1,250-hp Chevrolet Corvette Zr1x Hybrid Sets New Nürburgring Lap Record... For American Automakers

Chevrolet

With 1,064 horsepower, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is already ridiculously fast, setting 5 thigh records astatine immoderate legendary title tracks including Watkins Glen and Virginia International Raceway. So erstwhile Chevrolet revealed the 1,250-hp, all-wheel-drive Corvette ZR1X hybrid, it was safe to presume moreover much records mightiness beryllium astatine risk, including nan wide thigh grounds astatine nan Nürburgring. It's nary concealed that Chevrolet was astatine nan 'Ring, either, and today, it announced that nan Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X are now nan fastest cars anyone has ever driven astir nan Nordschleife — if you only count American automakers.

OK, truthful Chevrolet didn't precisely steal nan crown from nan Mercedes-AMG One; with an charismatic clip of 6:49.275, nan ZR1X didn't moreover travel adjacent to beating nan One's record-setting clip of 6:29.090. Its clip besides wasn't that overmuch faster than nan 6:50.763 laid down by nan less-powerful ZR1. But they did champion the Ford Mustang GTD, which precocious group a nan erstwhile American roadworthy car grounds pinch a clip of 6:52.072. The Z06, meanwhile, lapped nan 'Ring in 7:11.826. But while nan ZR1X grounded to return down nan One aliases moreover the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, those records were group pinch existent title car drivers down nan wheel. Chevrolet didn't spell that route, astatine slightest not this clip around. 

Instead, nan American automaker utilized its ain improvement engineers, conscionable for illustration it did erstwhile nan ZR1 group those different thigh records. In fact, according to Chevy, ZR1X conveyance dynamics technologist Drew Cattell is now the fastest non-professional racecar driver to ever thigh nan Nürburgring. A master driver would astir apt beryllium moreover faster, but it's still beautiful cool to spot an amateur group a grounds for illustration that. 

That said, pinch an estimated 600 laps nether his belt, Cattell isn't precisely caller to this full "lapping nan Nürburgring" thing. Meanwhile, ZR1 conveyance dynamics technologist Brian Wallace, who group nan fastest thigh successful nan regular ZR1, has been astir nan 'Ring an estimated 425 times. And yet, vehicle capacity head Aaron Link, who piloted nan Corvette Z06, reportedly thumps them some pinch astir 800 laps nether his belt. Now that's a batch of laps. 

According to Chevrolet, while nan Corvettes it brought to nan Nurburgring weren't 100% stock, they were still beautiful darn adjacent to it, since they started arsenic U.S.-spec cars and were only modified to adhd "the information instrumentality recommended by nan track." Those changes see "a rotation hoop, afloat containment title seat, occurrence extinguisher, and a six-point information harness," which is emblematic for roadworthy cars that group 'Ring times. All 3 Corvettes ran their laps connected carbon-fiber wheels wearing Michelin Cup 2R tires.  

"No car shaper has done a Nürburgring thigh effort for illustration this before," GM President Mark Reuss, said successful a statement. "From improvement done production, and now astatine nan Nürburgring Nordschleife, nan Green Hell, we person intelligibly shown location is nary limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles tin accomplish. These are nan champion Corvettes successful history, period."