2013 Chevrolet Corvette offers 427 convertible collector's-edition model

The C6 Chevrolet Corvette is going out in style--and with plenty of performance.

Chevrolet confirmed on Thursday that the 2013 Corvette will be the final year for the sixth generation of its iconic sports car, which it will send off with a 427 convertible collector's edition and a 60th-anniversary package.

The cars will be shown in the flesh on Jan. 21 at the Barrett-Jackson auction ahead of their launch this summer. The first 427 convertible will be auctioned at the Las Vegas sale with the proceeds going to the Drive to End Hunger relief program.

As the name implies, the 427 edition has a 427-cubic-inch LS7 engine borrowed from the Z06, and it's rated at 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Chevy says this is the most powerful production convertible in Corvette's history. This model will be offered only with a six-speed manual. Carbon fiber is used for the raised hood, the Z06-style fenders and floor panels and as an option for the front splitter and rocker panels.

The 427 rolls on 19-inch wheels front with 20-inchers rear. Black cup and chrome ZR1 wheels are options. The car checks in at a lithe 3,355 pounds and can blitz to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

The 427 follows in the lineage of special models offered from 1966 to 1969, before displacement expanded to 454 cubic inches.

Meanwhile, the 60th-anniversary edition offers arctic white paint, special badging, a carbon-fiber splitter and rocker panels and a 60th-anniversary gauge cluster and sill plates. There's also an optional stripe package. The 60th-anniversary trim will be available on all 2013-model-year Corvettes, and the convertibles have a blue top.

By Greg Migliore