The C8 ZR1’s Top Speed Is 21 MPH Faster Than the C7’s
With honking twin turbochargers and more than 1000 hp, the C8 Corvette ZR1’s LT7 twin-turbo V-8 was sure to be capable of propelling the new king of the castle to some absurd speeds. But even we didn’t see this one coming: At a high-speed oval test track in Papenburg, Germany, GM president Mark Reuss pushed the ZR1 to a top speed of 233 mph.
Two hundred and thirty-three miles per hour.
That figure secures several accolades for the C8-generation Corvette ZR1, including the fastest car GM has ever produced, the fastest car priced under $1M, and the fastest series-production car produced by an American auto manufacturer. (You can quibble in the comments over whether Hennessey’s Venom F5 or the SSC Tuatara are worthy of a caveat on that last one.)
Best of all, the record-setting car was just a standard chassis and aero package, with a standard spoiler, carbon-fiber ground effects, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and aluminum wheels. That two-way average pulled by Reuss and the development engineer riding shotgun wasn’t a one-off, either. Chevy says that five engineers and both development cars on site cracked the 230-mph mark across multiple runs.
According to Chevy, the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg facility is ideal for these types of runs, thanks to its goldilocks air density and temperature readings. The C6– and C7-gen Corvette ZR1s set their top-speed figures—205 and 212 mph, respectively—there, as did the sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 (198 mph).
Check out the video below to get the low-down on this staggering feat.
How much will Hagerty quote me for insuring the this ZR-1 for my 18 year old son for his birthday?
“If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” comes to mind.
Perfect for those short trips to Walmart.
I’ve said things similar to this on these pages and I’ll say it again here: no one needs these extreme performance products, few even want them but it’s inspiring that this stuff is being produced by an American company for prices that shame other country’s offerings. Let freedom ring!
a waste of speed in the USA , be fun in Germany where you can actually drive it at top speed on
the Autobahn .
Obviously you’ve never driven on the Autobhan. You’d have better luck topping this thing out on a rural American freeway late in the evening.
Gm has a certain demographic for this car and all Corvettes really. GM hits the sweet spot of age and means to buy. Shortly after the C8 came out I saw one at a car show and it was swarmed with guys 50 to 70 years old. No one else really cared, especially not anyone under 25 years old. Not to say they didn’t care, but the wow factor just wasn’t there. Good for GM knowing their target audience.
I’d argue the opposite really. Obviously not many people are affording this car in general but when I went to the Mpls autoshow a couple years ago when the C8 dropped it might’ve been the biggest crowd around a car that I remember seeing up there. Lots of younger people too. I’m 44, never really cared about Vettes. Sure, I like the looks of a split window coupe but it never was a car that I actually thought about owning. The C8 is the only Vette that really appeals to me and that I would consider owning. 8 times outta 10 I’d say when I see a C8 now, it’s somebody that at least looks like they are 35-45 years old. With the exception being the Z06. Saw a C8 Z06 last weekend at Home Depot and the guy driving it looked like he was about 90 and coulda been on a street corner asking for money. Granted, it was at Home Depot.
Today’s SUV’s are as fuel efficient as their sedan counterparts of the last five to ten years and are simply a better transportation solution for the majority of people. The only reason Malibu hung around as long as it did was to satisfy Chevy’s Fleet customers….including the rental car companies.
I get it; I’m not an SUV guy either, but there are still plenty of flavors of coupes and sedans out there besides Chevy Malibu.
Its a POS.