Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 on the way: can it go faster?

911 GT2 RS as benchmark

In the US, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is under pressure. The upcoming latest version of the current Corvette will still have a lot of work to do to be faster than the Corvette E-Ray, but the goal is clear either way.

With the current Corvette, Chevrolet took a different tack, by no longer placing the engine in the nose but in the middle. However, some things stayed the same, there are others Z06 version of. That temporary topper with no less than 670 hp atmospheric (!) V8 is already very impressive, but it can always be worse. There is also another Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 in the barrel and we see it in these pictures.

You can’t miss that we are dealing with a very heavy Corvette. At the back is a large rear wing, which we already know from the Z06, and under the wide butt – also like the Z06 – four exhaust tips in a row. The fact that the car is well packed indicates that the Corvette ZR1 gets an aerodynamic advantage. Perhaps not an unnecessary luxury, because we think that the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will get a more powerful V8. Count on a power of more than 700 hp, just like its predecessor. The only question is whether Chevrolet will tweak the 5.5 V8 from the Z06 or take the 6.2 V8 from the regular Corvette as the base.

In any case, it is clear what car Chevrolet like criterion applies to the Corvette ZR1. According to our spy photographer, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS was always present during ZR1 testing. To keep up with that, the Corvette ZR1 must at least accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds and have a top speed of close to 350 km/h. The big question is: will the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – undoubtedly more track-savvy – also be faster than the hybrid Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray? With its speed from 0-60 mph (97 km / h) in 2.5 seconds, it has set the bar very high. We may not get an answer to that question until the end of this year, or even in the new year.