When the 2015 Corvette Z06 originally broke cover at the 2014 North American International Auto Show six months ago, the power estimations were conservative. At the time, Chevrolet would *only* claim 625 horsepower and 625 foot-pounds of torque, with the subtle hint that there could be more after official SAE testing is done.

Guess what. SAE testing is done. And lordy, do we have ourselves a winner. Because officially, the 2015 Corvette Z06 is the most powerful production car GM has built, and will be one of the ten most powerful vehicles for sale in the United States of America for 2015.Officially, the power ratings rest at 650(!) horsepower of work rate @ 6,400 RPM and 650(!) foot-pounds of twisting force at 3,600 RPM, thanks to its incredibly power-dense 6.2L LT4 supercharged V8 engine. In fact, it’s more powerful than the SRT Viper, McLaren 650S and Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4. The $295,000 Ferrari FF hardly beats it, at 651 hp.

Pretty sure what you’re hearing now is the Star Spangled Banner beautifully emanating from the dyno charts.

The new LT4 is the driving force of the 2015 Z06. This jet engine disguised as a supercharged V8 has 457 lb-ft (619 Nm) just off idle and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) at only 2,800 rpm. The V-12-powered Ferrari Berlinetta, for example, produces about 28 percent less torque than the Z06, despite offering about 12 percent more horsepower – and its peak torque isn’t achieved until 6,000 rpm. The LT4 maintains 90 percent of its peak torque, or 592 lb-ft (802 Nm), from 2,500 to 5,400 rpm. Such is the nature of forced induction.

Compared to its LS-engine predecessors, the 2015 Z06 produces 40 percent more peak torque (180 lb-ft / 244 Nm) than the previous-generation’s 7.0L LS7 engine – and 7.5 percent more than the supercharged 2013 Corvette ZR1’s 604 lb-ft (819 Nm). At 3,200 rpm, the new LT4 surpasses the LS7 by 208 lb-ft of torque (252 Nm). On the horsepower side of the graph, the LT4’s 650-hp rating is 29 percent greater than the LS7’s 505 horsepower (376 kW), and 12 horses more than the ZR1’s LS9 engine. That’s evolution. And don’t forget, it’s the only vehicle that will be on sale with over 650 hp/lb-ft which will channel its power through either a seven-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.

Now, about that 0-60 time…