Wild new Corvette ZR1 makes 1,078hp…

We’ve always known to expect the truly mad stuff from ZR1 Corvettes. To prove the toughness of the LT5 V8 in the C4 generation, Chevrolet sent it around an oval flat out for a day – and covered more than 4,200 miles. The C6 ZR1 had as much power as a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 for a fraction of the price. And the previous C7 had more than twice the horsepower of that record-breaking C4. So this latest, mid-engined ZR1 was always going to be super silly – but we weren’t expecting this. Thanks to a twin-turbocharged version of the 5.5-litre, flat-plane crank first seen in the current Z06, what you’re looking at here is a 1,078hp, purely combustion, rear-wheel drive, 215 mph-plus Corvette. 

It sounds like one of those crazy tuner builds, where a 650hp supercar has two turbos strapped on it for ludicrous performance, and yet that’s exactly what Chevrolet appears to have done. It’s the first turbo’d Corvette from the factory, no less. LT7 is the new engine designation, described by Chevy as ‘the result of engineering prowess and pushing the boundaries of what the engine architecture can do’. To that end, as well as a pair of single-scroll, 76mm turbos integrated into the exhaust manifold (so they can spool up quicker), the V8 gets an all-new intake system, bespoke exhaust and intake ports, different valve timing and cam profiles, a larger combustion chamber with its own pistons and rods plus secondary port fuel injection to keep a monstrously greedy engine well fed. 

The important numbers are 1,064 imperial horsepower – so 1,078 metric – at 7,000rpm (presumably this won’t go quite to the Z06’s 8,600rpm, but let’s see), and 828lb ft at 6,000rpm. It’s gonna rev alright. Chevy says the ZR1 has already clocked sub-10-second quarter miles in testing, as well as more than 200mph on laps of the Nurburgring, with the top speed said to be in excess of 215mph. At which speed it’ll also be generating more than 550kg of downforce. The eight-speed DCT has been beefed up to handle the huge increases in power and torque, with upgraded inner and output shaft plus shot peening for all gears to increase strength. Like the LT6 naturally aspirated version, the LT7 twin turbo V8 – together they’re called the ‘Gemini V8’ family – will be hand-assembled in Kentucky. 

Once upon a time, ZR1s were about straight-line speed and little else, but that’s not the case this time around. As standard – the blue car in the pictures – the twin-turbo cars gets Magneride dampers, a carbon front splitter, a flow-through hood like a Ferrari S-duct to cool air and increase downforce, plus Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (275/30 ZR 20 front, 345/25 ZR21 rear). That’s probably not the Corvette you’re looking at, however.

The yellow ZR1 gets the track-focused ZTK package, with the fixed rear wing, front dive planes and Cup 2R tyres in the same size. It also has stiffer springs than the standard car and additional underbody aero features. The carbon aero bits will be available with the standard chassis, and there’s an exclusive carbon wheel option also to trim 19kg from the unsprung mass. A carbon roof has been introduced for both coupe and convertible. Chevy’s stats say 1,665kg dry for the hardtop and 1,705kg by the same measure for the convertible, or about 100kg lighter than a dry Lamborghini Revuelto – with even more power.

Following the biggest and best theme, the ZR1 gets the largest front brakes ever seen on a Corvette – 400mm ceramic discs – with 390mm items on the rear axle. Said to use ‘revolutionary carbon ceramic rotor manufacturing technology’ for durability and reduced temps, the brakes allow this new Corvette to go from 80mph to 200mph and back to 80mph again – don’t ask why that’s a test, we don’t know – 22 per cent faster than the old car. That being the one with 765hp. 

Chevrolet is so proud of what it’s achieved with this ZR1, in fact, that it’s brought back one of the most distinctive Corvette cues ever for this model – the split rear window. So nobody is going to mistake it for any ordinary C8, and it actually benefits engine bay cooling. Alongside Hysteria Purple, Competition Yellow and Sebring Orange, Edge Blue will be a special colour for it, because ZR1s and blue have a long history, and there will be ‘various full-length racing stripes’ available to customers. This is still a Corvette, after all. They’ve even kept the nose lift.

Fair to say the latest King of the Hill is promising a lot, then. As well as the Nordschleife the ZR1 has been testing at Road Atlanta and Virginia International Raceway, with some stunning laptimes surely guaranteed. “We went into the ZR1 program with lofty goals, but even our first development tests on track showed the teams were already exceeding them,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette executive chief engineer. “As we worked to develop this car, we continued to leap past expectations, and we knew we had a special Corvette on our hands.” Of course, he’s likely to say that, but think how well this generation of Corvette has been received – from standard Stingray to hybrid E-Ray – and it’s probably reasonable to be extremely excited.  Production kicks off next year.