Corvette ZR1X is more powerful and faster than the Ferrari F80

Chevrolet is stretching the definition of hypercar, claiming the new Corvette ZR1X is a member of the world’s most exclusive automotive club. The long-awaited halo model first rumoured to carry the ‘Zora’ ZR1 name has broken cover with at least the power and performance figures to back up that claim – a mind-boggling 1250bhp Ferrari F80-beating total output, claimed acceleration to match and a quarter-mile drag time level with that of a Bugatti Chiron.

But just as the ‘ZR1X’ name is slightly disappointing compared to the Zora rumours (expected as a tribute to legendary Corvette engineer Zora Arkus Duntov), so too does the ZR1X only deviate from its siblings in terms of power and performance. To appearances, this is a Corvette ZR1 as we already know it, not some autoclave-baked, lathe-hewn piece of Pagani-baiting exotica.

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Of course the benefit of this is that the ZR1X comparatively speaking, sticks to an age-old Corvette mandate: being a bit of a bargain. Not including the expected dealer markups in the US, the ZR1X is expected to cost under $200k (under £150k) on its home soil. That’s McLaren W1 power and performance for the price of a Porsche 911 GTS.

So how does the Corvette ZR1X generate all that punch? Again, no bespoke 13,000rpm V12 to be found here. Rather the LT7 1064bhp, twin-turbo DOHC 5.5-litre V8 at heart of the Corvette ZR1 – a known quantity, with the largest turbos on any production car, dynamic anti-lag to maintain turbine speed and so on. But here it’s married to an enhanced version of the Corvette E-Ray’s electrified front end. 

That means an electric motor on the front axle, fed by a 1.9kWh battery in the spine of the car, with no physical connection between the combustion and electrical elements of the drivetrain. Power at the front axle is 186bhp and 145lb ft, up 26bhp on the E-Ray, but also differs in being able to plunder more of the battery’s reserves for increased track capability over more laps. Again that total is 1250bhp and 973lb ft, making the Corvette ZR1X good for 0-60mph in under 2sec, on the way to a sub-9sec quarter mile time and a trap speed of 150mph – Chiron-quick.

Corvette ZR1X vs hypercars

New powertrain elements mean new ‘energy strategies’ as GM calls them. Endurance mode means you’ll get sustainable and consistent eAWD system performance for the time it takes the car to drain a tank of fuel, while Qualifying optimises the car for maximum output over one lap, presumably draining the battery. Push-to-pass meanwhile gives you max power on-demand – handy for quick corner-exit squirts when in Endurance mode.

Big performance means big braking hardware to claw your way down from the palpitation-inducing speeds you’ll be able to conjure. Alcon brakes are 10-piston front and 6-piston rear, the fronts clamping 420mm discs. These allow the ZR1X to be good for 1.9g of deceleration from 180mph to 120mph. 

Tyres and aero are per the ZR1 with the ZTK package the most track-focused featuring a prominent rear wing, dive planes on the nose and gurney flaps on air extractors where the front boot used to be. It also gets Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tyres. The ‘standard’ car is in effect a ZR1X ‘Touring’ without the aero and with Michelin PS4S tyres. Chassis setups do not differ between the two.

Is it a hypercar, though? Raw performance doth not a hypercar make, we’d hazard to suggest. That slippery slope leads to Ferrari F50s sharing Lichtensteinian bunker space with Tesla Model S Plaids. The ‘Kitchen sink’ internal nickname it’s said to have been given, relating to how the engineers basically threw everything they already had at it, best speaks to the far-from-bespoke makeup of this car beyond the standard-issue ZR1 styling. Given its relatively run-of-the-mill construction and pile of performance hardware it's also heavier than hypercars tend to be and the heaviest Corvette available, at over 1800kg with fluids.

But the ZR1X is nonetheless an extraordinary piece of equipment and about as much bang for your buck as it’s possible to get right now – job done, for any top-end Corvette.