If ever there was a collection of random letters and numbers that undersell something, it’s ‘ZR1X’. These unremarkable four characters aren’t attached to a small Japanese SUV or high-riding electric car – but the most powerful Chevrolet Corvette ever, with no less than 1,250bhp.
On the new ZR1X, the American icon has been taken to a few orders of magnitude higher than ever before, meaning that on sheer numbers alone, it is brushing shoulders with hypercars.
New Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 features America’s most powerful V8
In order to reach this figure, Chevrolet has created a hybridised powertrain that capitalises on an incredibly high-performing twin-turbocharged V8 engine and an electrified front axle, much in the way Lamborghini does on its new Temerario.
The difference is that the Chevrolet’s 5.5-litre V8 is considerably more powerful than the Lambo’s, with peak power of 1,064bhp and an astonishing peak torque of 1,188Nm – and these figures, remember, are without the e-motor being factored in.
It packs cutting-edge technology, too, such as a flat-plane crank and a pair of clever turbochargers that are integrated right into the exhaust manifold. This hand-built masterpiece of an engine really is a far cry from the pig-iron pushrod V8s generally associated with General Motors, and is instead directly related to the brand’s GT3 motorsport program.
