7 of the Fastest Corvettes Ever Made
Fast is a relative term these days, but some of the worlds fastest Corvettes are pushing well above 200 miles per hour. Here, we take a look at speed in two forms, acceleration, and flat out top speed.
Hartford’s 750HP C8 – 144 Miles Per Hour (quarter mile!)
Speed comes in various forms, and we can’t just leave out drag racing. As the most popular form of motorsport in the world, drag racing takes top speed and makes the chase even more difficult. Emelia Hartford’s C8 Corvette currently stands as the fastest C8 Corvette in the 1/4 mile, with a best run of 9.41 seconds at 144 miles per hour according to our own sources at CorvetteForum. Top speed is less of a concern with this one, as it was built for one purpose and is the fastest Corvette of its kind.
1955 Corvette – 120 Miles Per Hour
1955 marked the first year of the V8 Corvette, and while not a land speed record by any means, the two additional cylinders laid the groundwork for decades to come. Top speed, according to Car & Driver, was increased by a modest 13 miles per hour over the Blue Flame six-cylinder. But that 120-mile-per-hour top speed would soon increase, as Zora Arkus Duntov would work his magic. In 1955, a V8 Corvette set a 150.583 speed record at the Daytona Flying Mile Speed Trials. It was the first car to breach 150mph.
Photo courtesy of Car & Driver
GXE Electric C7 Corvette – 211.8 Miles Per Hour
Electrification is catching on in just about every segment of the automotive market. But, the Corvette is still powered by dino fuel. For now. Back in 2019, a company called Genovation Cars set the top speed record for street-legal EVs using a C7 as a base car. They took out the car’s V8 and in its place stuffed an electric motor and enough batteries to generate about 800 horsepower. According to Road & Track, Genvation’s GXE reached 211.8 miles per hour and set the record. It’s also the highest recorded price for an EV Corvette at $750,000.
Photo courtesy of Road&Track
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Spirit of Dunlop Corvette – 241.4 Miles Per Hour
Here’s a unique one. Made to set a record for standard production tires, the Spirit of Dunlop used, you guessed it, Dunlop SP Sport 7000 D tires. Dunlop wanted to break two records, according to Dobson Motorsports. The first was the record for production tires, the next was for the South African Land Speed Record.
Using a C5 Corvette as the base, this land speed roadster broke the production tire record by over 40 miles per hour, and the South African speed record by a solid ten. Top speed? 241.4 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Dobson Motorsports
“Sundowner” Corvette – 251.838 Miles Per Hour
Some speed records are unique. While someone out there can claim they had the fastest Corvette in Le Mans Blue on a Tuesday, the Sundowner Corvette’s claim is a bit more legitimate. As the fastest stock body C3 Corvette, this Chevy hit 251.838 miles per hour in 2010. It wasn’t easy. According to Corvette Mag, the C3 is prone to lift, so the best solution for that is… lead. Yup, adding weight to the car actually helped performance in this instance. To the point where you can actually see lead weights sticking out of the grille of the car just to keep the nose down!
Photo courtesy of Corvette Mag
Callaway Sledgehammer – 254.76 Miles Per Hour
Iconic doesn’t even begin to describe the Callaway Sledgehammer. It’s renowned worldwide as one of the fastest Corvettes of all time. But that’s what Reeves Callaway wanted to do with a speed record. Not just chip away at it. Not just beat it. But to obliterate it with a sledgehammer. And he did. No other street-legal Corvette came close, for over a decade.According to IMSA, Callaway build #51 took twin turbos, a 5.7 liter V8, added 22 PSI of boost, and wound up with 880 horsepower. In all, it led to a 254.76 mile per hour top speed, at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio. Better yet, Callaway drove the car 700 miles to the test track just to prove it was a street car.
Photo Courtesy of IMSA
Moore & Stansbury C4 – Worlds Fastest Corvette
Just how fast is the world’s fastest Corvette? In 1988, this Corvette clocked in the run that would make it the world’s fastest. Piloted by J. Mindenbergs at the Bonneville salt flats, a two-way average of 266.450 was set. And with a bit of a tailwind, Mindenbergs set an astonishing 271.044 miles per hour. According to MotorTrend, this is now the fastest Corvette ever. And interestingly, this car has run at Bonneville since 1988 but was never able to eclipse 271. But, with different engine configurations, still continued to rack up records. Some Corvettes are special, but the Moore & Stansbury Corvette has one title that the others can’t touch.
Photo courtesy of MotorTrend
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section in the forum.
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