History is full of fast Corvettes, but for decades the most intense road-going Corvettes have borne the ZR1 name. And this year, Chevy has introduced the latest in the line, the 2025 Corvette ZR1. It’s the most powerful ever, with features never seen on the model before. You can read all about it in our main article , but the history of the ZR1 is worth a look of its own. That’s what you’ll find here, with a look at all five generations of ZR1, plus some interesting facts about them.
ZR1’s past and present
First generation 1970-1972 C3 ZR-1:
- A “Special engine package“intended for racing, not a standalone model. Improved mechanics such as brakes and suspension; power steering, air conditioning, radio and wheel covers are omitted.
- Engine: Reworked LT1 350-cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carburetor. Made 370 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 380 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. Not the most powerful version in the lineup; a 454-ci LS5 option got 390 hp.
- Specifications: 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds, quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 102 mph, 3,285 lbs.
- Price: $968.95 on top of base of $5,192 Corvette lower the price.
- Production: 53, coupe and convertible, four-speed manual transmission only.
- Remark: The only ZR-1 to date that comes close to the start of a generation; the C3 launched in 1968. A Car and Driver review back then said, “The current Corvette will undoubtedly be the last front-engine model,” and predicted that a mid-engine coupe would appear in 1972 (the C3 was retired in 1982). Chevrolets then GM John DeLorean “The mid-engine version should be a functional sports/GT car, weighing approximately 2,600 lbs. and displacing approximately 400 cu. in.”
Second generation 1990-1995 C4 ZR-1:
- The RPO ZR1 option effectively created a different car.
- Engine: New 5.7-liter all-aluminum, 32-valve, four-cam LT5 V8 designed by Lotus in England, built by Mercury Marine in Oklahoma. 375 hp and 380 lb-ft. That was 125 hp and 40 lb-ft more than the standard Corvette. The air management system could deactivate eight of the 16 intake manifolds and fuel injectors to satisfy fuel economy requirements.
- Tyres: Goodyear Eagle GS-C 275/40 ZR 17 front, 315/35 ZR 17 rear. The newly launched Lamborghini Devil had 245/40 ZR 17 tires at the front and 335/35 ZR 17 tires at the rear.
- Specifications: 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds, 13.13 quarter mile at 110 mph, top speed 180 mph, skidpad 0.93 G, 3,465 lbs.
- Price: $58,995 — $27,016 option price above the base coupe MSRP of $31,979. In 1991, the ZR-1’s option price rose to $31,000, making the ZR-1 the first GM product would cost more than $60,000.
- Production: 6,939, all six-speed manual coupes.
- Remark: The C4 ZR-1 broke records, spawned a legend, and by the end of its production run, the 405-horsepower LT5 V8 was the first mass-produced V8 engine to exceed 400 horsepower in the post-smog era.
Third generation 2009-2013 C6 ZR1 (‘Now without the hyphen, children!’):
- A special model, the fastest, most powerful and most expensive model GM had ever built.
- Engine: Heavily modified LS3, the LS9, a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 with pushrods, making 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, 208 hp more than the base Corvette and 133 hp more than the Z06.
- Specifications: 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, quarter mile in 11.5 seconds at 206 km/h, top speed 330 km/h, skidpad 1.05 g, 1500 kg.
- Price: $105,000, compared to $47,895 for a base coupe and an additional $30,055 for the Z06.
- Production: 4,684. Coupe, six-speed manual transmission only.
- Remark: Was the literal answer to the real question“If that’s what you can do with $60,000 (for the Z06), I wonder what a $100,000 Corvette would look like?”
Fourth generation 2019 C7 ZR1:
- A one-year farewell party for the front-engine Corvette.
- Engine: Upgraded version of the Z06’s supercharged LT5 6.2-liter pushrod V8. It had a larger supercharger and intercooler, additional radiators, and was rated at 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque. That was an increase of 105 horsepower and 65 pound-feet of torque over the Z06.
- Specifications: 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, quarter mile in 10.6 seconds at 216 km/h, top speed 340 km/h, 1600 kg (coupe).
- Price: $120,990
- Remark: This generation of the ZR1 was available with an automatic or manual transmission, and both targa and convertible bodies. This marked the first time both bodies had been offered since the original ZR-1. Another fun fact: Chevy cut a hole in the already larger hood to accommodate the larger supercharger and intercooler.
Fifth generation 2025 C8 ZR1:
- The first mid-engine ZR1, the first turbocharged ZR1, the first with a flat-plane crankshaft, and the first to exceed 1,000 horsepower.
- Engine: Twin-turbo 5.5-liter LT7 V8. It’s derived from the DOHC, flat-plane crank-equipped V8 in the C8.R race car and Z06 road car, but with a pair of turbochargers. It makes 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque — an insane 394 more horsepower than the Z06.
- Specifications: No specific acceleration times have been released yet, but Chevy estimates the car can complete the quarter mile in under 10 seconds and has a top speed of over 215 mph.
- Price: To be defined
- Remark: This is the last Corvette worked on by legendary Corvette engineer Tadge Juechter.
ZR1 Spotter’s Guide: From Wallflower to War Hammer
The C3 ZR-1 hid its imaginative parts inside and was indistinguishable from the regular StingrayThe C4 ZR-1 had a wider rear end with a convex fascia and rounded square taillights, rectangular exhaust pipes and a CHMSL at the top of the tailgate. C6 ZR1 details like the polycarbonate hood window, dual gills on the front fenders, carbon fiber brakes and CF roof make it unmistakable. The C7 ZR1 can only be mistaken for the kind of deadly menace usually plastered with “CAUTION” signs. The C8 takes after the ZR1 with massive vents and other aerodynamic aids. It even borrows the C2’s split-window look with heat extractors in the center of the rear window.
The bumpy road of a suspension
In 1988, GM engineers worked with Lotus and Bilstein on an Active Handling system for the C4 ZR1 that would measure “speed, tire load, steering, throttle and various other inputs into a complex algorithm” to adjust dual hydraulic dampers on the fly. Bilstein had helped develop the active suspension on the Porsche 959and Lotus’ formula 1 team had been has been working on Active Suspension since 1981.
GM built 25 prototypes in 1989 to test the system, but Active Handling did not meet the technology and requirements of 1980s production cars. Problems included electrical interference, poor responsiveness, the weight of the system of 300 poundsand 5 hp of pulling power to operate the 2200 psi, belt-driven hydraulic pump. Furthermore, boutique bits like Moog actuators drove up the price; at one point GM planned to make Active Handling a $39,000 option on top of the price of the C4 ZR-1.
GM moved away from that to develop the Selective Ride FX3 suspension, still a notable advance. However, engineers applied lessons learned from the C4 ZR-1 and new technology to the Active handling on the C5 Corvetteand the now familiar magnetorheological suspension that’s still good enough for the C7 and C8 ZR1s.
By Blues Brothers into space
The C6 ZR1 engine bay with a relief Jake on the intake snorkel, as a nod to the Corvette Racing Team. Fun fact: One of Jake’s origin stories says he was named after the ““Blues Brothers” character. The stylized blue version of Jake seen on C6 ZR1 mules and prototypes was “Blue Devil” Elwood, “Blue Devil” was the development code name for the C6 ZR1.
The C8 ZR1 also hides a secret in the engine bay. There’s a little rocket on the engine (and on the Z06’s), since the twin-cam engine family is called Gemini, just like the NASA space program of the same name. Gemini’s mythological roots refer to twins, and we wonder if part of the name choice had to do with the engine architecture, which is a double overhead camshaft, also known as a “twin cam.”
Keep it down there
Chevrolet says the manually adjustable High Wing in the ZTK Performance Package for the C7 ZR1 produces up to 950 pounds of rear downforce at speed. The new C8 ZR1 ZTK Package produces a combined 1,200 pounds. The Big Wing on the 2016 Dodge the Viper ACR collected 1,500 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. The Bugatti Chiron rear spoiler produces 355kg of downforce at the rear at 380km/h; in the full 49-degree airbrake position, the Chiron’s wing places almost 900kg on the rear axle.
Killing adders
The C4 ZR-1 needed major surgery to beat the original Adder (Granted, the original Viper was little more than two seats and four wheels bolted to an explosion.) Chevrolet engineer and racer John Heinricy created the so-called “Snake Skinner” ZR-1 by almost completely stripping the interior of a C4 ZR-1, modifying the engine and replacing all standard parts with lighter components.
The C6 ZR1 required no modifications and won all tests that didn’t involve the Viper ACR and that didn’t just look at pure personality.
And in the end, the ‘Vette won the war, because the Viper is gone, but the Viper leaves one last legacy. Viper ACR’s 7:01.30 Nürburgring time still stands as the fastest lap by an American production car. The C7 ZR1 never had the chance to set a record, so the task will fall to the new C8 version.