Chevrolet has officially rewritten the American performance record books. The new Corvette ZR1X is now the quickest American production car ever, blasting through the quarter mile in 8.675 seconds at 159 mph—on pump gas, with standard tires, and using full 50-state street-legal calibration. Final validation testing took place in October 2025 at US 131 Motorsports Park, a venue chosen to reflect the real-world dragstrip conditions Corvette owners actually use. On a prepped surface, the ZR1X also recorded a staggering 0–60 mph time of just 1.68 seconds, reaching 60 mph in under 100 feet while pulling up to 1.75G of acceleration.
This wasn’t a one-off hero run, either. The same test car completed multiple back-to-back quarter-mile passes under 8.8 seconds, underscoring the consistency of Chevrolet’s latest halo Corvette.
“When we made the revolutionary shift to a mid-engine platform, this is the type of performance we knew was possible,” said GM President Mark Reuss.
At the heart of the 2026 ZR1X is a twin-turbocharged LT7 V8 paired with a front-axle electric motor, delivering a combined 1,250 horsepower through an electrified all-wheel-drive system. The record-setting runs were completed with the car in its standard aero configuration, riding on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, with available carbon-fiber wheels fitted.
Launch performance was handled by Corvette’s Custom Launch Control, a system standard across the Corvette lineup. The feature allows drivers to fine-tune launch RPM, wheel slip, clutch application, and torque delivery, key to unlocking the ZR1X’s brutal off-the-line performance.
“There are many different parts and subsystems on this car, with teams across the company responsible for them,” said Corvette development engineer and test driver Stefan Frick. “We were all motivated by the mission to break into the eights.”
What makes the ZR1X’s performance truly remarkable is its price point. Starting at $209,700, it undercuts every hypercar it rivals while delivering comparable, or better, numbers:
- Rimac Nevera R: 7.90 sec / $2.5M
- Pininfarina Battista: 8.55 sec / $2.2M
- Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut: 8.77 sec / $3.4M
- Bugatti Tourbillon: 8.80 sec / $4.6M
Even on an unprepped surface, the ZR1X equipped with the ZTK Performance Package still rips the quarter mile in 8.99 seconds, with a 0–60 mph time of 1.89 seconds, numbers that embarrass most purpose-built hypercars.
The ZR1X now sits atop the eighth-generation Corvette hierarchy, eclipsing every variant before it:
- Stingray Z51: 2.9 sec (0–60)
- Z06 Z07: 2.6 sec
- E-Ray: 2.5 sec
- ZR1: 2.3 sec
- ZR1X: 1.89 sec
Production of the 2026 Corvette ZR1X began in December 2025, with assembly taking place at GM’s Bowling Green, Kentucky plant. With sub-9-second quarter-mile capability, 1,250 horsepower, and a price that undercuts the hypercar elite by millions, the ZR1X doesn’t just raise the bar, it obliterates it.
