The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 lives up to expectations by setting new performance benchmarks, including the quickest-ever 0-60 mph time for a production Corvette.
The new ZR1 will reach 60 mph from a standstill in 2.3 seconds, and run the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds, both with the optional ZTK Performance Package, Chevy confirmed Thursday in a press release. Chevy said acceleration tests were performed with 93-octane fuel on a non-prepped dragstrip, with the Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tires that are part of the ZTK package.
In addition to those near-slick tires, the ZTK package includes a big carbon-fiber rear wing, front dive planes, and a tall hood Gurney lip. These help generate more than 1,200 pounds of downforce at the ZR1’s 233-mph top speed, but with a drag penalty. The standard-aero car’s quarter-mile trap speed was 2 mph faster than the ZTK-equipped car’s, at 152 mph.
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Chevy also recorded a 2.5-second 0-60 mph time and 9.7-second quarter mile time for the standard ZR1. The 0-60 mph time is identical to that of the Corvette E-Ray hybrid, and just 0.1 quicker than a Corvette Z06 with the Z07 package. That shows just how capable the current-generation C8 Corvette is. Even the base Corvette Stingray manages 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds with the Z51 package. Of course, some of the reason is the limits of grip.
But recently retired Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter has told Motor Authority that the ZR1 has also put up seven-minute times at the Nürburgring with him at the wheel in traffic and using a standing start, implying faster times are likely. Chevy has also noted that four ZR1s have exceeded 200 mph on the ‘Ring’s longest straight, but putting everything together for an official time will depend on track time and weather conditions, among other factors.
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Helping the ZR1 achieve these feats is the new LT7 twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8, which produces 1,064 hp at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. The 8-speed automatic transmission from other Corvette models remains mandatory, but it’s been modified for this application with wider gear profiles, stronger shafts, and improved lubrication.
The extra power compared to the Z06’s 670-hp LT6 V-8, from which the LT7 is derived, counterbalances a weight increase of about 200 pounds. That gives the ZR1 a dry weight of 3,670 pounds for the coupe and 3,758 pounds for the convertible.
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is scheduled to reach dealerships next year.