Once again, General Motors has made history. The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 recently became the fastest car ever built by a U.S. auto manufacturer—and the driver was none other than GM President Mark Reuss.
The GM team traveled to Germany’s High-Speed Oval Track at ATP Automotive Testing facility in Papenburg and reached a two-way average speed of 233 mph—they clock you going both ways and take the average to account for wind. Papenburg provides ideal conditions for a high-speed test, like temperature and air density.
Most Read on IEN:
The ZR1 is now the fastest current production car priced under $1 million and the fastest factory-stock Corvette on earth, according to the company. The 2025 ZR1 is expected to start around $180,000 and go up to $205,000, according to Car and Driver.
In 2020, Corvette moved to a mid-engine architecture, and the ZR1 has the most powerful V8 engine ever produced by a domestic manufacturer.
The ZR1 set the record with a standard chassis and aero package, as well as a standard spoiler, carbon fiber ground effects, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and aluminum wheels. However, a Top Speed Mode was exclusively developed for closed course use; the setting adjusts chassis control systems for max speed. Throughout the development process, Chevy’s engineers heavily relied on GM’s software, modeling, and hardware expertise.
During Reuss’s record-setting run, an engineer was in the passenger seat analyzing data in real time. The ZR1 reached 233 mph with the engine at the redline in sixth gear.
And the achievement didn’t just happen once. According to GM, five engineers, using both ZR1 development cars onsite, topped 230 mph—that’s an incredible day at the office.
Corvette ZR1 lead development engineer Chris Barber said, “This car actually overachieved.” He added, ” We actually didn’t think 233 was in the cards.”
When development started on the C8-generation Corvette, the goal was 220 mph. In testing, the car exceeded expectations, so the team pushed the top-speed objective to 230 mph.
Once again, this is the most powerful factory-built V8 engine from an auto manufacturer in the U.S. The ZR1 has a 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that can generate 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. GM says the ZR1 has an estimated sub-10-second quarter mile time.
Reuss called the record-breaking attempt “an exhilarating, surreal experience.”
Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter featuring breaking manufacturing industry news.
