EPA estimate of 17 city and 29 highway is for the Corvette Stingray equipped with an all-new, seven-speed manual transmission. The estimate reflects an average of fuel economy in both the default “Tour” mode, which delivers 28 mpg highway, and driver-selectable “Eco” mode, which delivers Bismarck-Mandan area owners 30 mpg highway. For Stingrays equipped with the seven-speed manual transmission, Eco mode enables Active Fuel Management, which disables four of the cylinders for improved fuel economy during light engine loads.

For Corvette Stingrays equipped with the six-speed automatic, Active Fuel Management is active in all drive modes until the driver engages the manual-shift mode using the steering-wheel paddles. Fuel economy estimates for Corvette Stingrays equipped with the six-speed automatic will be finalized soon.

The highway rating represents an 11-percent increase in fuel economy over the previous Corvette, while the all-new 6.2L LT1 V-8 delivers 455 horsepower, a 6-percent increase over the previous Corvette. The LT1 delivers 460 horsepower with the available dual-mode exhaust.

By comparison, the Porsche 911 Carrera S delivers 400 horsepower, and an EPA-estimated 27 mpg highway. 

Sports cars with more than 455 horsepower typically offer significantly lower highway fuel economy estimates than the Corvette Stingray. For example, the Jaguar F-Type S offers 495 hp and 23 mpg highway while the Audi R8 V10 offers 510 hp and 19 mpg highway.

Sports cars that deliver more than 29 mpg highway based on EPA estimates typically deliver significantly less engine output. For example, the Porsche Cayman offers 30 mpg and 275 hp while the BMW Z4 sDrive28 delivers 34 mpg and 241 hp.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe goes on sale for Bismarck-Mandan enthusiasts this fall, with a convertible following by the end of the year.