Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X Officially Becomes Fastest American Production Car
The new 1,250-horsepower 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X will be one of the stars of the upcoming Montreal (Jan. 16-25) and Toronto (Feb. 13-22) auto shows. Guess what? It just broke more speed records.
The amazing feats Chevrolet is announcing today were actually achieved last October at US 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan. They came a few months after completing a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany in a time unmatched by any other American production car.
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On the specially prepped drag strip, the Corvette ZR1X covered the quarter mile in just 8.675 seconds at 159 mph (256 km/h) using pump gas. It also sprinted from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in a mere 1.68 seconds during the same run, reaching that speed over a distance of less than 100 feet (30 metres) and generating a maximum acceleration of 1.75 G.
The car was equipped with the ZR1X's standard aero configuration, standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires and optional carbon fibre wheels. No changes whatsoever were made to its powertrain, which combines a twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 with a front-mounted electric motor to form an all-wheel-drive system. Corvette development engineer and test driver Stefan Frick activated the custom launch control system, available on all Corvette models from the Stingray to the ZR1X.
As a result, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X has officially become the fastest American production car on the market. Here's a table showing how it compares to several domestic and foreign rivals, whether gas-powered or electric:
Quarter Mile |
Trap Speed |
0-60 mph |
Starting MSRP (USD) |
|
Corvette ZR1X |
8.675 seconds |
159 mph |
1.68 seconds |
$209,700 |
Rimac Nevera R |
7.90 seconds |
186 mph |
1.66 seconds |
$2.5 million |
Pininfarina Battista |
8.55 seconds |
155 mph |
1.79 seconds |
$2.2 million |
Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut |
8.77 seconds |
185 mph |
2.4 seconds |
$3.4 million |
Bugatti Tourbillon |
8.80 seconds |
176 mph |
1.9 seconds |
$4.6 million |
Lucid Air Sapphire |
8.95 seconds |
158 mph |
1.89 seconds |
$249,000 |
On an unprepped surface, Chevrolet says the Corvette ZR1X equipped with available ZTK Performance Package can complete the quarter mile in 8.99 seconds and accelerate 0-60 mph in 1.89 seconds. As for the other Corvettes, their best 0-60 mph times range from 2.3 to 2.9 seconds.
Production of the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X began in December. The first units will be delivered to their owners in the coming months. Canadian pricing starts at $315,952 including fees and the federal luxury tax.
