If you’re looking for the ultimate in performance with a Corvette badge on the bodywork, then the new C8 Corvette ZR1 is a surefire winner, debuting this past July as the fastest and most powerful production Vette ever produced. Of course, if all you want to do is roast the rear rubber, the new ZR1 can do that too. In fact, according to Tadge Juechter, it’s easier to do a burnout in the new C8 Corvette ZR1 than it is in the C8 Corvette Z06.
For those readers who may be unaware, Tadge Juechter is the recently retired Corvette chief engineer that served as one of the driving forces behind the development of America’s sports car over four generations, including the C8 and new ZR1. Juechter retired shortly after the debut of the new C8 ZR1 after nearly a half century with GM.
Naturally, Juechter knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Corvette. In an interview with GM Authority Executive Editor Alex Luft, we asked the chief engineer if the new C8 Corvette ZR1 could do a burnout, or if it was still relatively difficult. For context, the C8’s mid-engine platform and wide rear tires make it less suited for burning rubber than the front-engine C7 Corvette.
Juechter’s reply came with a sly grin:
“Oh, it’s way easier than a Z06,” Juechter told GM Authority.
And that’s not much of a surprise. Even with a mid-engine layout and enormously sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, the C8 ZR1 is a beastly machine when it comes to engine output, throwing down the 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm thanks to the twin-turbocharged 5.5L V8 LT7 gasoline engine. The new LT7 is essentially a boosted variant of the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6, the same powerplant that motivates the C8 Z06, and in fact, the LT7 is nothing short of the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by a mainstream automaker.
So, yeah, the ZR1 can do a burnout. Tadge said so.
Comments
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 photos on that link don’t seem available. Is it my Duckduckgo browser?
Listening to someone at the Corvette museum talk about driving this car, they said it accelerates quicker from 80mph on than it does from 0 to 80.
Wow! A 1,064 Hp, very impressive and I’m happy that an American company engineered this beast. However I’m willing to bet that the majority of the folks that purchase one of these beasts and are not going to race them are going to make the ZR1 into a garage queen. There just aren’t a lot of places to open it up unless you get your rocks off using it in the stop light Grand Prix.
Never-the-less I hope the folks that participate in legitimate racing events enjoy tremendous success.
It would be great if GM built one for everyone who wants to truly buy one