20 hours ago
This 2025 Corvette ZR1 Made 1028 HP At the Rear Wheels in a Dyno Test — And It's Stock
With an official output of 1068 horsepower and a top speed of over 230 miles per hour, the new C8-generation Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is a truly ridiculous machine on paper. (And, as we found during our first drive test, a surprisingly easy-to-drive one in practice.) A recent dyno test conducted by the YouTube channel Paragon Performance, however, suggests that the car's real-world numbers may be even more absurd than what General Motors claims.
In a dyno test streamed live on Tuesday, the channel found that the C8 ZR1 produced an astounding 1028 hp and 840 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. Since the car is officially rated for 1064 hp and 838 lb-ft of torque, that number either suggests an incredibly efficient drivetrain or a substantially underrated engine. As number would suggest just a 3% drivetrain power loss, and the oft-quoted 15% power loss through the drivetrain would make the actual power output 1193 hp, the truth is likely somewhere in between.
Paragon Performance says it has two new ZR1s, and plans to run additional tests over the next week before releasing another video. That should account for some of the possible variances in dyno testing, which could eventually show that this was just a particularly good day to run the Corvette. Nevertheless, reaching 1038 hp at the wheels is a staggering achievement for any road car.
If the official rating of 1064 hp is actually a conservative estimate, it would mirror the first estimates of the car's top speed. GM first announced that the ZR1 could reach a top speed of "comfortably over 215 mph" when the car debuted. Four months later, the brand revealed that it had tested the car's V-max and found that it could actually reach 234 mph.
No matter how powerful the ZR1 actually is at the crank, it is certainly the most powerful production Corvette ever ‚ but it will not hold that record for long, because the hybrid ZR1X is following closely behind with an additional 186 hp from an electric motor on the front axle. Because both ZR1 variants use the same turbocharged engine, this dyno run suggests great things for that car. If the ZR1 is really more powerful than GM's official numbers, the ZR1X should be, too.
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