2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 First Drive: 1,064 HP Supercar Performance

The New 2025 Corvette ZR1

• 🚀 The 2025 Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful and extreme production model in Corvette history, boasting 1,064 horsepower and 820 lb-ft of torque.
• 💡 This new architecture was designed from the ground up with the ZR1 in mind, featuring upgrades to nearly every component, including brakes and the fuel system.

LT7 Engine and Engineering

• 🧠 The heart of the ZR1 is the 5.5L flat-plane crank LT7 engine, a twin-turbocharged evolution of the LT6 found in the Z06 and GT3 race car.
• ✨ This engine is considered a crowning achievement by the small block engine team, featuring internal components like titanium rods and lightweight pistons, and is hand-built in Bowling Green.
• 💨 The ZR1 achieves a 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds and a top speed of 233 mph, with significant downforce generated by its intentional aerodynamic design.

Track Performance and Handling

• 🏁 During a track drive at Circuit of the Americas, the ZR1, even with its immense power, proved relatively easy to drive hard, aided by Chevy's performance traction management system.
• ⚡ The car offers incredible braking ability and grip, both mechanical and aerodynamic, making its chassis tuning and handling as crucial as its straight-line speed.
• ⚠️ While the standard ZR1 with PS4 tires showed some slides on corner exits, the ZTK performance package with Cup 2R tires made driving the ZR1 an exercise in pushing personal limits.

ZR1 vs. Competitors

• ⚖️ Despite being heavier than competitors like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and McLaren 750S, the ZR1's stratospheric power figures allow it to compete with hypercars like the Ferrari SF90 and Lamborghini Revuelto.
• 💰 The ZR1 offers comparable or superior power to these hypercars at a significantly lower cost.
• 🛣️ While primarily a track-focused machine, the ZR1's behavior suggests it will be easy to live with in more common real-world settings.