Top 5 Most Powerful Chevrolet Corvette Engines of the 2000s

The 2000s ushered in a series of powerful Corvette engines with supercar performance that elevated the Corvette to new heights.

Things changed in the 2000s. The iPhone was invented, and it changed the world forever. It was a massive leap forward in the world of technology. It instantly made the flip phone look about 100 years old. A similar leap was made under the hoods of the most powerful Corvette engines that were born in the 2000s. By the end of the decade, BASE Corvettes were making well over 400 horsepower. Suddenly a standard Corvette was making more horsepower than the L98 twin turbo Callaway from the late 1980s. And the most powerful Corvettes in the 2000s were putting out horsepower numbers that even much more expensive European supercars could not touch. The seeds of power that were planted in the 1990s were coming out in full bloom in the 2000s.

A lot of engines in this list come from the Z-series Corvettes (Z06, ZR1). However, the power boost was not limited to just those top-tier models. A regular Corvette from the middle of the decade could accelerate to 60 mph in the low 4-second range. That is serious performance. Long gone were the days when the most powerful Corvettes made less than 200 horsepower. In the 2000s Corvette performance was to the point where the rest of the world was put on notice. And these were the engines that led the charge.

5. LS2 V8 – 400 Horsepower

The LS2 V8 debuted in 2005 along with the new C6 generation Corvette. The LS2 made 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. This was a significant bump up from the 350 horsepower in the previous year LS1 engine. The LS2 displacement was increased to 6.0L compared to the 5.7L LS1. The LS2 was also about 15 pounds lighter than the LS1. This was an impressive engine and the fact that it was now the least powerful Corvette you could buy is astounding.