- The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful gas-powered American production car ever
- The ZR1’s twin-turbo LT7 V-8 uses turbos to generate 1,064 hp
- ZTK Performance Package Generates Over 1,200 Pounds of Downforce
We expected 850 horsepower for the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. We’re getting 1,064 hp instead. That makes the ZR1 not only the most powerful Corvette ever, but also the most powerful gasoline-powered American production car ever, Chevy boasted Thursday. If the 375-hp 1990 Corvette ZR1 was the King of the Hill, this is the King of Mount Everest.
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Power comes courtesy of the new LT7 twin-turbocharged, dual-overhead-cam 5.5-liter V-8. It’s a version of the Z06’s 670-hp LT6 V-8. Chevy engineers knew the LT6 and LT7 would be related from the start, so they called the duo the Small Block Gemini. The duo shares a flat-plane crank design, as well as the same block, valvetrain, direct injection system and oiling system. The LT7, however, gets a pair of 76mm turbochargers that add up to 20 psi of boost to the engine to increase total output to 1,064 hp at 7,000 rpm It is 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpmwith at least 800 lb-ft available from 3,000 to 6,500 rpm.
Adding the turbos also required changes. The block gets additional machining, the intake and exhaust ports on the cylinder head are revised, the combustion chambers are larger, the cam profiles are changed, port injection is added, the crank train is beefed up with larger connecting rods and pistons, and a dry-sump seventh stage is added. The compression ratio also drops from 12.5:1 to 9.8:1, and the redline drops from 8,600 to a still-high 8,000 rpm. Chevy says an electronically actuated wastegate reduces turbo lag, especially when the vehicle is moving. At 5.5 liters of displacement, it doesn’t need as much help from the get-go. In fact, engineers had to limit torque in the 1-2 shift because the available power can be so excessive.
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2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The turbos hang off the sides of the engine, and Chevy said they wouldn’t fit under the hood of a front-engine car (which is why the last ZR1’s V-8 extended upward with a supercharger instead of outward with turbos). A total of 15 heat exchangers keep the powertrain from getting too hot, and these include a new front-mounted intercooler and a pair of much larger charge-air coolers located between the turbos and the intake manifold. That manifold sports a blue texture that Chevy associates with the ZR1.
Chevy isn’t giving out many performance numbers yet, noting that some of this stuff needs to be done with cars that aren’t covered in camouflage. However, engineers expect a quarter mile time of 9.7 seconds at 150 mph and a top speed of over 215 mph. Chevy also says the car can go from 0 to 200 mph in 24.5 seconds, 22 percent faster than the C7 ZR1.
![2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chevrolet-corvette_100937421_l.webp.webp)
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter Set to Retire Chevy Corp. told Motor Authority that the ZR1 has posted seven-minute times at the Nürburgring with him behind the wheel in traffic and using a standing start, which suggests faster times are likely. Whether Chevy can post an official time at the ‘Ring will depend on whether the Corvette team can get track time and good weather conditions, among other hurdles. Chevy also noted that four ZR1s have topped 200 mph on the ‘Ring’s longest straight.
Expect top speed, 0-60 mph, and times at other tracks (Virginia International Raceway likely among them) to be announced closer to the car’s on-sale date. The same goes for pricing, though it’s expected to start in the $100,000 range and top out at $200,000 with the available ZTK Performance Package. More on that soon.
O 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission remains the only option, but it had to be revised to deal with the ZR1’s grunt. It has wider gear profiles, stronger axles and improved lubrication.
![2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chevrolet-corvette_100937446_l.webp.webp)
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Stronger brakes are also needed to stop the ZR1’s higher speeds. They use carbon-ceramic rotors, and the fronts grow from 15.4 inches to 15.7 inches in diameter while retaining 6-piston calipers. They’re also slightly wider in cross-section and get a semi-polished look instead of the Z06’s raw carbon look. The rears are 15.4 inches in diameter with 4-piston calipers.
More speed and more power demanded more downforce and more cooling ducts for the coupe and convertible body styles. Up front, the base ZR1 increases downforce with a carbon-fiber splitter, a lower wing with protective Gurney deflectors, and a continuous-flow hood. The side intakes add brake ducts at their trailing edges, and the coupe gets new intakes atop the rear fenders to feed more air to the engine. The coupe also gets a functional version of the 1963 Corvette split rear window design, with louvers along the central spine and outer edges for more airflow. It will be offered in body color or exposed-weave carbon fiber. Both body styles also get carbon fiber roofs. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires wrap 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloy wheels, which can be had in Edge Blue. A new 10-spoke carbon fiber wheel is optional.
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2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
O ZTK Performance Package The ZR1 takes things up a few notches. It adds a large carbon fiber rear wing, front dive planes, and a high Gurney lip to the hood. Underneath, strakes replace the Gurney deflectors. The package gives the ZR1 more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at its as-yet-undisclosed top speed. It also rolls on Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tires, which are almost slicks and will provide plenty of grip. Chevy said the wing will be available separately, and the entire ZTK aerodynamic treatment can be ordered as the Carbon Aero package for the base ZR1.
In total, the ZR1’s additions will increase weight by about 200 pounds over the Z06, with a dry weight of 3,670 pounds for the coupe and 3,758 pounds for the convertible. Chevy says the suspension tuning will be a bit softer than the very track-focused Z06. The ZTK package will be stiffer, but not as stiff as the Z06 with its Z07 Performance Package.
![2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chevrolet-corvette_100937432_l.webp.webp)
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Changes to the interior are limited to the ZR1 badges and a slightly different door upholstery pattern.
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is expected to hit dealerships next year.