600 horsepower Corvette to arrive in 2009 | Leftlane – Car News For Enthusiasts

A limited-edition Corvette producing somewhere around 600 horsepower will arrive in summer 2009 as a 2010 model, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said in a new interview. “There is a distinct appetite for something beyond the Z06 in performance, beyond the Z06 in exclusivity and beyond the Z06 in price,” Lutz told Automotive News. GM has long been rumored to be working on a more powerful Corvette project known as Blue Devil, Sting Ray, Z07, or SS. Back in May, GM’s head of performance cars Tom Wallace confirmed the car was under development. Lutz’ statement is the first confirmation of a timeline for the new Vette’s introduction. At the Detroit auto show, he said GM would produce an answer to the 600-horsepower 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10. GM would “not take that lying down,” he said. Lutz said Corvette has “taken on the character of a brand” and can support several models. The current top-of-the-line Corvette is the 505 horsepower Z06, which rockets to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Chevrolet produces 3,000 Z06s annually. The new model would be even lower volume.

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