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Chevrolet has described the Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X as supercars, capable of competing with the best cars in the world. To prove its point, Chevrolet took its halo cars to the famous Nurburgring track in Germany, to see how fast they can go. Recently, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X took over the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit. What was most unusual is that Chevrolet didn’t test the cars with race car drivers. Instead, the sports cars were piloted by three of the Chevrolet engineers who helped develop them. Don’t get me wrong, the engineers have extensive experience and advanced driving credentials. The ZR1X now owns the record for the fastest American car at Nurburgring, with an astonishing lap time of 6:49.275. Corvette ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell now has the fastest lap time of any non-professional racecar driver at the Nürburgring in the list of official record laps.
Incredible Vehicles With Incredible Times
As I reported in June, the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X will do 0-60 in under two seconds. The ZR1X is the most advanced Corvette ever. The ZR1X takes the LT7 twin-turbo V8 with 1,064 horsepower and adds a compact electric motor on the front axle with 186 horsepower, for a total of 1250 horsepower. The amazing thing is that there is no physical connection between the two power sources.
ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace came very close to setting the same record. Wallace clocked in with a lap time of 6:50.763 in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1. The ZR1’s 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. Until the creation of the ZR1X, the ZR1 was the fastest car GM had ever produced. In previous testing in Germany, 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 Chevrolet team now has the two fastest official laps set by an American manufacturer at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever put in a production car, set a lap of 7:11.826 with vehicle performance manager Aaron Link behind the wheel.
“No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period.”
New Documentary Tracks the Corvette Development
Chevrolet tracked the progress of the Corvette supercars and created a documentary about the vehicles that are now America’s fastest cars. The documentary “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story” goes behind the scenes and highlights the journey from GM’s Milford Proving Ground to Germany. It records the intensity and precision of pursuing three lap times with three separate types of Corvettes and three different drivers. In addition to the engineers who set the lap times, the film features Reuss, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports Ken Morris and Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma.
The Corvettes Used for Testing
The Corvettes tested at the Nürburgring track were all U.S. production-spec vehicles. The only modifications were safety equipment recommended by the track. The Corvettes were outfitted with roll hoops, full containment race seats, fire extinguishers, and six-point safety harnesses. All three lap times are listed in the Prototype/Pre-Production category, since the ZR1 and ZR1X are not sold in Europe and the Z06 was equipped for North America.
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“We’ve created a different kind of relationship between our cars, iconic tracks, and our engineers, it is how we develop our vehicles,” said Morris. “These Corvettes weren’t piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered and tuned them. Brian, Aaron and Drew have grown into world-class drivers and even better engineers. Their lap times now rank among the fastest ever recorded by non-professionals at the ‘Ring, which is so cool.”
The Latest Nurburgring Lap Times
Here are the fastest production cars on the 12.9-mile full circuit of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, also known as the Green Hell, according to the Nürburgring’s website.
Fastest Production Cars at the Nürburgring
# Time Vehicle
- 06:29.090 Mercedes AMG One
- 06:43.300 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance
- 06:44.749 Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR
- 06:48.047 Mercedes AMG Black Series
- 06:49.275 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X
- 06:49.328 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
- 06:50.763 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
- 06:52.072 Ford Mustang GTD
Ford is Ready to Compete
Just hours after Chevrolet posted its record times on Instagram, it appears that Ford CEO Jim Farley is ready to pit the Mustang GTD against the Corvettes. Farley commented on the Corvette post, “Congrats to the Corvette team. Game on.” Farley has taken great pride in the GTD setting a sub-seven-minute lap time at Nurburgring. As I recently reported, Farley spoke at length with Jay Leno about the GTD’s performance when Leno took delivery of his 2025 Mustang GTD.
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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
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Source: torquenews.com
