June 30, apparently, is National Corvette Day. Although it’s not a federally recognized holiday and you probably won’t be getting a PTO request approved, it’s a good enough opportunity to announce some updates to the 2027 Chevrolet Corvette. One of these changes means the 2027 model is officially the cheapest way to hit 200 mph.
new top speed of base model The Corvette, which any savvy Chevy dealer can buy at the same place you can buy a $30,000 Bolt, now does 200 mph. For $73,495. To be clear, that’s about $10,000 cheaper than the BMW M4, which can’t hit 200 mph.
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There is one odd caveat: this figure can only be obtained from the base car. Chevy’s Z51 Performance Package adds a lot of downforce to make 200 mph possible.
GM says the new top speed is limited only by more power. The old ‘Vette could reach 194 thanks to its 490-horsepower V8. To get an extra six miles per hour, Chevy upgraded to a 6.7-liter LS6 V-8, increasing output to 535 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. “That’s all the power,” Kosiba said. “The record truly reflects the power of the LS6, an engine we created to carve out a unique niche in the Corvette lineup.”
“For the LS6, we respected the historical principles of the large-displacement small-block V8, but not in a gentle, ‘I’ve been there, seen that,'” Kosiba said. “So when you’re cruising the canyons and driving around town you get that low-end torque that makes the Corvette so drivable, yet we still have that high-end power to do crazy things: 200 mph is quite a milestone.”
Chevrolet actually even tested it, proving that the LS6 engine is capable of taking the base Corvette to 200. Funnily enough, the next cheapest way to reach 200 mph, the $102,000 Cadillac CT-5V Blackwing, is also a GM product.
