2019 Corvette ZR1 with the Automatic Gearbox Makes 654rwhp

A few months back, we brought you a look at the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 on a dyno, making 668 rear wheel horsepower with the help of the standard manual transmission. This time, we bring you a look at a new ZR1 with the automatic transmission making a baseline run on the dyno, making just 14 less horsepower than the slightly more-efficient manual gearbox.

ZR1 Auto Dyno
The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is powered by the new supercharged LT5 V8 with 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. That power is sent to the rear wheels by means of a standard 7-speed manual transmission or an optional 8-speed automatic transmission. The automatic offers better performance numbers, but manual transmissions are generally more efficient, leading to great wheel horsepower figures.

When we previously watched a C7 ZR1 on the dyno, it was fitted with the 7-speed manual and it laid down a combination of 668 horsepower and 644 lb-ft of torque. This time, the ZR1 is relying on the 8-speed automatic transmission, so we can expect the numbers to be a bit lower, and they are.

To be exact, this supercharged Corvette makes 654 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, so it makes 14 less horsepower than the manual car that we looked at in April, but one more lb-ft of torque. Realistically, that is probably due to the difference in air and the difference in dyno calibration, but we would predict lower power numbers and that is what we see here.

Build Time
This video shows the baseline dyno of a 2019 Corvette ZR1 in the care of Hennessey Performance, which means that it is likely bound for some sort of big-power build. Hennessey currently lists three packages for the ZR1 – HPE850, HPE1000 and HPE1200 – with power levels that roughly correspond with the number in the package name. With any luck, this car will be subject to the HPE1200 build with a resulting 1,200 horsepower, but in the meantime, we get a look at the rear wheel horsepower figures of a new Corvette ZR1 with the automatic gearbox.