You just knew the 1,064-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 would be fast. With a power figure like that, 200 miles per hour was a given, and the real question became how much higher it could go. We have our answer now, because General Motors President Mark Reuss just drove the mid-engined machine 233 mph on a test track in Germany.
That top speed was measured as a two-way average on the northbound and southbound straightaways at Automotive Testing Papenburg’s High-Speed Oval Track. Importantly, GM notes it wasn’t a fluke result. Five engineers also cracked the 230-mph mark in both Corvette ZR1 test vehicles onsite.
The specifics of the run are as follows: They used the ZR1’s specially developed Top Speed Mode (sick) to go 233 mph at redline in sixth gear with an engineer in the passenger seat. GM says the car was factory-stock, and it wore the standard aero package with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and aluminum wheels. As for that drive mode, it adjusts the chassis control systems for maximum speed. It’s reserved for closed-course driving, and you’d best believe that’s the only place anyone should try hitting speeds this high.
“We actually didn’t think 233 was in the cards,” Corvette ZR1 lead development engineer Chris Barber said following the test. “That’s part of the reason everyone was so excited. Not only did we meet the target, we did better. It speaks to the confidence the car provides, how easy it felt for us to do something that sounds just insane.
“We’ve done some cool stuff, but I’ve never seen the group so ecstatic. Having Mark Reuss there as the driver just added to it,” Barber continued. “We’re proud as the Corvette team, but to have Mark be so involved speaks to the importance of what this means. This is a pretty historic thing.”
GM can now add a few more line items to the Corvette ZR1’s list of accomplishments. It was already the most powerful American V8 production car from a major automaker, thanks to the twin-turbo, 5.5-liter flat-plane crank LT7. Those BorgWarner blowers are also the largest twin turbos ever fitted to a car for sale to the public. The runs at Papenburg have now proven the ZR1 as the fastest under $1 million. While Chevrolet hasn’t announced pricing yet, it’s expected to land somewhere between $180,000 and $200,000. That’s far from cheap, but then again, this car is far from slow. Here’s the high-speed run for proof:
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