This is the definitive review of the new, 1064-hp C8 Corvette ZR1, together with every previous-generation ZR1 (the C4, C6, and C7.) Also featuring the Lamborghini Revuelto, Ferrari 296 GTS and Ferrari SF90. Starring Jason Cammisa and Randy Pobst, the episode also includes drag races and track battles with the C4 Corvette ZR-1, the C6 ZR1, and the C7 ZR1, as well as a Ferrari 348 Serie Speciale.
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The brand new 2025 and 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 packs a 1064-hp punch from its twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter LT7 V-8. It wears the largest turbochargers ever fitted to a production passenger-car engine. This flat-plane-crank V-8 shares its architecture with the Corvette Z06’s naturally aspirated LT6,. Cammisa’s non-ZTK-package test car has the optional aero kit, but not the track suspension and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires from the Z06. Instead, it’s wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (PS4S) tires with a more livable suspension to take its place as the do-everything Corvette.
And it starts with speed — through the quarter-mile, we recorded 9.8 seconds at 146 mph, making this (by a significant margin) the quickest two-wheel drive car we’ve ever tested.
The ZR1 badge means “King of the Hill” in Corvette-speak, and was invented as a competition package for the C3 Corvette. In 1989, the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 debuted as the first to wear the badge — and was immediately called The Corvette From Hell. It was the fastest accelerating car in the land, and the second-fastest car you could buy in America. But it wasn’t a one-trick pony, breaking records for lap times, lateral grip, and braking distances by using technology to improve its performance. Its 5.7-liter LT5 engine was designed by Lotus, built by Mercury Marine, and featured 4 camshafts and 32 valves — something no Corvette had until the LT6/LT7 Gemini twins in the C8.
In this episode, we race the C4 ZR-1 against the mid-engine Ferrari of the moment, the 348 (and a Serie Speciale, to boot.) The performance wasn’t even close — the Ferrari is a magnificent piece of engineering, but the Corvette beat it in every measure.
15 years later came the C6 Corvette ZR1, known internally initially as the Blue Devil. It featured a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 that made 638 hp. Once again, the ZR1 badge stood for bandwidth, meaning the ZR1 did it all: it once again broke records for handling and braking, and lap times to boot, with a Laguna Seca lap record set by our very own, SCCA Hall of Fame race-car driver, and cohost Randy Pobst.
The C7 Corvette ZR1, which came 10 full years later, was born into a different time, where Ferraris had gained turbochargers and got serious about speed. The C7 ZR1 used the 6.2-liter LT5, supercharged to 755 hp, to keep pace with the newly turbocharged mid-engine Ferraris, specifically the 488. In trying to keep up, the C7 proved difficult to handle, and spelled the end of the front-engine Corvette.
The C8 is an entirely different animal, and with its mid-mounted, flat-plane-crankshaft V-8 and mandatory dual-clutch automatic, closely resembles Ferrari’s recipe. Which, now, Lamborghini is copying with the forthcoming Temerario. So, to all those saying the C8 is an American Ferrari, Jason suggests it’s far more like an American Lamborghini — complete major power and brash looks.
And besides, Ferrari has moved away, with the 296 GTB and GTS using a 120-degree V-6 in place of the high-revving flat-plane-crank V-8 that Ferrari invented.
So how does the C8 ZR1 stack up? Watch and find out: 3 drag races, multiple power slides, drifts, burnouts, and even some low-speed city driving. We cover it all on this award-winning ICONS series.
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