Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X Set Blistering Record At the Nürburgring
The fastest official Nürburgring laps set by an American manufacturer. Chevy brought three of its latest high-performance Corvettes, the Z06, ZR1, and the new electrified ZR1X, to the legendary Nordschleife circuit and set official times for all three in a single visit, piloted not by professional racers, but by the very engineers who developed them.
Record-Breaking Facts
The Chevrolet team unleashed its trio of production-spec supercars on the 12.9-mile track, known as "The Green Hell," with remarkable results. The only modifications were track-mandated safety equipment.
The new Corvette ZR1X, with 1,250-horsepower, laid down a stunning lap time of 6:49.275. This not only makes it the fifth-fastest production car ever to lap the circuit but also secures its driver, vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell, the fastest lap ever recorded at the Nürburgring by a non-professional driver.
The Corvette ZR1, boasting a 1,064-horsepower twin-turbo V8, was close behind. Vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace piloted it to an impressive 6:50.763 lap.
The Corvette Z06, powered by the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 in a production car at 670 horsepower, was driven by vehicle performance manager Aaron Link to a time of 7:11.826.
Why It's a Landmark Achievement
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is the approach Chevrolet took. Instead of hiring professional racing drivers, the company put the engineers who live and breathe these cars in the driver's seats. Drew Cattell, Brian Wallace, and Aaron Link are still highly experienced drivers with a combined 36 years of experience working on performance cars and over 1,800 laps of the Nürburgring between them. "No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before," said GM President Mark Reuss. "These weren't piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered, and tuned them."
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A New Benchmark for American Performance
The Chevy Corvette has once again set new benchmarks for American sports cars. The Corvette ZR1X and ZR1 now stand as the fastest American cars ever to tackle the Green Hell, proving that America's sports car can compete with the best in the world, right in their backyard.
Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X Set Blistering Record At the Nürburgring first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
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