Chevy put the first 427 big-block engine into their famous Corvette back in 1966, and a legend was born thereafter. By the 70s, fuel-efficiency became the favor over power for consumers, and the 427 engine was dropped from the lineup. However, to this day, 427 convertibles from the 1966 to 1969 model years are some of the most valuable Corvettes every produced. And in those four years, the Corvette set a new benchmark for performance cars.

We have some good news for all you Corvette fans out there: the 427 is back! In honor of the 60^th anniversary of the very first Corvette, Chevy has announced their 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition. Rated at 505 horsepower and 427 lb.-ft. of torque, it's the most powerful Corvette since the famous car first hit the streets in 1963. At a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, the first example of the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible was auctioned for $600,000. This was the first model to be sold to the public before the 2013 Corvettes hit dealerships like Felix Chevrolet this summer.

But let's talk more specifically about the car itself. Chevrolet took the 427-cubic-inch LS7 engine, the driveline and rear axle system, rear-mounted battery and Magnetic Selective Ride Control from the Corvette Z06, and combined that with styling elements from the ZR1 to create a lightweight and powerful convertible. The automaker also used carbon-fiber elements from the Z06, including the raised hood, fenders, and floor panels, which drops the weight of the convertible to 3,355 pounds, for a power-to-weight ratio of one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of vehicle mass.

With these tweaks, the power-to-weight ratio  of the 2013 Corvette 427 is better than some of the world's fastest convertibles, including the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and the R8 5.2 RSI Spyder. The Collector Edition Corvette delivers a 0-to-60 sprint time of just 3.8 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 11.8 seconds, and a breathtaking top speed of nearly 200 mph.

This isn't the first year Chevy is offering an Anniversary Package for the Corvette. And it's definitely not the first year that they're offering a Collector Edition of the Corvette. But, it is the Corvette's 60^th Anniversary, and, 2013 marks the final production year for the current-gen "C6" Corvette, so this is the first year that Chevrolet plans to release both at the same time.

Production numbers for these models have yet to be released, so be sure to stay tuned with Felix Chevrolet, located at 3330 S Figueroa Street, to learn more about the 2013 Corvette. Can't wait for the special edition? Stop by our showroom and take a look at all of the new Corvette models that are destined to go down in history as some of the best cars of our time.