The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X is officially the fastest American-built car around the Green Hell, setting an official Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of 6:49.275 minutes. Not only has the Corvette ZR1X dethroned the Ford Mustang GTD’s laptime of 6:52.072 minutes, it has also beaten Porsche’s prized 911 GT3 RS time of 6:49.328 minutes.
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X is the most extreme Corvette yet, combining the power of the ZR1 with the electrification of the E-Ray. It features a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 1,064 hp and 1,123 Nm, paired with an electric motor on the front axle producing 186 hp and 197 Nm. Combined, the hybrid system delivers a staggering 1,250 hp.
Along with this, Chevrolet also brought out the slightly less ridiculous ZR1 to the ring. Without the electrification, it produces the 1,064 hp and 1,123 Nm strictly from the same 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 as the ZR1X. Though it did not beat the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, it still beat the Mustang GTD with a time of 6:50.763. The Z06 was also there, but only managed a time of 7:11.826 minutes.
All three Corvettes ran on Michelin Cup 2 R summer tyres and carbon ceramic braking systems. Both the ZR1X and ZR1 were equipped with 10-piston front and six-piston rear callipers, while the Z06 featured six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers.
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What makes these lap times even more impressive is that none of the drivers were professional racers — they were Chevrolet engineers. That said, they’re far from inexperienced. Drew Cattell, who piloted the ZR1X, has logged over 600 laps around the Nürburgring alone while developing cars for the company.
Together with Aaron Link (driver of the Z06) and Brian Wallace (driver of the ZR1), they bring a combined 36 years of experience in developing performance cars for General Motors (GM). Wallace also heads GM’s high-performance driver training program.
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