2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Sets an Astonishing Record

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was designed to blow the doors off the competition, but no one expected it to set this record for speed.

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was heralded as Chevrolet’s supercar, an engineering marvel. The mid-engine design with the 5.5L, twin-turbocharged LT7 DOHC flat-plane crank V8 engine was guaranteed to be faster than any previous Corvette. Recent testing in Germany proves that the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is now the fastest car ever built by an American auto manufacturer. General Motors President Mark Reuss drove a 2025 Corvette ZR1 233 mph, setting a top speed record beating any current production car priced under $1 million. The ZR1 is the fastest car GM has ever produced.

“Setting the top-speed record in the Corvette ZR1 is a true triumph for Corvette and for Chevrolet, and also an exhilarating, surreal experience for me personally,” said Reuss. “With the current generation’s switch to mid-engine, we knew the outstanding performance and balance made this a real possibility. To go over there and get it done is a testament to the power of ZR1, and to the incredibly talented team that developed and built it.”

How The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette Set the Record

The Corvette testing team took the ZR1 test cars to Papenburg, Germany where there is a special test track. The two-way average speed was 233 mph on the northbound and southbound straightaways of the High-Speed Oval Track at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg.

According to Chevrolet:

• The ZR1 reached 233 mph with the engine at redline in sixth gear.
• During testing, including Reuss’s record run, an engineer was in the passenger seat analyzing data in real-time.
• The 233-mph run was not a one-off performance. Five engineers and both ZR1 development cars onsite exceeded 230 mph across multiple runs.
• Papenburg provided optimal conditions, such as temperature and air density, for a high-speed test. Chevrolet engineers have previously set top speeds for the sixth and seventh generation Corvette ZR1, and the sixth generation Camaro ZL1 at this facility.

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

As I have reported in previous stories, the ZR1 was designed to be Chevrolet’s ultimate halo car. It is street legal but gets an astounding 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,000 rpm. The Corvette supercar is the most powerful ever factory Corvette and the most powerful V8 ever produced in America. Corvette changed to the mid-engine architecture in 2020. That move changed the design, shape and performance of America’s favorite sports car. The Corvette has been in production since 1953. It celebrated its 71st year in June.

The Test Corvettes

According to Chevrolet, the 233-mph speed record was achieved in two ZR1 coupes. Both Corvettes were outfitted with a standard chassis and aero package. The cars had standard spoilers with short wicker, carbon fiber ground effects, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and aluminum wheels. The engineers used a special Top Speed Mode, exclusively for closed course use, which adjusts chassis control systems for maximum speed.

So not only is the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 beautiful, it truly can outperform any other sports car currently in production in North America, but please don’t try to duplicate the record. Mark Reuss is an experienced high-speed driver and the tests were conducted on a closed track built for high performance vehicles.

Chevrolet Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.