The Fastest Quarter-Mile Time For A Naturally Aspirated Small Block V8

Mar 03, 2025

Think fast small block and big block cars, and your mind will likely drift to the mighty muscle cars of the past. The 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS 396 kicked off the big block muscle car genre, whereas small blocks have found their way into hugely influential and iconic American cars. Muscle cars might be changing – with the new Dodge Charger turning to electric power – but there is one car on sale today that is the quickest over the quarter mile and features a naturally aspirated small block V8.

This all-American hero has sizzling performance from its special V8 but is more svelte supercar than a muscle car. When it comes to the quarter mile, very few cars can keep up with it, and this epic performance is all achieved without a turbocharger or supercharger in sight.

HotCars used specialist websites and official manufacturer data to assess what is the fastest naturally aspirated small block car available. We also used Kelley Blue Book to look at secondhand prices for this particular model.

With a sub-11-second 1/4 mile time, this Ford isn't messing around.

In 2021, two years after the first production mid-engine Corvette Stingray debuted, the bold eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was launched. This new car promised to take the Corvette into supercar territory and beyond, with a raft of new tech and incredible statistics to go with it. The 2023 model year Z06 brought with it an all-new 5.5L DOHC V8 engine, which, despite the trend to turbocharge virtually anything you could pour gasoline into, stuck to an old muscle car principle of old-fashioned naturally aspirated power.

This new mill, dubbed the LT6, featured an all-new aluminum cylinder block casting with the Small Block engine family’s signature 4.4-inch (111.76 mm) bore spacing. This was a race-proven engine, too, with a version of the LT6 powering the C8.R race cars since 2019. The LT6 also has a pretty cool claim to fame: the 5.5-liter mill is the highest horsepower, naturally-aspirated V8 to hit the market in any production car. Ever. It's worth remembering that the previous generation C7, like this one, had a supercharged V8.

The L6's all-new flat-plane crankshaft design helps the engine rev to a heady 8,600 rpm, helping to increase power, with the result being a staggering output of 670 horsepower. The torque figure is suitably beefy too, rated at 460 lb-ft, especially in a car that weighs 3666 lbs. Unsurprisingly, performance in the Z06 is on a different level.

The Z06 will hit 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, 100 mph in 5.9 seconds, and 130 mph in 10.3 seconds. For the quarter mile, the Z06 is devastatingly quick, especially for a naturally aspirated car, completing the distance in 10.5 seconds. For comparison, the Z06 is just a whisker away from keeping up with a Bugatti Veyron, and that is a hypercar with double the cylinders and four turbochargers.

Don Yenko-led projects were often great, but few had the charm of this particular small block V8.

Engine

5.5-liter V8

Power

670 hp

Torque

460 lb-ft

0-60 mph

2.6 seconds

Quarter Mile

10.5 seconds

Source: Chevrolet

The LT6 is a very special engine. This powerplant is hand-assembled by master engine builders, using precision tooling and hand fit pieces, at the Performance Build Center within the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky. The Z06's new V8 has an all-new dual-overhead-camshaft cylinder head design with fully CNC-machined combustion chambers and intake ports.

There are dual-coil valve springs to support titanium intake and sodium-filled exhaust valves, plus lightweight and strong forged aluminum pistons and forged titanium connecting rods. The LT6 also features an all-new six-stage dry-sump oiling system with individual crank bay scavenging and four-into-two-into-one stainless steel exhaust headers. The transmission is improved over the Stingray. The eight-speed dual-clutch 'box has a special “shorter” 5.56 final drive ratio compared to the base car to further improve acceleration.

To handle the extra power over its Stingray sibling, the Z06's suspension set-up has been uniquely calibrated. Magnetic Selective Ride Control 4.0 is standard and has different settings depending on usage. The Driver Mode Selector allows the car to be switched easily between touring comfort or maximum track performance. The Z06 also has wider fenders to allow larger, wider wheels and tires to be fitted too. There is improved cooling for the engine, brakes, and transaxle too, designed to keep the Z06 at the right temperature during track days.

The Z06 also has a Z07 performance package available for those who live for the track. The package includes goodies such as a carbon fiber high rear wing, specific chassis tuning, Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, and optional carbon fiber wheels.

This Ford small-block V8 delivers an astonishing amount of horsepower, all without the help of turbos or superchargers.

Engine

Twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8

Power

1,064 hp

Torque

828 lb-ft

0-60 mph

2.3 seconds

Quarter Mile

9.6 seconds

Source: Chevrolet

With the C8 Corvette ZR1, GM attempted to push the boundaries of what a small block is capable of. The ZR1’s 5.5-liter LT7 twin-turbocharged DOHC V8 engine starts out with the same architecture as Z06’s LT6, but then turns it up to 11. The LT6's “Small Block Gemini” architecture created massive power without the need for forced induction, but as the ZR1 would be the pinnacle, all bets were off. The result was a supercar, with a price tag around $175K, which is quicker than some hypercars.

The Corvette ZR1’s 5.5-liter, twin-turbo DOHC flat-plane crank LT7 engine is good for an incredible 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft (1123 Nm) of torque at 6,000 rpm. Chevrolet had created the most powerful V8 ever produced in America from an auto manufacturer. The top speed is 233 mph, but that's not the most impressive stat. The ZR1 can accelerate to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and covers the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds, making it one of the fastest road cars ever timed over this iconic distance.

As the Corvette Z06 only hit the streets for the model year 2023, there aren't that many cheap ones around. Kelley Blue Book puts the Fair Purchase Price of a 2023 Z06 at $109,295, which is still a decent saving over the new price of $127,185, especially as a few options can quickly raise the price by tens of thousands. The visible carbon-fiber wheels cost $11,995, for example. We found a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 coupe with 8,000 miles on the clock that sold for $103,010 in 2025 - that's a saving of at least $25,000 over a new car.

Sources: KBB.com; Chevrolet.com

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