Car and Driver is one of the biggest automotive publications in the United States. They have tested a wide array of cars over the years and have been pushing them to their limits since 1956. But despite that, there are still cars that can defy what the publication expects them to.
Enter the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. This latest edition of the Corvette has turned the sports car into a hypercar, and it is the ultimate iteration of one of the greatest performance cars ever made. With over 1,200hp available, it is easy to see why.
Car and Driver decided it would be subject to one of their tests, and so they recently put the car through its paces. Boy, were they in for a pleasant surprise, as the ZR1X became the fastest car that the publication has ever tested since they began these tests back in 1956.
The performance of the car shows just how big a leap it is over virtually every other version of the Chevy Corvette. With huge power, all-wheel drive and a massive focus on ultimate performance, the ZR1X redefines everything we thought we knew about the Corvette.
Just how fast was the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X?
The publication openly stated that it thought acceleration records were tipping towards EVs. The grunt that electric cars provide is almost out of reach for many gasoline-powered cars. But the ZR1X has defied this, as it was the first car the company tested to go from 0- 60 mph in just 1.8 seconds. This is a hybrid; the car gets over 1,000hp alone from the twin-turbocharged V8 engine under the hood.
In total, this monster of a hypercar produces 1,250hp from the V8 and its electric motor at the front. The ZR1X was 0.1 second faster than the Lucid Air Sapphire and Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. Across the 1/4 mile, the Corvette set another record for the publication, recording a time of 8.9 seconds at 155mph. This is the first production car they tested that has broken into the eight-second mark.
That is incredibly rapid compared to cars such as the 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport as well as the 2026 Lucid Air Sapphire. Both of these went through the 1/4 mile in 9.1 seconds. What made this more impressive was that the Corvette was in its street configuration and not in full track mode. But it did have the ZTK performance package, as well as the massive rear wing, planting it firmly onto the tarmac. There is no denying, though, just how fast this Corvette really is.
The magic numbers that make the Corvette ZR1X tick
It is easy to see why the car is so fast when you delve into the specifications of the Corvette. Under the hood is a massive 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V9 engine that on its own makes 1,064hp and 828lb-ft of torque. An AC electric motor adds 186hp and 145lb-ft of torque, giving the car a combined power output of 1,250hp. Few hypercars can live with those incredible figures.
The acceleration is even more impressive when you factor in that the car weighs 4,152lbs. It is lighter than many modern cars, but it’s still quite heavy compared to those from a few decades ago. Aiding that jump off the line, though, is its all-wheel drive, allowing all four wheels to bite almost as soon as you put your foot down. It is remarkable just how fast this car is, but perhaps it is no surprise that it became the fastest car ever tested by Car and Driver.