When the C8 Corvette ZR1 made its world debut back in July 2024, it stunned the sports car world by cradling the most powerful V8 engine ever produced in America from an automaker. And thanks to the added handling prowess of its available ZTK Performance Package, the Corvette ZR1 is now breaking racetrack lap time records across the U.S.
GM engineers from left to right: William (Bill) Wise, Ron Morris III, Brian Wallace, Tyler Michaud, Chris Barber, Nick Menning and Aaron Link.
According to Chevy, the Corvette ZR1 recently set five new lap records on four different racetracks with various GM drivers behind the wheel of a Torch Red pre-production unit equipped with the optional ZTK Performance Package (RPO ZTK) as well as the ZR1 Carbon Fiber Aero Package (RPO TOM).
- Lead Performance Engineer, Chassis Controls, Bill Wise set a lap record of 1:52.7 on the long course at Watkins Glen in New York.
- Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer Brian Wallace set a lap record of 2:08.6 at Road America in Wisconsin.
- Lead Development Engineer Chris Barber set a lap record of 1:22.8 at Road Atlanta in Georgia.
- Global Vehicle Performance Manager Aaron Link set a lap record of 1:47.7 on the Virginia International Raceway Full Course, in addition to a lap record of 2:32.3 on the VIR Grand Course.
These engineers have a combined 65 years of GM Level 6 driving experience, seemingly the top of the automaker’s driver certification program. They all achieved Nürburgring Industry Pool certification as well. In short, they know their way around a track.
And yet, Chevy points out that the Corvette ZR1’s performance and handling potential is exploitable by various drivers, as each engineer that set lap time records has their own driving style. “Future customers don’t need to be professional drivers to extract the ultimate performance of the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1.”
While ZR1 buyers don’t have to be pro pilots, they probably should have some experience in high-powered sports cars. After all, the C8 Corvette ZR1 is equipped with the twin-turbocharged 5.5L V8 LT7 engine that belts out 1,064 horses and 828 pound-feet of torque, all sent to the rear wheels via the GM eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. GM claims the ZR1 can blast from 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, clear the quarter-mile in 9.6 seconds, and reach a top speed of 233 mph.
Pricing for the 2025 Corvette ZR1 starts at $174,995 including the destination freight charge. Available on both 1LZ and 3LZ trim levels of the coupe and the convertible, the ZTK Performance Package costs $1,500 and includes the ZTK suspension with Magnetic Selective Ride Control (RPO FEJ) as well as the 275/30ZR20 front and 345/25ZR21 rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. However, the package also requires selecting the $8,495 ZR1 Carbon Fiber Aero Package that adds the high-wing spoiler, dive planes and the tall hood spoiler, all finished in visible carbon fiber.
The Corvette ZR1 will be built at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky, as is the case with all other C8 Corvette variants. The ZR1 configurator is now live and dealers are set to start submitting orders, while the start of regular production is expected to start in the second quarter of 2025.
Comments
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the new ZR1 is fast. However, I am 72 years old, and have owned my C7 ZR1 3ZR in Sebring Orange for 3 years… its of the generation that truly defined the real corvette. A long hood, a roaring unapologetic supercharged V8 up front, and a manual transmission for real enthusiasts. The last untamed beast. A proper blower screaming under the hood, and a driving experience that separated the men from the boys. It is raw, loud, and proud, standing tall in the face of an era that wanted cars to be woke, quiet, generic, and “efficient.”
Then came the C8 ZR1.. a twin-turbo Ferrari in a Corvette skin missing its soul. Mid-engine… and that over-engineered DCT junk waiting to fail like in every other C8. The C8 ZR1 is the car equivalent of a man who once had integrity but threw it all away to fit in. Once a strong, true American patriot, he now speaks in hushed tones (turbocharged)…… it is what happens when a man trades his steel-toed boots for loafers, swaps his whiskey for Kombucha, forces a fake Italian accent, and starts tying his hair up in a man-bun because his “partner” says it makes him look sophisticated. It just doesn’t look right to this old-timer.
Ron
Gotta say, I like how both the C7 and C8 are different, and maybe for different buyers. That said, I did really enjoy reading your comment. Keep it up Ol’ Timer! Stay with us for many years to come and keep us entertained with your words. I am 55yrs, btw.
Thanks for the kind words, John. I wish you all the best.
We mock the things we are to be….
No one cares Ron. at 72 your generation is over with, us young guys will continue with this amazing car
I can tell you from experience that It’s tough, at 73, to be a “has been”. But as bad as that is, it’s much better than being a younger “never been”. Everyone has a right to like what like. Chevy Guru? Sounds like you might be a “Legend in your own mind”.
get over yourself, who cares. Enjoy the car or dont and move on
Sounds like something you should say to the mirror each morning.
Ignorance must be bliss. Zora-Arkus Duntov always wanted his creation to go mid engine to compete with europe’s best. Have a grandchild show you how to google “cerv”.
Who pissed in your cheerios? I bet my life that ZR1 has never seen a track day it was designed for. While I enjoy a MT as much as the next car guy (and I have one in my garage) and was sad the C8 didn’t offer one, it needed to go mid-engine and DCT to go to the next level against real competition and not be compared to a mustang. What is funny, that loafer wearing and kombucha drinking man would drive circles around you at a track in either car. Time to get with the times old man, you are being left behind…
Ladies, ladies…please!
You’re both pretty, ok?
At 73 my grandkids my have to show me how to navigate the interwebs, but sit them in the drivers seat of my ’72 convertible and they can’t figure out what the extra pedal is for.
With commentary like that, I can all but guarantee that you’re a MAGA-nut.
And just like that, someone has to ruin all of the fun….
Would that be a cashew or an almond?
With your comment I can all but guarantee you are a guilt ridden, self loathing, soft as a marshmallow, weak as a baby, scared of everything, offended by anything leftist.
The best to be said is if you don’’t continue to move forward you will get left behind.
Corvette refused to move forward in the C3 and C4 it nearly killed the car with sales dying.
The C8 has proven to regenerate sales and they are selling better than they have in years.
Change is not easy but the Corvette has to change. I love my C5 due to the new platform and the LS and the old like simplicity vs the C7. But I understand the need to move on.
You can’t play the emotional game here this is business.
Truer words never spoken.
I’ve had two emotionally thrilling automobiles in my life (82 yrs old) a 58 Studebaker Golden Hawk (supercharged) and a 94 Viper (naturally aspirated). Both cars were all about the power plant. A free breathing supercharged engine is really thrilling to drive. A large cubic inch naturaly aspirated ICE is also music to my ears. I’m with the “old guy”.
I told you folks its nothing more than this year’s GM entry in racing…It’s not for you.
Up until a few months ago, I didn’t know that there are vette guys that didn’t see the mid-engine vette as true corvette until my buddy that has a C-7 grand sport informed me as such. Thus, I wondered why GM didn’t make both cars for sale at the same time. There was still sales mileage to be had with the C-7. Kind of like when GM quit making the 69 Camaro too soon. I’ve had a corvette since I was 16 years old except for when I bought a 96 Viper GTS coupe because I didn’t care for the C-5 design. In those 49 years, I had one automatic vette. Hated it! I’ll never buy a C-8 because of the slush box. The vast, vast majority of vette’s never make it to the track. So, don’t give me the BS of keeping up with this or that car. It’s all about the fun to drive factor. Mashing the gas peddle and seeing how fast the auto tranny takes to hit a 100MPH isn’t much of thrill. I can do that in any number of my other vehicles. Seeing if I can launch without roasting the tires and then if I can get rubber from 3rd to 4th gear is something you young buckster’s will never experience. Too bad. BTW, the Viper was a take no prisoners car…it was awesome. AND for the curious, why did I sell the Viper which I still regret to this day, because I bought 66 427 side exhaust rag top vette.
David, all your thoughts are well spoken, except one reference, the DCT in C8 is not a “slush box”. Your reference is to torque converters and sun gear planetary systems with lots of wet clutches throughout. There is no torque converter in a C8, or any parts of an automatic transmission. Look it up. Good luck.
Correct, thanks.
Between the twin turbos, that awful DCT, GM’s unscrupulous dealers, ludicrous ADMs, the fight to get one, constraints, the average service departments complete lack of qualification and trustworthiness to repair a car that expensive/complicated combined with the kind of abrasively feminine owners who frequent Corvette Forum make the C8 ZR1 about as unappealing to me as DebRedZR1 in a bathing suit.
Even at twice the price, the manual C7 ZR1 is still the king of the hill. The C8 ZR1 is for car show posers, brochure racers, YouTubers, soy drinkers and Guitar Hero drivers who like flappy paddle automatics. Hard pass.
Yeah , Ferrari, Porsche, and literally every other world class winning car maker must have no idea what they are doing. You need to get them up to speed. They are waiting for your advice… lol
At 5 times the cost of a vette!!!!
Abrasively feminine? What does that mean? How triggered are you by men who don’t happen to adhere to out of date ideas of what masculinity should be?
Your conclusions are WAY TOO EARLY….
Give this generation time.
Ferraris are more “feminine” than the Corvette, if that is what you are on about
They will only be built for three months with an estimated 400 to 500 to be completed. Only the treasured few behind Rick Hendricks will ever own one. I saw a video of the 1000 H.P. John Player Special brought out storage for a run and a very skilled driver couldn’t control it. Good luck to the would be Mario Andretti who gets one and doesn’t get killed
So much misinformation in this series of comments…..
The build dates and numbers to be constructed are GM’s figures for 2025.
My 2023 HTC was the first automatic I’ve bought and I am fine paddle shifting. I did press an imaginary clutch many times the first month
you actually own one, can feel it “clunk” when downshifting, feel it using Hill Assist when up or down hill, and still you think it is an automatic??? Better not be surprised when you have to have the two clutches replaced… It is a maintenance item.
I think the setting of lap times is pretty cool. As for everything being said here…. one of our Corvette Club members has the coveted 2019 ZR1 , a 2013 ZR1, and a C8, he drove each over the same exact section of local road we all use for spirited driving. His honest comment was how well the C8 does everything due to its technology. Nothing outrageous, just a good honest side by side comparison of a guy who has the skill and the product to make a knowledgeable comparison. I trust his judgement.
I know a lot of guys all dressed up in Harley Davidson clothing, that cannot afford, so do not own a Harley, or any motorcycle. But they like the clothes. And refuse to acknowledge any other motorcycle as being worthy of being a motorcycle. All clothes, no bike. It seems an awful lot of C8 bashing comes from non C8 owners, possibly people who have never driven one. Sour Grapes?
Studies show 85 percent of all adults never got past the stage of adolesence . Arrested Development. Yet, get to play along using their nonsense and calling it common sense. Other studies show that literally every human being is quite sure they are in the top 5 percent of intelligence and capabilities. Then there are the few who are quite aware that those that think they know eveything, are bothering those that do.
Food, Where did you get all that from. That nut job Joe Rogan.
I met Tadge , and several engineers and Bowling Green factory workers while at the anniversary this year. If you ridicule their creations and stunning achievements you really are not getting it. You do not understand.
Back in the old days we bought Mcleod Clutches for our dragstrip cars, the 60’s and 70’s. I will forgive the youngsters for not knowing. But the self proclaimed older-wiser people here, I have this QUESTION – McLeod part number TR-9080 is a clutch rebuild kit for a Corvette C8. Why would McLeod be making a selling a Friction Clutch for a car that you keep saying is an Automatic ? Fake News? Misinformation, mistake? Or, did someone invent something new while you were at the classic car show? We engineers can explain stuff, but we cannot understand it for you. Gotta Keep up. World is literally racing right by you. I really want to see some good replies telling me about this mysterious McLeod fiber clutch disk kit TR-9080, any takers ?
If it shifts itself, it’s an automatic. You trying to equate a DCT with a manual transmission is like saying a man in a dress is really a woman. You ain’t foolin’ nobody. A DCT is NOT a manual and it never will be no matter how much lipstick you put on it.
If it has a shift lever, 3 pedals and is fun to drive; it’s a manual. If it has 2 pedals, buttons on the console that say PRD and flappy paddles on the steering wheel; it’s an automatic.
So, you do not really understand how a transmission works, is what you are saying.
If it only has 2 pedals, a ‘drive’ button and shifts itself, it’s an automatic. What you’re saying is the same as saying a Guitar Hero controller is a real guitar. Calling a DCT a manual is as ludicrous a linebacker asking you to call him ma’am..
Lots of good discussion here and some very strong opinions. I’m 70 now and all my life I have told people, one day they should allow the engineers to build a corvette that can compete with world class cars. Finally they hit one out of the park. I have owned two mid engined cars and driven many more and there just is no substitute from a handling and joy of driving standpoint. I have not driven a C8 yet, kind of on purpose because, it might just feel right and disposable income is not what it once was. And inflation hasn’t helped any either.
Jerry, what a great comment! The good news is as time passes an excellent used C8 will be coming in our affordable range. Also I recommend renting one for a day, go hang out with a Corvette Club and ask someone for some exposure, and consider Ron Fellows corvette school. It is way expensive, but less than a new car. Good Luck to you. I totally get your comment,. The weight distribution changes the dynamics. From a Cayman to a 308 to a Fiero to an MR2.
All of this talk is interesting but let’s face it. Everyone has an opinion. For me at 74, I am not afraid of change. I love my ICE vehicles, but I also have an EV. As far as Corvettes go, I have owned a 74 C3, and 84 C4 an 88 C4, a 01 C5 Z06, a 07 C6, a 09 C6 all with manual transmissions and I never wanted an automatic. I now own a C8 Z06 and while I was sad to see the manual unavailable in the C8 I love my Z06. It is great and does everything well. If there is anything I have learned in my life is that change is inevitable. Embrace it. I hope to have a ZR1 sit in my garage at some point in the future. By the way. Ron Fellows Spring mountain was a blast and I look forward to doing it again when the ZR1 comes along.
The C8 ZR1 is a monster! What a beast! Chevy & Corvette engineers et al hit it out of the park! Well done!
Physics says that the C8 is a better sports car than any production Corvette before it. Whether it’s a more enjoyable car to drive is wholly a matter of opinion. Personally, I am pretty impressed. I was on the fence for about a year trying to figure out whether to move from my C7 Z06 to the C8 Z06. I finally decided to stay with the C7. These days I’m using the car more as a GT vehicle rather than a pure sports car. The C7, IMHO, is a better high performance cross-country touring vehicle than the C8. Luggage space and available cabin storage are important considerations given how we are now using the car. The C7 Z06 provides plenty of power and handling for street duty. On the other hand, if I was planning to take a Corvette to the track, my preference would be the C8.
My preference is no pushrods and over head cams, you get higher rev limits and a different power band. I do like your comparison for both Z06, but what moved me was finally getting overhead cams and high rev limits. My favorite engines, usually have 9000 rpm red lines, or more. and this is possible because of overhead cams. Pushrods and valve float are serious issues. American cars and trucks in general should have had overhead cams 20 years ago or more. Everyone else does. What keeps us using 1950’s tech like pushrods ? Who knows ? Is it unions controlling what kind of powerplants will be built ? Even Harley still uses pushrods.
I enjoyed reading and watching the videos of the ZR1 crushing it at the different tracks, but what many of us ‘Vette nuts want to know is when will we hear that the new ZR1 obliterated the Mustang’s time at the ‘Ring?
I assume that you are referring to a record set by the GT3 “Mustang”. If so, that will be tough to beat as it is a full-on race car. I’ve seen a few early ZR1 test videos. With, if I remember correctly, only 10mm more rear tire than my C7 Z06 and a bunch more torque and horsepower, I have a feeling some of these are going to get wadded up sooner than later. I can only hope that there will be video. Insurance rates will be interesting as well.
Sure is a lot of old time Corvette owners out there, or should I say old timers that owned the Vettes of the past. I wish all of you could own the new C8, but lets get real those that get one will just put it on the auction block a year from now for twice what they paid for it. I’m 77, and like the song says “When I think back on those days of Thunder, it makes me wonder how I’m still alive.”
thats nice and all but what we really want to know is what it did in germany.
Ring times…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the Corvette Anniversary in August they talked about the Ring… and they would not divulge the time, but you could tell, it was amazing. So much info was still being held back, but the engineers and developers were able to talk about a lot. I suspect when these are in the hands of private owners we will see some records being set. Save the Wave and good Luck.
Too bad this exciting development and excellent article about an American factory 1,000 HP car that people can actually buy, got so far off track. So I got curious and found this:
The six kinds of transmissions include manual transmission (early 1900s), automatic transmission (first developed in 1921, with the first mass-produced version in 1939), continuously variable transmission (CVT, developed in the late 1950s), dual-clutch transmission (DCT, introduced in the early 2000s), automated manual transmission (AMT, introduced in the late 1990s), and semi-automatic transmission (developed in the mid-20th century). Each type has evolved over time to improve vehicle performance and driver convenience.
I remember a 1970s VW we had that had no clutch but you did have to shift the gears manually. Anyone remember that ? I love my CVT in my Hybrid car. And my first Porsche with exciting features that involved faster than a human shifting was amazing. I think the toxic masculinity syndrome and the crushing desire to be a “real man” will keep the original 1900 manual alive and well. But really, “real men” ride motorcycles, in the rain. And no one is impressed with your 4 speed muncie with a 1 inch shaft going into your bored out big block that turns 6800 RPM.