Chevy reveals fastest Corvette convertible

A moment of silence, please Internet. The reign of the ‘C6' Corvette is coming to a close, and to give it one final huzzah, Chevy has rolled out a special edition.

It's called the Corvette 427 Convertible and, as the name suggests, marries the 7.0-litre V8 (427 cubic inches) from the Z06 to the drop-top body. This makes it the most powerful production Chevrolet Corvette convertible ever built, boasting 505bhp and a voluminous body of torque (470lb ft), and will see it through until its successor arrives in 2014.

And Chevy wants to sing a bit about that V8; it was co-developed with the Corvette Le-Mans winning GT1 engine, features lightweight titanium rods and intake valves, high-flow cylinder heads and a dry sump oiling system. Its even hand built for Pete's sake, and should you buy one, you can even help assemble it.

The 427 also gets lots of carbon fibre to keep it relatively light at 1,522kg: the bonnet, wings and floor panels are all made of the stuff, and you can option CF rocker panels and a front splitter.

As such, the 0-60mph time takes 3.8 seconds, the quarter-mile dash takes 11.8 seconds and it'll top out at 190mph.

Elsewhere, the 427 includes the driveline and rear axle system from the Z06 and Michelin PS2 rubber for the wheels.

There's also a 60th anniversary pack available on all 2013 Corvettes, with new interior trim, special badging and racing stripes.

Like we mentioned the new Corvette - the ‘C7' - will begin its tour of duty in a 2014. Nothing but a 21-gun salute and lots of burnouts to mark this one's ascension into the Chevy pantheon will suffice...

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