Climbing To The Top
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X continues to rewrite the record books, recently setting a new production-car benchmark at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Piloted by IndyCar and Pikes Peak veteran JR Hildebrand, the ZR1X completed the course in 9:30.104, more than 23 seconds quicker than the previous PPIHC-certified production-car mark.
That previous benchmark belonged to David Donner, who drove a 000 Magazine-liveried 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S. While the Turbo S is not the most track-focused 911, it remains one of the German marque’s flagship performance models, which makes the Corvette ZR1X’s run even more impressive. The Chevy hypercar only received safety-related modifications required for the mountain, including a roll cage, fuel cell, seat belts, fire system, and cutoff switches, meaning its performance hardware was essentially stock.
The Secret Sauce
The results came from the MidEngineCorvette Forum. Of course, the ZR1X is the most powerful version of the nameplate, powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with a front electric drive unit, delivering a combined output of 1,250 horsepower and making it the most powerful Corvette ever.
Given its all-wheel-drive system, the Corvette ZR1X should theoretically be more stable than a rear-wheel-drive car, which is more prone to oversteer. That matters on Pikes Peak’s 14,115-foot Colorado course, which features 156 corners without guardrails, leaving little room for error. The added front-axle electric motor also helps the car pull out of corners more aggressively, giving it better traction as it climbs.
“You’ve got the front drive unit literally pulling you out of the corners, right up into the RPM band of the ICE powertrain behind you. And it’s all just completely seamless… I’m just sitting here, locked in, enjoying the ride,” Hildebrand told the publication.
Record After Record
The production-car benchmark at Pikes Peak adds to the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X’s growing list of accomplishments since its debut last year. The Corvette ZR1X also claimed the fastest lap by an American production car at the Nürburgring in Germany, setting a 6:49.275 time. The Ford Mustang GTD Competition later lapped the Green Hell more than eight seconds quicker, but it was listed in the prototype/pre-production class. Closer to home, the Chevy hypercar set new lap records at NCM Motorsports Park and Sonoma Raceway, while also recording an 8.675-second quarter-mile run at US 131 Motorsports Park.
But perhaps the best part is that this level of performance is available straight from a Chevrolet dealership without requiring exotic supercar money. The Corvette ZR1X starts at $209,700, less than half the price of the 986-horsepower Ferrari SF90 Stradale, highlighting its performance-per-dollar value.
