The 2025 Corvette ZR1 may already be the fastest rear-wheel-drive car to touch down on our planet: A record-stomping track monster that crushes 60 miles per hour in 2.2 seconds, and whose 233-mph top speed reads like an AI hallucination.
Bucket-list ZR1 laps in May at Circuit of the Americas—the kind of Texas-sized corral this raging bull needs to properly fling itself about—find me chasing the very Corvette engineers who’ve been setting production-car lap records in their spare time; smoking a $1.2-million McLaren Senna, shaming a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Stretching its jacked legs on COTA’s back straight, my ZR1 reaches 175 mph, then 178 the next lap. 180 mph feels tantalizingly within reach. The 5.5-liter LT7 screams its titanium-hardened lungs out, flexing more turbo horsepower than the F1 cars that fly past and fill these grandstands. This ‘Vette grips harder than Schwarzenegger on the campaign trail, and it’s not the Terminator you might imagine: It’s communicative, (reasonably) accommodating, and daily drivable, still a Corvette at heart.
And it all costs $178,195 to start, including a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax for a ZR1 that can inhale two gallons of premium unleaded per minute at full power. The drinking problem is real, but you can barely buy a 911 GTS for this much cash; the 532-hp Porsche, with precisely half the ZR1’s 1,064 horses, starts from $167,000.
While I sneak in 15 memorable bonus laps—I’ll never understand auto journos who prefer lunch or “work” to additional track time—a thought wells up. How is Chevrolet, or any automaker, going to top this? To my sincere surprise, I quickly find out.
Photo by: Chevrolet
That evening, still basking in post-COTA bliss, I’m escorted down a flashily lit hallway, Goodfellas style, to an Austin hotel rooftop for an audience with the 2026 Corvette ZR1X. The coupe and convertible, in the flesh, no camouflage, no rumors.
And no “Zora,” badge, either. Sorry. That name, honoring Russian-born Corvette patriarch Zora Arkus-Duntov, was always more media wishful thinking than reality, a familiar game of Corvette Telephone that now proves garbled.
Chevy executives say the “X” signature—while not as romantic and evocative as Z-in-Zora—underscores this as a natural evolution of the ZR1 family, rather than a standalone model. Or, just spitballing here, a standalone, more-desirable, more-collectible model. Wouldn’t want to hurt the standard ZR1’s feelings, or those of buyers.
Photo by: Chevrolet
Photo by: Chevrolet
Yet speculators and sharp-lensed spy photographers got a lot right, if not the ZR1X’s earlier-than-expected arrival, with deliveries set to begin before year-end. This is the range-topping, AWD hybrid Corvette that has haunted the dreams of collectors and the nightmares of seven-figure European rivals.
“America’s Hypercar,” Chevrolet is calling it. What once would have been eye-rolling GM performance puffery, in the days of Fieros or Solstices, now seems legit. Forget garden-variety 911s that put a chip on the Corvette’s shoulder since about, oh, 1963.
The ZR1X directly targets the rare birds typically spotted in Goodwood or Pebble Beach, and then never again outside of YouTube crash videos: The $3.9-million Ferrari F80, a $2.1-million McLaren W1, a $2.7-million Mercedes-AMG One. Sure, it’s “only” a Chevy. But here’s the crazy part. Blue-collar badge aside, the X no longer comes across as the performance underdog. Not with a track record of track records for its rear-drive sibling. And not with a gonzo, fully competitive 1,250 hp and roughly 973 pound-feet of torque.
Versus an X-less ZR1, a jump of 186 hp and about 145 lb-ft is entirely due to a Frankenstein jolt from an electrified front axle, an upgraded version of the Corvette E-Ray’s hybrid system.
The extra oarsmen up front relieve a brutal burden on the ZR1X’s rear tires, helping them lay down power and maintain grip, including on optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires. Especially for standard Pilot Sport 4S rubber, AWD will make the ZR1X more confident in slippery street conditions, which translates to more opportunities for fun without jangling nerves.
Photo by: Chevrolet
Neutral handling and driver confidence were development watchwords. Leveraging the front axle, says Corvette vehicle chief engineer Josh Holder, “is the most approachable way to achieve maximum capability and predictable, repeatable performance.”
Keith Badgley, ZR1X lead development engineer, says plotting performance curves shows the lighter ZR1 a touch quicker through the middle of many corners. But for corner entry or exit, it’s game over. The four-wheeling freak can use regenerative braking to help slow and balance the car. From there, the ZR1X leaps like a cheetah with a taste for gazelle.
“You’ll feel that coming out of every corner, the car clawing you out,” Badgley promises. “This thing accelerates like crazy, like nothing you’re used to. The two powertrains play together in a harmonious and advantageous way that’s beyond what you’d expect from just adding them together.”
Naturally, the ZR1X is no slouch in a straight line, despite those electrified parts pushing it past 4,000 pounds, even in base coupe form. The ZR1X can maintain an unholy 1.3 g’s of longitudinal acceleration throughout first and second gears, and nearly through third gear. In more familiar terms, that’s a wormhole trip from 0-60 mph in less than 2.0 seconds.
Photo by: Chevrolet
Chevy confirmed that on a prepped surface at a Michigan drag strip, along with a quarter-mile in less than 9.0 seconds. Chalk up two more all-time Corvette records. That suggests a Corvette that might (blessedly) out-drag YouTube stars like the Lucid Air Sapphire or Tesla Model S Plaid to 60 mph, then wave goodbye and stretch its lead over those far-heavier EVs. Engineers are still tinkering, looking to unlock even more speed.
And though GM President Mark Reuss hasn’t done a 233-mph run in this baby—a stunt that Reuss told me left his spouse anxious and none-too-pleased—the Corvette team is confident in simulations that show the ZR1X matching that terminal velocity. But that’s all moot, innit, in a boundaried world where a standard ZR1 runs out of room at COTA at around 180 mph.
Photo by: Chevrolet
Recall that the E-Ray’s oft-quoted 1.1 kilowatt-hour battery, neatly ensconced in the cabin’s center tunnel, is only the useable portion of 1.9 kilowatt hours of lithium-ion pouch cells. So, engineers managed to squeeze 26 percent more energy from the same-size battery, which suggests well over 1.3 kWh of usable juice. (Chevy has not cited a total.)
Expanded voltage allowed engineers to push more power into the drive unit, which gains 26 horsepower and 20 pound-feet versus the E-Ray. That single motor was redesigned to handle increased loads, including new bearings.
As on the E-Ray, the hybrid battery is designed for hyper-fast discharge and charge events, versus EV-style propulsive stamina. So there’s plenty of buffer to ensure consistent performance and battery life. On the street, it’s impossible to deplete the E-Ray’s battery to where it can’t provide boost—and oh, how I’ve tried—no matter how hard you drive.
Push a Charge+ button, included on the ZR1X, and the Corvette boosts motor resistance to fully recharge within a few miles of normal driving. As Tadge Juechter, the now-retired Corvette chief engineer told me, the no-hassle hybrid system is designed to convince Corvette refuseniks—of which he admits there are many—that electricity can be their performance friend, and is nothing to fear.
That front axle can contribute power at up to 160 mph before disconnecting, versus 150 mph for the E-Ray. Intelligent strategies, heavy on the algorithms, reserve electricity for when it’s truly needed.
Photo by: Chevrolet
“We want to be razor sharp in how we use that finite energy,” Badgley says.
To humiliate mere supercars, a “push to pass” function unleashes the full tag team of gasoline and electric thrust. That’s accessed via a repurposed steering-wheel cruise-control button. A Qualifying Mode provides maximum jolt up to the front axle’s speed limit. An Endurance Mode monitors state-of-charge to sustain all-wheel advantages through a full tank of fuel.
Aside from ZR1X badges on the flanks, steering wheel, and interior waterfall panel, you’ll need to squint to spot exterior differences. Or crouch to see the E-Ray’s telltale, additional front radiator on the driver’s side. Both cars offer the bewinged aero package and carbon-fiber handling aids. Both offer optional carbon-fiber wheels.
‘We want to be razor sharp in how we use that finite energy.’
To rein in the thrust, the ZR1X does introduce standard carbon-ceramic brakes that are the largest in GM history, including 16.5-inch front rotors clamped by 10-piston calipers. For 2026, that “J59” brake package will become an option on the ZR1. These bros love to share.
Whatever your preference on rear-drive versus AWD, the ZR1X has one clear edge: The redesigned interior of all 2026 Corvettes, which is more visually appealing and functionally coherent. That includes enlarged screens, a useful 6.6-inch auxiliary driver’s screen, and a passenger grab handle that replaces the former try-hard waterfall switches. Tactile HVAC controls migrate below the main display. A smartly redesigned console adds a drive-mode controller that no longer feels like carpal tunnel waiting to happen.
Photo by: Chevrolet
Chevrolet isn’t ready to talk pricing, so allow me. An E-Ray costs about $37,000 more than a base Stingray. That’s a clue, but it may not be apples-to-apples versus the ZR1s.
Chevrolet may see an opportunity to establish the ZR1X as its crowning achievement; “America’s hypercar” with a price to match. That said, Corvette fans aren’t known as price-no-object types.
Tony Roma, the new executive chief engineer, notes there are no production limits on the ZR1X. If you order one, a process set to begin soon, Chevy will get it in the pipeline. It hopes to build as many as fans demand.
Considering how Chevy loves to sandbag on Corvette pricing, I expect them to impress the world again with the ZR1X’s value proposition. The C8’s booming sales, including record international sales, have largely defied an industry-wide downturn in sports cars, but they’ve shown cracks of late. Pricing the ZR1X too high could be self-defeating, limiting even this niche audience.
So with a ZR1 coupe starting around $178,000, or $188,000 for a convertible, I’m going to peg a ZR1X coupe at $210,000 to start, $220,000 for a droptop, and loaded 3LZ convertibles topping $275,000. And if Chevrolet decides to blow people away with a $199,995 starting price, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Some old-school Corvette fans will choke on the price. But so will people who pay $1 million or more for highfalutin’ hypercars. Even they’ll know a (relative) bargain when they see it.
