“Take ZR1 to the next level,” was Chevrolet’s mission statement. It appears its engineers have taken it to another galaxy, because this isn’t just the most powerful Corvette ever built, it’s a car with the most powerful American production V8 in history.
Sorry Dodge Demon, your 1,025hp crown has been blown away in a haze of twin-turbo fury by this: the 1,064hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Though it takes the same ‘Small Block Gemini’ engine architecture as the Z06’s LT6, it’s not just that plus turbo.
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Now called the LT7, the 5.5-liter V8 with a flat-plane crank features new head castings, unique ports, a bigger combustion chamber for bigger bangs, optimised valve timing and a new intake system, and of course, a pair of 76mm mono-scroll turbochargers built into the exhaust.
This, says Chevy, reduces the distance the angry air must travel, so it very quickly gets into the chambers and reacts… angrily. Naturally, everything’s been strengthened across the board in order to deal with “the dramatic increase in power”. And boy, does it have power.
There’s the headline, four-figure output, achieved at 7,000rpm, along with 1,123Nm of torque, delivered through an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox to the rear wheels. And boy, do those rear wheels go. Chevy’s already clocked a sub-10 second quarter mile. And 320+kph flat out at the Nürburgring. And claimed a 346kph top speed.
Of course, this being a ZR1 means it’s built for corners, too. And another number comes swinging in: It offers a claimed 1,200lbs of downforce at that 340+kph top speed. There are various offerings to the gods of aero, like a new front grille, carbon fiber air ducts on the side and up top, new splitters, rockers, underwing and, very obviously, a rear wing.
There’s the option of the ZTK track pack, which adds a properly angry “high-downforce rear wing”, dive planes, a Gurney lip on the bonnet and underbody strakes. The springs are stiffer with this pack, too, while the 20/21in alloys get special Michelin PS Cup 2-R tyres.
It’ll stop fairly angrily too, says Chevy. The 400mm front/390mm rear discs are the biggest ever fitted to a ‘Vette, are made from carbon ceramic, and in a strange metric, help the ZR1 perform 130-320-130kph in 24.5s. That’s 22% quicker than the C7 ZR1.
Still, nothing strange about the return of the ‘split window’. Or the carbon fiber roof. Or ZR1 badging on the inside. Or the new boost gauge. And there’s absolutely nothing strange about the way it sounds.
“As we worked to develop this car, we continued to leap past expectations, and we knew we had a special Corvette on our hands,” said the ‘Vette’s chief engineer, Tadge Juechter. It’ll land at some point in 2025… in this galaxy, at least to begin with.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
