By Todd Lassa, Motor Trend - Make no mistake: The 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 ragtop is a special-edition trim package. Yes, the car has most of the important bits from the Z06 coupe, including the hand-built, 505-horsepower, 7.0-liter small-block with dry sump, high-flow cylinder heads, and titanium connecting rods and intake valve to make it, hyperbolically, "the most powerful Corvette convertible, ever."The 427 comes with a carbon-fiber raised hood, as introduced on the '11 Z06 Carbon Edition, plus carbon-fiber Z06-style fenders and carbon-fiber floor panels. A carbon-fiber front splitter and rocker panels are optional, and are part of the $1075 60th Anniversary package. Chevy claims a better power-to-weight ratio than the Ferrari California and the Audi R8 5.2 Spyder, with the Z06 for convertible lovers weighing 3335 pounds (Chevy's number). That's 136 pounds heavier than the Z06 coupe.
So the car can hang with the R8 and Ferrari California ... convertibles. If you're thinking serious enthusiasts will avoid convertibles in favor of each car's coupe version, you're probably right. Conversely, even the most serious enthusiast won't notice the Corvette 427's 136 pounds unless he or she tracks it.
Chevy showed off this car at GM's Milford Proving Grounds in its 60th Anniversary regalia, which includes Arctic (not Polo?) white paint, Diamond blue top and interior trim, and the requisite badges. The 427 convertible also is available in any standard Corvette color combo. Our test driver came with the $850 strip package, which carries the silver stripe through the blue fabric top. Cool.
This turns the 427 into an homage to the low-volume, six-cylinder Corvette that jumped off GM Motorama stands and into its Flint, Michigan, assembly plant in 1953. The 427 is for the collector who has at least one each of Cs one through six, plus a Z06 and a ZR1.
The drive around the outside of GM's Milford proving ground was brief, with no corners fast enough to test Chevrolet's assertion that the 427's chassis has been tuned to be a slight bit softer than the Z06. If you're satisfied with modern Corvette handling in general -- and there's a lot with which to be satisfied -- you'll be happy with this car, especially on a warm, not hot, sunny day, or a summer night with a full moon. The Corvette, in this or any other form, still feels bigger than arch-nemesis Porsche 911, even though it's not.
The 427 marks the C6's last big birthday party until it's retired for the C7, which is expected to make its first appearance at the January 2013 Detroit auto show. Ford's plans to unveil the 2015 Mustang in April '14 at the New York show aside, automotive lifecycles rarely allow new models to align with landmark anniversaries.
No matter. The 427 has neither the Polo white paint, nor the Stovebolt six, nor the Powerglide of the '53 C1. Only the six-speed manual is available. For that matter, the 427 engine is 7008 cubic centimeters in displacement, or 427.6 cubic-inches, which rounds up to 428. That's an old Ford number. Hey, at least Chevy did the opposite of Mercedes AMG's 6.2-liter 63 engine.
If you want one of these and you don't have C1-C6 in your garage, you'll be happy with the driving experience. It'll get you around corners with tremendous grip and from 0 to 60 mph 0.1-second slower than the Z06's time. Chevy claims 3.8 seconds, an 11.8-second quarter mile, 1.04-g max lateral acceleration, and 190 mph top speed.
The 60th Anniversary package is a bit overdone, for sure, though it'll never be embarrassing, like one of those purple-and-white C4 Indy 500 pace car convertibles.
The good news is that GM is paying proper attention to its iconic sports car. It's making non-performance Z06 and ZR1 performance parts available on "base" C6es, just like BMW makes M wheels, steering wheels, and trim available for non-M models, and it's proliferating the entire Corvette line, often with subtle differences, as Porsche has done with the 911 for years. What's next? Perhaps the C7 will close Corvette's handling gap versus the 911?
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