Is The C8 Corvette Team About To Go Crazy?
Chevrolet’s newly unveiled ZR1X may be the craziest, fastest, and most powerful Corvette ever built—but according to the car’s lead engineer, it won’t be the final word in C8 performance.
Key Points
- Despite delivering 1,250 hp, the hybrid Corvette ZR1X is only the “latest chapter” in the C8’s evolution, with Chevrolet teasing the possibility of an even more extreme variant.
- Chief engineer Tony Roma confirmed Chevrolet is actively targeting the Nürburgring lap record for an American car, currently held by the Mustang GTD, as a major benchmark for the ZR1X.
- While most Corvette owners won’t chase lap records, Chevy believes pushing boundaries fuels brand prestige—hinting that customers value theoretical capability as much as real-world performance.
Despite the mind-bending 1,250 horsepower from its hybrid-assist V8, the ZR1X appears to be just another waypoint for the mid-engine Corvette program—indicating there's more to come from the Corvette engineering crew.
In an interview with Top Gear, Tony Roma, executive chief engineer for the Corvette, made it clear that the ZR1X is not the final boss, teasing that Chevrolet isn’t finished pushing the boundaries of what the C8 platform can deliver. Roma’s stopped short of confirming a higher-tier model—we don't speak about future product and all that—but his phrasing certainly left the door wide open for another higher tier of performance.
“The things we’ve learned from creating the various models so far and the opportunities we have in the future with this chassis are incredible," said Roma. "The ZR1X is not the end of the story, it’s just the latest chapter. The team that works on it has a very ‘what can we do, and how can we do it?’ attitude. They see possibilities and not challenges.”
Chevrolet is eyeing Nürburgring lap records as a benchmark. Currently, the Mustang GTD holds the title for fastest lap by an American production car around the Nordschleife, clocking in at 6:52.072—that record appears ready to fall into the ZR1X’s lap.
“We want to be the fastest American car—that’s an accolade we’d love to have,” Roma added. “We’ve done some testing, and all I can say is… stay tuned.”
While Roma knows that your average Corvette buyer will never ever drive at that level, he emphasized the symbolic importance of such benchmarks. For many buyers, the performance potential of their car—even if untapped—is part of the ownership experience.
“Speed is only relevant these days for bragging rights. For a car to have a certain amount of provenance, we have to offer a version of that car that’s capable of doing those silly numbers. The ZR1’s top speed attempt was not in expectation that our customers would ever repeat it, or even get remotely close, because you can’t legally do that."
Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
More by Michael Accardi
Comments
Join the conversation
LOL a Corvette the average Corvette driver can never afford...$290K MSRP with a $300K dealer ADM GM has lost there mind very few people will buy the C8ZR1 and ZRX. Corvette is a dying brand period.
Ha, most of them will be put in showrooms or storage and never driven with the hope that they appreciate in value. Our local Ford dealer has one the mid 2000's GT40's in their waiting room. It has been registered and even has a few hundred miles on it. It is great to ogle the thing every time I'm in there. Apparently it's worth way more than it was when new and certainly looks good sitting there all chained off and polished up.