Sealy, Texas—Beneath the carbon-fiber hood of the seventh-generation Corvette Stingray throbs the most powerful base engine ever offered: the 455-bhp 6.2-liter LT1 V-8, a direct- injected aluminum powerplant that, amazingly, can launch you to 60 mph in just over 4 seconds yet still return up to 30 mpg on the highway.

The power is certainly ample, but we at Hennessey are never content with stock levels and prefer nice round numbers…how does 500 or 600 horsepower at the crank strike you? It's as easy as buying our upgrade packages through an authorized Chevrolet dealership or having the installation performed at a Hennessey facility near Houston, Texas, or in Lake Forest, California.

The HPE500 upgrade ($4,995 installed) consists of stainless steel long-tube headers, high-flow cats, and midpipes that mate with the excellent standard-issue rear exhaust section.

Provided you have the dual-mode performance exhaust already (a $1195 stand-alone option available on any Corvette trim level from the factory), you can tune the exhaust note from near-stock rumble to civil-disobedience roar by rotating a console-mounted **** from Touring to Sport to Track. An HPE engine computer calibration completes the powertrain changes, and exclusivity is guaranteed with an engraved aluminum dash plaque whose serial number denotes the build order in a production run limited to 500 units (for example, 01/500). Opt for the HPE600 upgrade ($10,950 installed) and there's a full 600 horsepower on tap.

Starting with the HPE500 baseline, we add an HPE-spec hydraulic roller camshaft and increase airflow by porting and polishing the factory cylinder heads. Of course, another proprietary HPE tune of the engine computer ensures proper fuel delivery and spark advance for the ultimate in normally aspirated C7 performance, delivered with 93-octane premium pump gas.

There's much more C7 performance on the horizon—up to 1000 crank horsepower through supercharger and twin-turbo upgrades currently under development—but you can make a more powerful visual statement through optional exterior upgrades such as our new Hennessey H10 forged monoblock wheels (10-spoke alloys that, in Z51 Package sizes, accept the C7's original-equipment tires and reduce unsprung weight by a significant 19 lb), HPE carbon-fiber door sills and Hennessey CarbonAero bodywork—a a deep front splitter, side sills and a more aggressive notched rear wing crafted from hand-laid carbon fiber.

Both the HPE500 and HPE600 packages include Hennessey exterior badging as well as Hennessey carbon fiber door sill plates and are covered by HPE's 3-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranty.