- The 2026 Chevy Corvette ZR1X ties for the second-quickest internal-combustion car we've tested to 60 mph, clocking in at 2.1 seconds.
- With the race extended to the quarter-mile, the 1250-hp Corvette is the second-quickest combustion model we've ever tested at 9.2 seconds.
- Amazingly, the ZR1X likely left some time on the table, as our test model was equipped with the high-downforce Carbon Fiber Aero package.
Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
At what point does excess become excessive? A little speeding on the highway is generally considered ok, but triple-digit speeds through a school zone is obviously crossing the line. According to the limit-pushing team working on the new Chevy Corvette ZR1X, the line for too much power is somewhere north of 1250 horsepower. Seven months after testing the Corvette ZR1, we finally got our hands on the hybrid all-wheel-drive ZR1X—and the test results are largely what you'd expect from the most powerful Corvette to ever come out of the factory.
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With the ZR1X's twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 supplying 1064 horsepower and the front axle's electric motor generating another 186—five more than a modern Miata—we recorded a sprint to 60 mph in 2.1 seconds. That makes the ZR1X a tenth of a second quicker to the mile-per-minute mark than the 1064-hp ZR1, and the X-rated Vette also ties as the second-quickest internal-combustion car we've ever tested, behind only the Ferrari SF90.
It's a similar story when the race is extended to the quarter-mile. Chevy's engineers wanted to make sure the electric motor helped with acceleration for the full length of a drag strip, so the motor stays involved until the ZR1X crests 160 mph. The extra pull from the front axle allows the ultimate Corvette to scratch and claw its way through the quarter-mile in 9.2 seconds at 155 mph. Once again, that time makes it the second-quickest gas-powered car we've tested through the quarter-mile, bested only by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.
Despite those impressive acceleration times, the ZR1X appears to have left some performance on the table. By Chevy's own tests, the ZR1X should be capable of a 1.9-second sprint to 60 mph and a 9.0-second drag-strip finish—both on an unprepped surface like how we conduct all of our tests. The likely culprit is that we achieved our test results with the ZR1X featuring the ZTK Track Performance and Carbon Fiber Aero packages, which add 1200 pounds of downforce from the gargantuan rear wing. The track-focused setup also saps some straight-line speed because of its additional 2 degrees of camber up front and 1.5 degrees of camber in the rear.
Still, even with the additional downforce, the ZR1X's performance figures live up to the model's indulgent nature. We'll be asking for a low-downforce ZR1X as soon as the icy grip of winter leaves Michigan for the year. In the meantime, read our full test of the ZR1X in the link below.
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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
