by Stephen Rivers
- Corvette ZR1X ran an 8.7-second 1/4 mile at 159 mph on street tires.
- Chevy’s hybrid AWD setup helps deliver sub-2-second 0–60 times.
- It undercuts multimillion-dollar hypercars by a massive margin.
When the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 arrived, it was unquestionably impressive. The ZR1X sounded even meaner, but until now, we haven’t known just how fast it would really be. Now we do, and it’s genuinely industry-shaking. Chevrolet’s halo car just did the quarter mile in under 9 seconds on pump gas and street tires.
More: Corvette ZR1X Pricing Just Made Hypercars Look Stupid
To be precise, the new ZR1X needed 8.675 seconds to go 1,320 feet. It passed through the big end at 159 mph (256 km/h), and again, these figures are achievable on pump gas, not E85, and on street tires, not slicks. According to GM, that makes it the quickest production car ever built in America.
Oh, and there’s one more thing to boast about. Chevrolet did this run on a 50-state legal ECU calibration. It’s difficult to put into perspective just how impressive these things are on their own, but together they’re a bit mind-blowing.
Straight-Line, No Tricks
Plenty of automakers in this realm use slick or semi-slick tires when validation testing. Hypercar manufacturers often post their horsepower figures on E85 because it always looks more impressive. Chevrolet didn’t pull either of those tricks for this, and it sounds like the car in question repeated the feat, or close to it, several times.
The record-setting runs were completed during final validation testing at US 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan back in October 2025. According to the automaker, the ZR1X completed multiple runs, with several back-to-back passes all dipping under 8.8 seconds. This wasn’t a one-hit wonder.
0-60 Under 2 Seconds
During the best run, the ZR1X launched to 60 mph (97 km/h) in just 1.68 seconds, covering less than 100 feet and pulling a peak 1.75 g of acceleration. For context, that puts it squarely in hypercar territory. Except this one starts at $209,700, not $2 million. Chevy says that on unprepped surfaces, it’ll still do 0-60 mph in 1.89 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 8.99.
C8 Corvette 0 to 60 mph stats:
Notably, the record runs were completed using the ZR1X’s standard aero configuration, standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and available carbon fiber wheels. Corvette development engineer and test driver Stefan Frick handled launch duties using Chevy’s Custom Launch Control system, which lets drivers fine-tune launch RPM and wheel slip targets.
Even compared to exotic competition, the ZR1X holds its own. It’s quicker down the quarter than the Bugatti Tourbillon and Pininfarina Battista, and only trails the Rimac Nevera R, an all-electric hypercar that costs more than ten times as much. It even edges out the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut in elapsed time. Whatever comes next, the rest of the automotive industry probably isn’t ready to keep up with.
