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A moment of silence, please Internet. The reign of the ‘C6' Corvette is coming to a close, and to give it one final huzzah, Chevy has rolled out a special edition.

It's called the Corvette 427 Convertible and, as the name suggests, marries the 7.0-litre V8 (427 cubic inches) from the Z06 to the drop-top body. This makes it the most powerful production Chevrolet Corvette convertible ever built, boasting 505bhp and a voluminous body of torque (470lb ft), and will see it through until its successor arrives in 2014.

And Chevy wants to sing a bit about that V8; it was co-developed with the Corvette Le-Mans winning GT1 engine, features lightweight titanium rods and intake valves, high-flow cylinder heads and a dry sump oiling system. Its even hand built for Pete's sake, and should you buy one, you can even help assemble it.