Skip to Content

How Fast Can a Corvette Go?

How Fast Can a Corvette Go?

The Chevy Corvette is one of the most iconic cars in American automotive history, but how fast can one of these classic sports cars actually go?

A modern-era Corvette can reach a top speed of 194 to 212 miles per hour. However, the fastest Corvette of all time is the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, achieving a top speed of 212 miles per hour.

In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at various Corvette models and their speed performance capabilities.

How Fast Can a Corvette Go?

When the first Corvette was introduced to the auto market, it was an instant sensation. This stylish sports car is ingrained in American culture and it has inspired the design of so many sports vehicles around the world. 

One of the key characteristics of the Corvette is not only its appearance but also its speed. With over 70 years of production, Chevy has made a lot of updates to the design of the Corvette, which has pushed the speed and performance of this vehicle through the roof. 

How Fast Can a Corvette Go

A Corvette manufactured in the modern age can go anywhere from 194 to 212 miles per hour, depending on the model of the vehicle. This kind of speed rivals even some of the top Italian sports cars in the world and solidifies the Corvette as a force to be reckoned with in the auto industry. 

What Is the Fastest Corvette of All Time?

Since the Corvette was first introduced, there have been plenty of models that rank high for speed. However, the fastest Corvette model of all time is the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 can drive an astonishing top speed of 212 miles per hour. This kind of speed performance is not something that you can achieve on your local highway back home, but only on a professional race track like the one in Papenburg, Germany, where the 2019 Corvette ZR1 was able to unleash its full potential. 

At 212 miles per hour, the 2019 ZR1 is hands down the fastest Corvette ever made, and it beats many of the other Corvette models by nearly 15 to 20 miles per hour. 

How Fast Can a Corvette Go From 0 to 60?

When it comes to driving a Corvette, one of the most important characteristics of this American sports car is how fast it can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour. This is a standard benchmark against which all sports performance vehicles are weighed, and the Chevy Corvette has notoriously had impressive acceleration. 

Most of the top-performance Corvettes of all time can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just under 3 seconds. Staying under the 3-second mark is a gold standard that many high-end sports cars aim to achieve.

With that said, the fasted Corvette to go from 0 to 60 is the Z06. The most recent 2023 Z06 Corvette was able to go from 0 to 60 in just 2.6 seconds. This is astonishingly fast, and rivals just about any elite sports car on the market. 

Which Corvette Has the Most Horsepower?

Horsepower goes hand in hand with acceleration, which is a quality that every Corvette model has been known for since the beginning of time. Each modern Corvette has an insane amount of horsepower, but none like the 2023 Z06 Corvette. 

Given the 2023 Z06 Corvette’s incredible 0 to 60 mile per hour time, it should come as no surprise that this is also the Vette with the most horsepower. The 2023 Z06 Corvette has a whopping 670 horsepower. 

How Fast Can a 1953 C1 Corvette Go?

To appreciate the accomplishments of modern-era Corvettes, we need to reflect on how far this American sports car has come since it was first introduced. The first Corvette ever produced was a C1 in 1953

Although the appearance of the Corvette has changed a lot since then, the automaker’s determination to build cars that are fast and sporty has not. The 1953 Corvette features a 235 cubic inch, 150 horsepower engine, which was immensely powerful for its time. 

The top speed of a 1953 C1 Corvette maxed out at 108 miles per hour. This does not quite compete with the 212-mile potential of a modern-era Corvette, but it was a jaw-dropping figure in the 1950s.

Much like in the current racing world, the 0 to 60 benchmark was used to gauge the acceleration of the C1 Corvette. The C1 was able to get up to 60 in just over 11 seconds, which is something that you could easily pull off with a standard 4-door sedan these days. 

Nonetheless, the C1 is an iconic achievement in the auto industry, which is one of the reasons why the name Corvette carries so much weight to this day.

What Are the Fastest Corvette Models? 

There are a lot of fast Corvette models out there, but some are undeniably faster than others. Since Corvette reinvented itself and came back on the scene in the 2010s, we have seen some impressive cars released by the manufacturer. 

With new designs and performance specs across the board, it’s safe to say that Chevy will continue to release faster Corvettes in the future. For now, these are the fastest Corvette models ever made:

  1. 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (212 miles per hour)
  2. 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (205 miles per hour)
  3. 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition (198 miles per hour)
  4. 2018 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (196 miles per hour)
  5. 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (194 miles per hour)

Key Takeaways to How Fast a Corvette Can Go

A modern-era Corvette can reach a top speed of 194 to 212 miles per hour. 

The fastest Corvette of all time is the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, achieving a top speed of 212 miles per hour. 

The Corvette with the best 0 to 60 time is the 2023 Z06 Corvette at 2.6 seconds.

Zach Reed

Hi, I'm the founder of VehicleAnswers.com! Having owned a wide variety of vehicles in my life, I was astounded at how hard it can be to find answers to common automotive questions. Rather than sit idly, I decided to create this website to help others!