For
Release:
Corvette Marks 60
Years of Performance with 427 Convertible
DETROIT – Chevrolet today unveiled the 2013
Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition – the fastest, most capable
convertible in Corvette’s history – as well as a 60th Anniversary Package that
will be available on all 2013 Corvette models.
“The 2013
model year will be historic for Corvette, marking its 60th Anniversary and the
final year for the current ‘C6’ generation,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Global
Marketing and Strategy for Chevrolet. “We couldn’t think of a more fitting way
to celebrate these milestones than bringing back one of the most-coveted
combinations in the brand’s history – the Corvette convertible and a 427
cubic-inch engine.”
The 60th
Anniversary Package and 427 Convertible will make their public debut at the
Barrett Jackson collector car auction in
Corvette 427 Convertible Collector
Edition
The
Corvette 427 Convertible blends elements of the Z06 and ZR1 models to create
the fastest and most-capable convertible in Corvette’s history.
Its heart is the 427-cubic-inch (7.0L) LS7 engine
from the Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower (377 kW) and 470 lb.-ft. of
torque (637 Nm), it is the most powerful engine ever installed in a production
Corvette convertible – and, like the Z06, the 427 Convertible is only available
with a six-speed manual transmission.
The LS7 was
co-developed with the Corvette Le Mans-winning GT1 engine and features
lightweight titanium connecting rods and intake valves, as well as
racing-inspired high-flow cylinder heads and a dry-sump oiling system. It is
assembled by hand at GM’s Performance Build Center, where customers who
purchase the 427 Convertible Collector Edition can purchase the Corvette Build
Experience option and assemble the engine that will power their new car.
Supporting
performance elements in the Corvette 427 Convertible include the driveline and
rear axle system from the Corvette Z06, a rear-mounted battery and standard
Magnetic Selective Ride Control. The standard 19-inch front and 20-inch rear
wheels are wrapped in ZR1-style Michelin PS2 tires. Lightweight machine-face
Cup wheels – introduced on the 2012 Corvette Z06 with Z07 and Corvette ZR1 with
The 427
Convertible also features several carbon-fiber components that help reduce
weight, including:
·
Carbon
fiber raised hood (introduced on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition)
·
Carbon
fiber Z06-style fenders
·
Carbon
fiber floor panels
·
The
“CFZ” carbon fiber front splitter and rocker panels are optional on the 427
Convertible, and included with the 60th Anniversary package
The weight
reduction brings the 427 Convertible’s curb weight to 3,355 pounds (1,522 kg).
Combined with its 505-horsepower LS7 engine, it gives the 427 Convertible a
power-to-weight ratio of 6.64 – or one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of
vehicle mass. That’s better than:
·
Porsche
911 Turbo S Cabriolet – 6.90
·
Audi
R8 5.2 RSI Spyder – 7.58
·
Aston
Martin DBS Volante Convertible – 7.82
·
Ferrari
The
combination of low mass and high output will make the 427 Convertible one of
the fastest convertibles in the world, delivering estimated 0-60 performance of
3.8 seconds, quarter-mile performance of 11.8 seconds, lateral acceleration of
1.04 g and a top speed of more than 190 mph.
The 427 Convertible is available in 2LT,
3LT and 4LT trim levels and will carry a unique vehicle identification number
sequence, similar to the Corvette ZR1.
Corvette
60th Anniversary Package
All 2013 Corvette models, including the
427 Convertible, will be available with a 60th Anniversary Package, featuring
an Arctic White exterior with a Blue Diamond leather-wrapped interior with
suede accents. Convertible models will have a blue top.
Additional content includes a ZR1-style rear
spoiler, special badging, gray-painted brake calipers and the “60th” logo on
the wheel center caps, steering wheel and seat headrests. An optional graphics
package adds full-length racing stripes in Pearl Silver Blue, including a tonal
stripe stitched into the convertible top, extending the graphic theme over the
roof.
For 2013, all Corvettes will feature 60th
Anniversary badges on the fascias and the “waterfall” panel on convertible
models, as well as 60th logos in the instrument panel gauge cluster and on the
sill plates.
Charity
Auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale
The first
Corvette 427 Convertible offered to the public will go to the highest bidder at
the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction, on Saturday, Jan.
21. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Drive to End Hunger food relief program.
Chevrolet
and Hendrick Motorsports are teaming up for the auction, including Hendrick
team driver and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon. Team owner
Rick Hendrick helped launch the Drive to End Hunger program with AARP and the
AARP Foundation.
The Drive
to End Hunger is part of a multi-year sponsorship for Gordon’s No. 24
Chevrolet. It calls on racing fans, corporations and charitable organizations
to raise money, build awareness, and engage Americans who face the threat of
hunger.
A
legacy of 427-powered Corvettes
Early 427-powered Corvettes, particularly
convertibles, offered from 1966 to 1969 are some of the most-coveted and
collectable Corvettes ever produced.
The first 427-powered Corvette rolled off
the assembly line for the 1966 model year. Two performance levels of the 427
were initially offered – an “L30” version rated at 390 horsepower and the
“L72,” which cranked out 425 horsepower. Both were rated at 460 lb-ft. of
torque.
The range of 427 engines grew in 1967,
with the addition of the “L71” and “L88” options. The L71 added a unique
triple-carburetor induction system that helped boost output to 435 horsepower.
Known to collectors as “427/435” cars, these ’67 models – especially the
convertibles – are especially sought-after collector cars.
The “L88” delivered 430-horsepower (with a
single four-barrel carburetor) thanks to racing-tuned aluminum heads. Intended
for customers who would immediately transform their new Corvette into a race
car, the L88 was installed in just 216 production Corvettes between 1967 and
1969.
In 1969, a special “L89” 427 engine
combined the L71’s induction system with the L88’s aluminum heads, offering
maximum horsepower with an approximately 100-pound weight advantage over the
standard iron heads. Also in 1969, Chevrolet built two “ZL1” 427 Corvette
coupes. The ZL1 engine was essentially an all-aluminum version of the L88, with
the aluminum cylinder block and heads offering a tremendous weight advantage
for racing. More of the engines were sold as crate engines to racers.
By 1970, the big-block engine grew to 454
cubic inches, just as the trend in high-compression, high-performance engines
was beginning to wane. The four-year run of 427 Corvettes was already
established as the golden era of performance
Commemorative
Collector Edition and Anniversary Edition models
Rare and low-production examples of the
Corvette have been around since its 1953 introduction, but Chevrolet didn’t
begin building commemorative models until 1978, when the 25th Anniversary model
– also known as the Silver Anniversary Corvette – was offered. The Corvette was
in its third generation then and at the close of that epoch in 1982, a
Collectors Edition was offered, as well.
Those special models launched what has
become a tradition for the Chevrolet Corvette, which has offered milestone
anniversary and generational collector-edition models ever since. The 2013
Corvette 427 Convertible represents the first time a Collector Edition and
Anniversary Edition are being offered in the same year – and available on the
same car.
Below is a list of the Collector Edition
and Anniversary Edition models, as well as production numbers and their
distinguishing features.
|
YEAR |
MODEL |
FEATURES |
PRODUCTION |
|
1978 |
25th Anniversary |
Two-tone silver
exterior with gray leather interior |
15,283 |
|
1982 |
Collector Edition |
Silver-beige exterior
color with lower graphic accent; silver-beige leather interior; bronze-tinted
roof panels; cast aluminum “fin” wheels and unique VIN identification |
6,759 |
|
1988 |
35th Anniversary |
White lower body with
white 17-in. wheels, with black roof and dark removable roof panel; special
badging and embroidered seat logos; all-white leather interior |
2,050 |
|
1993 |
40th Anniversary |
First anniversary model
offered in coupe and convertible body styles; Ruby Red exterior with special
badging; Ruby Red leather-covered seats |
6,749 |
|
1996 |
Collector Edition |
Sebring Silver exterior
with special badging; silver 17-inch
ZR-1-style wheels; “Collector Edition”-embroidered seats;
optional LT4 5.7L engine with 330 hp |
5,412 |
|
2003 |
50th Anniversary |
Special 50th
Anniversary Red exterior; specific badging and champagne-color five-spoke
wheels; Shale leather-trimmed interior |
11,632 |
|
2004 |
Commemorative Edition |
Coupe and convertible
models in LeMans Blue with Shale leather-trimmed interior; Z06 model in
LeMans Blue with silver stripe graphics and carbon fiber hood |
4,829
(coupe/convertible) 2,025 (Z06) |
|
2013 |
60th Anniversary 427 Convertible
Collector Edition |
Arctic White with Blue
Diamond leather-wrapped interior and blue top (convertibles); special
badging; optional stripe package; 60th logo gauge cluster and sill plates 427 Convertible
Collector Edition with LS7 engine; carbon fiber hood, fenders and floor
panels; 19-in./20-in. wheels with Michelin PS2 tires; std. Magnetic Selective
Ride Control; 427 hood badges |
TBD TBD |
2013 CHEVROLET COREVETTE 427
CONVERTIBLE COLLECTOR EDITION – PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS
|
Overview |
|
|
Model: |
Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition |
|
Body
styles / driveline: |
two-door
convertible; rear-wheel drive |
|
Construction: |
composite body
panels, hydroformed steel frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and
chassis components |
|
Manufacturing
location: |
|
|
Engines |
7.0L V-8 LS7 (Z06) |
|
Displacement
(cu in / cc): |
427 / 7008 |
|
Bore &
stroke (in / mm): |
4.125 x 4
/ 104.8 x 101.6 |
|
Block material: |
cast
aluminum |
|
Cylinder
head material: |
cast
aluminum |
|
Valvetrain: |
overhead
valve, two valves per cylinder |
|
Fuel
delivery: |
|
|
Compression
ratio: |
11.0:1 |
|
Horsepower
|
505 / 377
@ 6300* |
|
Torque (lb-ft / Nm @ rpm): |
470 / 637
@ 4800* |
|
Recommended
fuel: |
premium
required |
|
Estimated
fuel economy (city / hwy): |
15 / 24
(no guzzler tax) |
|
Transmission |
six-speed manual |
|
Application: |
std. |
|
Gear ratios (:1): |
|
|
First: |
2.66 |
|
Second: |
1.78 |
|
Third: |
1.30 |
|
Fourth: |
1.00 |
|
Fifth: |
0.74 |
|
Sixth: |
0.50 |
|
Reverse:
|
2.90 |
|
Final drive ratio: |
3.42 |
Chassis / Suspension
|
|
|
Front: |
short/long
arm (SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms,
transverse-mounted composite leaf spring, monotube shock absorber; Magnetic
Selective Ride Control |
|
Rear: |
short/long
arm (SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms,
transverse-mounted composite leaf spring, monotube shock absorber; Magnetic Selective
Ride Control |
|
Traction
control: |
electronic
traction control; Active Handling |
|
Brakes |
|
|
Type: |
front and
rear power-assisted disc with |
Rotor diameter x
thickness (in / mm):
|
front: 14
x 1.3 / 355 x 32 |
Brake swept area (sq in /
mm):
|
front: 309
/ 1994 rear: 269
/ 1735 |
Wheels & Tires
|
|
|
Wheel
size: |
front: 19-inch x 10-inch aluminum rear: 20-inch
x 12-inch aluminum |
|
Tires: |
front: 285/30ZR19
|
|
Dimensions |
|
|
Wheelbase
(in / mm): |
105.7
/ 2685 |
|
Overall length (in / mm): |
175.6 /
4460 |
Overall width (in / mm):
|
75.9 /
1928 |
|
Overall height (in / mm): |
48.7 /
1236 |
|
Curb weight (lb / kg): |
3355/ 1522 |
|
Weight distribution (% front / rear): |
50 / 50 |
|
Interior |
|
|
Seating
capacity |
2 |
|
Interior volume (cu ft / L): |
52 / 1475 |
Headroom (in / mm):
|
38 / 962 |
Legroom (in / mm):
|
43 / 1092 |
|
Shoulder
room (in / mm): |
55
/ 1397 |
|
Hip
room (in / mm): |
54
/ 1371 |
|
Capacities |
|
|
Cargo volume (cu ft / L): |
11 / 295
(top up); 7.5 / 212 (top down) |
|
Fuel tank
(gal / L): |
18 / 68.1 |
|
Engine oil
(qt / L): |
10.5 / 9.9
|
*
Note: Information shown is current at time of publication.