Chevrolet made it clear that the Corvette ZR1 was going to rewrite the way we thought about performance with the brand saying that the ZR1 would be the most potent Corvette ever made with the model not only being the latest in a long line of ZR1s but also being the first one to cross the 1,000 hp barrier.
One of the lingering mysteries that existed in regards to the ZR1 was just how fast the car was able to go when pushed to its absolute limits. We knew it was supposed to be on par with some of the best supercars in the world but Chevrolet confirmed that the model is firmly in the hunt with the model hitting a top speed of 233 mph on the high-speed oval track at the Automotive Testing in Papenburg (ATP) facility in Germany.
ZR1 blitzes the 200 mph barrier
A large part of the ZR1 being able to hit that top speed is its flat-plane crank 5.5-liter turbocharged V8 which makes 1,064 horsepower. Chevy had said that the engine would allow the ZR1 to hit an estimated top speed of 215 mph but an official top-speed test smashed that figure. The Vette used in the test was driven by GM President Mark Reuss with an engineer accompanying him in the passenger seat.
The 233 mpg top speed was achieved while the car was at red line in sixth gear and it not only set a new record for an American manufactured vehicle, but also a new record for vehicles under the $1 million pricing barrier. The record was not a fluke either with the company saying five other test drivers were able to hit the 230 mph mark in later test runs.
“The car feels stable so that it doesn’t present as that big of an event,” noted Chris Barber, Corvette ZR1 lead development engineer. “It just feels like you’re going pretty fast on the highway. Which is crazy to say, but that’s how good the car was.”
No special equipment needed
In addition to having Mark Reuss behind the wheel, the Vette used in the record-smashing attempt was also fully stock with the chassis, aero kit, and the other associated performance bits all being unchanged from the factory. This is a rarity since other record-breaking cars often have to use specialized equipment to help them hit these lofty speeds. Chevrolet did confirm the car was placed in “Top Speed” mode which tweaks the chassis control features to help the ZR1 hit top speeds.
With this record, the ZR1 is now the fastest vehicle GM has ever produced but it might not be that way for long. A new round of rumors and several mysterious sightings of odd Corvette prototypes out testing indicate that GM might have one more performance surprise for consumers in the near future that will be even faster than the ZR1 but the company is choosing to neither confirm nor deny these rumors for now.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.