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Road Test: The New Corvette ZR1 Bests European Rivals With True Hypercar Performance

We piloted the beastly model variant around Circuit of the Americas and found it to be a Corvette we never thought possible.

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas. General Motors

In 98-degree heat, I’m rocking the 2025 Corvette ZR1 around Circuit of the Americas (COTA), where every riveting lap—faster, then faster again—feels like a statement. With Austin’s growing skyline shimmering in the distance, the nation’s only dedicated Formula 1 circuit suits this fantastical new Corvette like smoky sauce on Texas brisket.

For Corvette’s multitalented engineers, COTA is the latest stop on a whirlwind U.S. tour that has seen company drivers smash lap records for production cars at such storied tracks as Watkins Glen, Road America, and Road Atlanta. Big-name European rivals have fallen by the wayside, often by several seconds per lap. These include cars you might think could whip any Corvette, such as a McLaren Senna, a Porsche GT2 RS and a GT3 RS, even non-street-legal racers like a Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo and a Porsche 911 Cup car.

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas.
The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas. General Motors

On an oval track in Germany, General Motors president Mark Reuss drove a 1,064 hp ZR1 to 233 mph, the highest top speed in history for an American production car. The most improbable part? This American hypercar is one that anyone can buy at their local Chevy dealer, built in Kentucky with no production limits or multiyear waiting lists. 

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Design

In 2020, the C8 Corvette brought a mid-engine revolution to a classic automobile that rewrote America’s sports-car scene in 1953. A reborn Z06 model upped the standard C8’s game, followed by a versatile 650 hp E-Ray hybrid. The ZR1 stands on their brawny shoulders, and tops them all. Unabashedly aggressive—especially with its skyscraping carbon-fiber rear wing, part of an optional ZTK Track Package—the ZR1 is about track driving first, streets second. Fans will appreciate the murderous Motown form, juxtaposed with visual detours inspired by Italian mid-engine cars.

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas.
Body enhancements pin the ZR1 to the pavement with up to 1,200 pounds of aerodynamic downforce. General Motors

Coupe or convertible, it’s an assemblage of switchblades, spears, rippling muscle, and stealth-fighter cues. But it all goes back to function. Louvers in the rakish glass hatch instantly recall the classic split-window Sting Ray of 1963, the one-year-only styling created by GM designer Larry Shinoda, the son of Japanese immigrants. Here, those louvers help extract heat from the engine bay. For ZR1 coupes, new ducts atop rear fenders capture fresh combustion air. 

The interior of a 2025 Corvette ZR1.
Unfortunately, this year’s ZR1 doesn’t integrate the redesigned interior that Chevrolet has unveiled for 2026 Corvettes. General Motors

Inside a cocooning, yet comfortable, cabin, the Corvette is all business; from its “squircle” shaped steering wheel to its informative (if busy) driver displays. If there’s one temporary letdown, it’s that this 2025 model doesn’t integrate the redesigned interior that Chevrolet has unveiled for 2026 Corvettes, including larger and more-intuitive screens, and a useful passenger grab handle replacing a cumbersome bridge of analog switches. If any car could use a handle for terrified shotgun riders, it’s this one. 

Power Train and Hardware

Two years ago, when Chevrolet began developing history’s first turbocharged factory Corvette, 800 hp seemed a reasonable target. Then, ambitious Corvette engineers saw 1,000 hp within tempting reach, and went for it. They developed the “Maniturbo,” an especially compact, power-boosting design. They lavishly upgraded the Z06’s famously Ferrari-esque, ultra-high-revving 5.5-liter engine, which included giving it titanium connecting rods. The resulting 1,064 hp and 828 ft lbs of torque are figures more akin to those from a high-performance EV, not a Chevrolet that runs on 93-octane gas.

The small-block 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 inside a 2025 Corvette ZR1.
The ZR1 is fit with a small-block 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, which delivers 828 ft lbs of torque. General Motors

Still, engineers didn’t quit. Speed sensors let turbos run closer to their safe operating limits. For the largest, most powerful turbos ever found on a GM car, it was critical to combat turbo lag. They developed a dynamic anti-lag system that can preserve turbo energy even when drivers are charging into corners and not touching the accelerator. Instead of unpredictable spikes of power when you jump back on the gas, the boost-in-reserve gives the ZR1 a wonderfully progressive, predictable response. 

There’s more. The Corvette team calls the ZTK-equipped car “the Downforce King.” Body enhancements pin the ZR1 to the pavement with up to 1,200 pounds of aerodynamic downforce. That’s 33 percent more than a Z06. A “flow-through” hood is the cheat code here, a provocative well in the bonnet that sucks air over the hood and roof, aided by a carbon-fiber “Gurney” lip. Then there are the two new heat exchangers up front that boost the total radiator count to 15. Front aero dive planes and underbody strakes keep this ‘Vette feeling stable at speeds over 200 mph, and new rear brake scoops help chill massive carbon-ceramic brakes that held up during all-day lapping at COTA, despite sizzling ambient temperatures.

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas.
The ZR1 covers zero to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and the quarter-mile sprint in 9.6 seconds. General Motors

Performance

The numbers seem to add up to internal-combustion-engine overkill and intimidation, especially in a rear-wheel-drive sports car. Specs include a 2.3-second launch to 60 mph from a standstill, and a 9.6-second quarter-mile sprint done at 150 mph. Oh, and there’s that Bugatti-like 233 mph top speed. Yes, the ZR1 feels faster than the Batmobile running late for a costume party at Wayne Manor. But the most remarkable thing about the ZR1 is how accessible that superhero performance is to everyday citizens. Designers and engineers sought a ZR1 that was world-beating, yet approachable and refined.

After a few lead-follow sessions on track, chasing record-setting Corvette engineers such as Bill Wise and Brian Wallace, I’m turned loose on this serious circuit comprising 20 highly technical corners. No worries. Within minutes, I’m nipping 177 mph down the long straight at COTA, paddling through eight automatic gears, and thrilling to 8,000 rpm fusillades from the new Gemini LT7 engine. (The ZR1 is designed to eke out 8,100 rpm in sixth gear alone.)

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas.
The optional ZTK package on our test car increases the stiffness of the springs by 10 percent and includes custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires. General Motors

For driving-club members, amateur racers, and other serious track drivers, the ZTK Package is a must. Besides the lurid wing, upgrades include 10-percent stiffer springs and the car’s unsung heroes—custom Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, which palpably boost the ZR1’s grip and the driver’s confidence, versus the solid but more street-oriented Pilot Sport 4S tires on standard versions. I charge up COTA’s dramatic 130-foot tall hill past the grandstands, attack the esses, and enjoy every bit of 1.3 g’s of intense lateral grip through a responsive steering wheel. Chevrolet calls the ZR1 an ultimate track weapon. At this moment, it feels more like my best bud, and, for this native of Detroit, a Corvette the likes of which I never thought possible.

Is It Worth It?

“Value” has long been a Corvette watchword. The ZR1 takes that word and blows it up to 72-point type. On track, the ZR1 will meet or beat exotics like the $608,000 Lamborghini Revuelto, the $525,000 Ferrari SF90, or the $245,000 Porsche 911 GT3 RS with the Weissach Package. It does this for an inviting starting price of $174,995 for the coupe, or $184,995 for the hardtop convertible. The ZR1 also maintains the Corvette’s signature daily-driving attributes, with comfortable seats, a trunk big enough for golf bags and road-trip luggage, and a livable ride from its magnetic suspension. With no knock on a standard-issue C8 Corvette, the ZR1 is a serious target for collectors, including iconoclasts who prefer to zig where others zag. Oh, and you can service this Corvette at any Chevy dealer from coast to coast.

 

The 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Texas.
On an oval track in Germany, General Motors president Mark Reuss drove a ZR1 to 233 mph. General Motors

Specifications

Vehicle Type: Two-seat supercar

In Production Since: 2025

Power Train 

  • Twin-turbocharged 6.2-liter V-8
  • 1,064 hp, 828 ft lbs of torque

Performance

  • Zero to 60 mph: 2.3 seconds
  • Top speed: 233 mph

Base price

  • $174,995 for the coupe; $184,995 for the hardtop convertible

The Coupe as Tested

  • Estimated at $184,990

Click here for more photos of the 2025 Corvette ZR1.

Driving the 2025 Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas. General Motors

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