Why the Corvette ZR1 is 'so over the top'
- - Why the Corvette ZR1 is 'so over the top'
MORGAN KORNAugust 31, 2025 at 5:02 PM
If Brian Wallace could relay one message to Corvette owners, he'd tell them this: Take your car to the track.
Wallace has a passion for burning rubber. He's run more than 1,000 laps in the new ZR1 and was part of the Corvette engineering team that set new records for an American manufacturer at Germany's famed Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack. In July, Wallace completed the 12.9-mile circuit in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1, crossing the finish line at a blistering 6:50.763 pace.
Corvette customers can experience similar thrills in their own cars, he told ABC News, noting that few regularly track their Vettes.
"A good chunk of our customers live vicariously through us and our track times," he said. "I would love if more people took them on the track. We already have a reputation for developing cars that are very approachable on the track. It's very easy to work up to the limit of this car because it's so well behaved."
The ZR1 ( $174,995) and the ZR1X ($207,395), the most extreme Corvettes to be built in the brand's 70-year history, would scare the bejeezus out of the majority of drivers who get behind the wheel: more than 1,000 hp, 828 lb-ft of torque, a top speed of 233 mph and 0-60 mph sprints of 2.3 seconds. Wallace agreed that these numbers are mind-numbing: "What we've done with the ZR1 and ZR1X have put every competitor and the world on notice of what we're able to do."
Morgan Korn/ABC News - PHOTO: The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, seen here in the limited production Quail Silver Limited Edition package.
He, like the other engineers, are adamant the ZR1 can behave nicely on local roads, acting sweet and civil until the owner amps up the intensity.
"It's really important for our car to have this huge bandwidth -- to be livable on the street," he said. "Not everyone can wrangle 1,064 hp and not get arrested. Some of our other competitors don't have as much bandwidth in their adjustable dampers as we do."
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The ZR1 and ZR1X are the latest iterations of the eighth-generation Corvette, which underwent a massive chassis, engineering and styling makeover five years ago. More than 160,000 Corvettes have been sold since the mid-engine redesign, according to a Chevrolet spokesperson. Last year, the Stingray model accounted for approximately 70% of the sales volume; the Z06 totaled 25% and the E-Ray 5%.
Morgan Korn/ABC News - PHOTO: The hellacious Corvette Z06 has a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 engine.
Wallace said drivers are unfairly discounting the E-Ray, the first electrified Corvette and also the first model with all-wheel drive, calling it a "misunderstood car."
"There are still people who think it's an electric vehicle," he said. "It's a hybrid and the E-Ray is an absolutely amazing car. Our customers are not giving it the opportunity they should, in my opinion."
Chevrolet - PHOTO: The E-Ray is the first electrified Corvette.
Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds, said new ZR1 models are selling for more than $17,500 above MSRP; one customer even traded in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV for a ZR1, he said. They're also selling faster than the less-expensive Corvettes, spending an average of 12 days on dealer lots versus 73 for the Stingray, Z06 and E-Ray, Drury pointed out.
The ZR1's six-figure price tag, however, means fans won't get to admire one up close at their neighborhood Cars & Caffe, he lamented.
"The ZR1 will become a museum piece. You see this with all exotic vehicles," Drury told ABC News.
Unlike Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches, Corvette buyers get "an absurd level of performance at this price point," he said, adding that the Corvette has stayed true to its original formula as the "everyday man's sports car."
MORE: Can't afford a six-figure sports car? These automakers are still making fun, affordable models
Eddie Alterman, chief brand and content officer at Hearst Autos, said he's amazed at how the Corvette team "keeps finding new ways to exploit mechanical engineering."
"I never thought I'd see the day of four-figure horsepower," he told ABC News. "Who knows where we'll go."
Alterman, who recently test drove the ZR1, admitted that he was "naturally" intimidated by the car's ferocious power. That was short-lived.
"It's very easy to modulate that power with the throttle ... it's so accessible, so predictable. You never feel like it's getting away from you," he said. "The [electronic] controls keep you out of the tree -- that's the key to making this elevated horsepower work. Without the chassis controls, you'd never have a 1,000-hp street legal car."
He added, "The ride was compliant and didn't beat you up even in track mode. I got a lot of thumbs-up in Monterey."
The marque's engineers are certainly flexing their muscles. At this year's Monterey Car Week, the team showed off the Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo concepts, "a glimpse" of the brand's "high-performance future," according to Chevrolet. The CX concept -- an AWD electric supercar -- makes more than 2,000 hp. The four motors and four-wheel torque vectoring allow for "maximum grip and cornering performance."
Chevrolet - PHOTO: The Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo concepts were unveiled Aug. 15, 2025, at The Quail in Carmel, California.
Jonathan Klinger, executive director at the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, noted that enthusiasts can still experience Corvette greatness in older models, which are plentiful on the secondary market and relatively affordable. This summer he drove 2,000 miles in a seven-speed 2014 Stingray, a road trip that went better than imagined.
"It was a blast," he told ABC News. "It was comfortable, had an amazing sound system and got surprisingly good fuel economy. I averaged 26 mpg on the highway."
Klinger said the engineering expertise and limitless funds that have flowed into the Corvette brand over the years are paying off: eye-watering performance, bragging rights and industry credibility.
"Without question, supercar owners respect the Corvette for what it has become," he said. "Ferrari and Porsche are building their brand on exclusivity. That's not the business model of American manufacturers. No one will debate the performance per dollar of the Corvette compared to anything else out there."
Chevrolet - PHOTO: Brian Wallace, lead vehicle dynamics engineer of the ZR1, set a 6:50.763 time at Germany's Nürburgring ring in July, a new record by an American manufacturer.
Earlier this month, Wallace was busy shaking hands and speaking with fellow enthusiasts at the Laguna Seca racetrack in Northern California. The crowd in the Corvette garage was noticeably different from previous years.
"Look at the fan base -- so many young people who are super enthusiastic here, asking me questions, asking about Nürburgring, how did I do that, what do I need to do to get your job?" he said, adding that the decision to go mid-engine has undoubtedly broadened the Corvette's appeal.
Wallace's next challenge will be to drive the ZR1 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, a technical course that hosts Formula 1 and NASCAR races.
"I want to set the production track record at COTA," he declared.
As for the customers who are happier tearing up local streets than chasing apexes?
"The versatility of this car is unbelievable," Wallace noted. "It's an iconic American brand that we continue to make better and better. Every generation is better than the previous one."
Source: “AOL AOL Lifestyle”
