Latest news with #supercar
The Drive
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
A Stock 2025 Corvette ZR1 Has Already Beaten Chevy's Official 0 to 60 Time
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Me telling you that the new Chevy Corvette ZR1 is quick is kind of like saying that water is wet. Of course it is, right? But now that people outside General Motors are testing the car with real instrumentation, we're seeing just how quick it is in the public's hands. For proof, a totally stock ZR1 on factory tires just ran from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.2 seconds. Car and Driver conducted the experiment and named the beastly Bowtie the quickest rear-wheel drive car it's ever tested. It beat a European supercar, in true Corvette fashion, reaching 60 mph a tenth of a second quicker than a McLaren 750S. That's scootin'. Now, the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1 has a lot more grunt than the McLaren, given that the 750S is listed at 740 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. But that isn't always an advantage when it comes to off-the-line traction. The Chevy's Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZPs surely helped it succeed as they measure 345 millimeters wide out back; meanwhile, the Macca makes do with 305mm-wide Pirelli P Zero Trofeo rears. To round it out, the ZR1 weighs 3,831 pounds—a full 625 pounds more than the McLaren, but because the Corvette's engine is so mighty, its power-to-weight ratio is still better. That 2.2-second time achieved by Car and Driver is also a full tenth quicker than Chevy's own estimate, for what it's worth. I took these photos at the Corvette ZR1's media reveal last July. When a car looks this fast sitting still and has the stats to back it up, you know it's special. Caleb Jacobs The thing about the Corvette ZR1 is that the gap only grows as the speedometer climbs. The 5.5-liter LT7 V8 with a flat-plane crank and the largest twin turbos ever fitted to a production car is a total worldbeater. (They measure 76 millimeters apiece on the compressor side, in case you were curious.) Car and Driver says it trounced the quarter-mile in 9.5 seconds at 149 mph, compared to the 750S's time of 9.8 seconds at 145 mph. Beyond that, the McLaren was a full second slower to 150 mph than the Chevy, and it tops out at 206 mph while the ZR1 can go up to 233 mph. My guess is we're about to see a lot more crazy stats like this as the Corvette ZR1 takes on drag strips and road courses around the country. And while it's nowhere near cheap at $175,000 to start, it's a heck of a bargain compared to the $325,000-and-up 750S. It's undeniably the peak Corvette—at least, for now. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@
Motor 1
a day ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Bad News: BMW Won't Build a New Supercar Anytime Soon
BMW was very close to having a new version of the iconic M1. However, the automaker pulled the plug on that project at the last minute, and it's unlikely BMW will build a new supercar anytime soon. BMW M Boss Frank van Meel told BMW Blog that the company doesn't "want to lose focus" on its high-performance models right now, even if "we are always dreaming about" a new M1-like supercar. However, the company has to "find the right window of opportunity where we have the capacity to work on a car like that." BMW is preparing the launch of its Neue Klasse architecture that will support both electric and gas-powered versions of the highly anticipated M3. It's not expected to go on sale until late 2026 or early 2027, and it's likely consuming a vast amount of engineering resources leading up to the launch. The new combustion-powered M3 will have a gas engine that's unique from the S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that powers the current model. The new M1 that BMW was supposedly working on would have been a 600-horsepower plug-in hybrid with a four-cylinder engine. BMW worked on the project throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but the powers-that-be decided to greenlight the XM instead. It's likely not a question of if, but when BMW decides to build a new supercar—it just has to happen at the right time. One reason the company greenlit the XM over a new M1 was that it believed today's customers wanted SUVs instead of sports cars . However, the XM isn't selling well , and a new BMW supercar is now sitting on the back burner. Here's More BMW News to Check Out: BMWs Will Look Very Different Very Soon BMW Has a 'Higher Demand' for the M5 Wagon in the US Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: BMW Blog Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Forbes
a day ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Ex-Stig Ben Collins Returns To Top Gear Track In 700HP Praga Bohema Supercar
Ben Collins is more than familiar with the old Top Gear test track at Dunsfold The former Top Gear Stig, Ben Collins, has set the fastest production pure combustion road car lap at the Dunsfold Test Track in the Praga Bohema supercar. Collins set a remarkable time of 1:09:84, narrowly missing the Aston Martin Valkyrie's time of 1:09.70. With a dry curb weight of just 2,300 lbs (1,000kg) paired with a 3.8-liter V6 twin-turbo engine producing 700 bhp and 725Nm of torque, the Bohema is an impressive feat of engineering. In July, Collins will be involved in the handover for three customer cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Ben Collins, ex-Stig and Praga test driver said: 'Setting such a fast time at Dunsfold on regular road tyres was such a thrill. I knew the Bohema would be fast, but Dunsfold's tight turns and short straights are not ideal for a car that lives and breathes downforce. It shows how potent the mix of lightweight engineering, great aerodynamics, and pure combustion can be – even up against hybrid hypercars from established brands with more than 1,000 bhp. The owners taking delivery of their Bohema at Goodwood are in for the time of their lives as their new cars take to the Hill!' From all angles the Bohema is an incredible piece of art Praga is a Czech manufacturer that has been building vehicles for nearly 120 years. The world of supercars is a new area for the business but the Bohema's performance speaks for itself. Collins' lap time was completed on a set of road tires and he even drove to the circuit in the Bohema ahead of the track session. Collins said: 'We probably only did half a dozen hot laps in the time available, but with VBox timing I could see my purple sectors were looking good – if I had put together the perfect lap, we would have been at the top of the list. But, the fastest ever pure-petrol road car at the first attempt is a pretty good result too. I look forward to showing the crowds at Goodwood just what the car is capable of.' The fastest lap time at Dunsfold is held by a Renault R24 at 0:59:00 While the Bohema is road legal, it's designed to excel on the track with its racing-focused suspension and carbon ceramic brakes. The supercar can achieve 62mph from a standstill in under three seconds and produces 1,984lbs (900kg) of downforce at 155mph. Although it doesn't achieve the fastest top speed for a car of this class, the Bohema will still take your breath away when it tops out at 197mph. Tomas Kasparek, Praga Cars Owner said: 'I was delighted to see the time Bohema achieved at Dunsfold. It confirms the top level of performance capabilities of the car and it underlines its potential. More than the impressive number on the stopwatch, this highlights the incredible effort made by the whole team – and, of course, Ben's super driving skills. I'm extremely proud.' Ben Collins getting ready to take on Dunsfold Following the delivery of the first production model to a customer in the Netherlands in December, Praga will take three customer cars to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer. The handovers will see the first US owner take delivery of their new car and include an opportunity for the three new recipients to ride up the iconic Goodwood hill climb. Kasparek added: 'The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the best place in the world to hand over our Bohema supercars to our new clients. We've enjoyed working with our customers this spring, especially Herman van der Pavert, the owner of the first Bohema production car. As a new brand in the supercar market, every one of our customers is hugely important to us so, as we share the journey with them, we seek out ways to demonstrate our appreciation. I hope they enjoy going up the hill with Ben and that all the fans enjoy the spectacle with us.'
Car and Driver
a day ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
First Test: 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Enters Another Dimension
In C/D's exclusive first instrumented test, the new ZR1 hit 60 mph in 2.2 seconds. It also blasted through the quarter-mile in 9.5 seconds at 149 mph. Those numbers make this Corvette ZR1 the quickest rear-wheel-drive car we've ever tested. A thousand horsepower makes a particular sound. It's a compact tornado ripping across the plains, a 30-foot swell curling across a shore break, an airlock blowing out in deep space. It's the sound of a placid afternoon breeze that was minding its own business until the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 showed up, its twin ball-bearing turbos cramming up to 26.1 psi of boost into its LT7 5.5-liter V-8. The ZR1 is rated at a strangely specific 1064 horsepower at 7000 rpm, and you'd guess that GM aimed for an even thousand and overshot the mark. That's not the case. The horsepower goal was simply "as much as possible," and it turns out that the envelope of possibility extends to four-digit output, a 233-mph top speed, and a yet-undisclosed Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time that's likely to embarrass the $300,000-plus Mustang GTD more than a little. For a frame of reference, this year's Indy 500 qualifying average speed was 231 mph, and you can't buy Álex Palou's Dallara for a starting price of $178,195 at your local Chevy dealer. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Strap In It would be disingenuous to claim that the ZR1's performance is easily accessible. When you first climb in, it's best to treat the accelerator pedal the way a bomb-squad crew treats a wired-up bundle of explosives—careful, careful, lest you trigger the boom. Perhaps the ZR1's most important instrument-cluster display is the tire temperature readout, which gleans its information from the TPMS sensors. If the display is blue, that means you'd best not show off while leaving Cars & Coffee. If it's green, that means you'd still best not show off while leaving Cars & Coffee, but your power-oversteer spin will happen slightly farther down the road. If it's red, you're a hero because that means you drove hard enough to actually make the tires hot. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver HIGHS: Straight-line performance of the gods, aero upgrades, typical excellent Corvette value. We drove the ZR1 at GingerMan Raceway in Michigan, and the morning began with cold rain. That provided a good opportunity to confirm that a rear-wheel-drive car with 1064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque, wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires ("not recommended for driving in wet conditions," per Tire Rack), is not ideal on a chilly, damp day. The ZR1 on wet pavement feels like a normal car on snow, with the front tires washing wide on tight corners at barely more than 30 mph, and the 345/25ZR-21 rears flaring into wheelspin at perhaps 25 percent throttle. Fortunately for us, the skies cleared, the track dried, and eventually the ZR1 got to demonstrate its talents. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Shrinks Racetracks GingerMan is a fairly compact circuit—2.1 miles—but the ZR1 is going to make every track feel tight. It's a cheetah let loose in a Chuck E. Cheese, an F-22 flying combat maneuvers in your grandma's attic, a Tyson Fury title fight held in an elevator. The ZR1's acceleration is so explosive that it's hard to find a frame of reference, but let's try. The 2006 Corvette Z06, with its 505-hp LS7 engine, hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The 2025 ZR1 is almost that quick over the next 60 mph—it runs 60 to 120 mph in 3.9 seconds. In 23.8 seconds, you're at 200 mph. And that's with the optional giant rear wing slowing it down. Powering out of GingerMan's penultimate right-hand corner onto the long straight, you head uphill before the track flattens out, and the ZR1's accelerative ferocity makes that gentle transition feel like a launch ramp, the car going just a little bit light over the crest. In just about any other car, there is no crest right there, just a barely discernible transition to flatness. But behind the wheel of the ZR1, reality warps to the power. View Interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver And that power is usable right off the line. The ZR1's 2.2-second 60-mph time is the best number we've ever seen from a rear-wheel-drive car and matches the all-wheel-drive Porsche 911 Turbo S. The Corvette's launch control is very clever, and very adjustable—our best results came with a 3500-rpm launch at 10 percent slip. There's a burnout mode to clean off the tires, which is both useful and a crowd-pleasing warm-up to perform before cracking off a 9.5-second quarter-mile at 149 mph. Mind you, that result was on an unprepped surface. At a drag strip sticky with traction compound, there's surely more to be had. LOWS: Needs a bigger gas tank, normcore interior, brakes and handling don't make proportional gains. Not that this is a drag car, even. The ZR1 is optimized for destroying road-course lap records, especially when fitted with the $1500 ZTK Performance package (magnetic selective ride control and the Cup 2Rs), $13,995 carbon-fiber wheels, and the $8495 Carbon Fiber Aero package. You'll know the aero package by its enormous rear wing, which helps the ZR1 generate more than 1200 pounds of downforce. Up front, the Corvette's forward trunk is sacrificed for cooling and aero, with air flowing up from under the car and through the hood. There are also brake-cooling ducts on the rear fenders and, above those, more ducts to feed cool air to the turbos. Those are the obvious ZR1 tells, but if you're still unsure what you're looking at, the split rear window is the definitive signifier of a ZR1. Besides nodding to the C2 split-window from 1963, the center panel is vented to provide yet more cooling. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver As the tires warmed up and the track dried out, we began to realize that the ZR1's outsized thrust dictates a particular driving style—quick hands, early on the brakes, but stoic with the throttle until the steering is unwound. It's helpful that the LT7 provides all manner of aural feedback on its state of readiness, but basically you can assume it's ready to pounce within a fraction of a second. The turbos are integrated into the exhaust manifolds and have their own speed sensors, with the engine management system always striving to keep the turbines spooled up. Even when you abruptly back off the throttle, you hear a lingering screeee as the turbos keep spinning, a high-pitched overlay to the LT7's guttural flat-plane howl. GM knew, when it was developing the Z06's naturally aspirated LT6, that there would be a turbocharged version, so the LT7 was optimized for its mission from day one, with a new intake, strengthened pistons and connecting rods, and a whole extra port fuel-injection system complementing the direct-injection setup. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver You might infer, from the dual fuel-injection systems, that the LT7 swills gas, and you'd be right. In fact, the ZR1's voracious thirst and relatively small 18.5-gallon fuel tank will be the constraining factors in track-day shenanigans. We weren't trying to set any lap records, and still the ZR1 managed barely 50 miles before demanding a pit stop. One tank that included the five-mile drive back from the gas station netted less than 4 mpg. Out on the street, the EPA reckons you'll see 12 mpg city and 18 mpg highway, hence a mandatory $3000 gas-guzzler tax. While it's a fine practice to occasionally pit in and let the red mist dissipate, the ZR1 insists you do that on a regular basis. That's for the best, we think, because the ZR1's historic leap in horsepower doesn't come with commensurate gains in braking and cornering—how could it? The ZR1's 1.13 g's on the skidpad is, of course, a top-of-the-food-chain number, but still not quite as good as the 1.16 g's we saw from the Z07-equipped Z06. (At 3831 pounds, the ZR1 weighed in at 165 pounds more than the Z06, an admirably minor gain, but still a gain.) And although the ZR1 gets upsized 15.7-inch front brake rotors, the largest ever fitted to a Corvette, its braking performance mirrors the Z06's: Stopping from 70 mph requires 140 feet of pavement, and 100 mph is scrubbed in 273 feet, compared with 139 feet and 274 feet for the Z06. View Interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver The interior, too, is a doppelgänger for the Z06, if not the base Stingray. There's a boost gauge and a ZR1-specific Top Speed mode, which basically tells the stability control that you plan to go extremely fast in a straight line, but the base 1LZ interior on our test car is standard-issue Corvette. Our test car was very superleggera, lacking even heated seats, but who needs creature comforts when you've got 1064 horsepower? That should occupy your full attention. How We Got Here It's tempting to look ahead and ponder the Corvette team's next move—hey, what if you combined the E-Ray's hybrid all-wheel drive with the ZR1's engine?—but we think the ZR1 merits a moment to reflect on how incredible it is that this car exists. Back in the bankruptcy-era days of the 638-hp C6 ZR1, Chevy wasn't even sure if it could improve on the 505-hp Z06's 60-mph time because the rear tires were already at their limit all the way through first gear. Then Michelin worked some magic, and the ZR1 shaved off a few tenths. But at the time, 638 horsepower was all the Corvette could handle and then some. View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver The seventh-generation Vette brought the 650-hp Z06 and the 755-hp ZR1. As one Corvette engineer told us, "You'd drive the Z06 for a week and think, 'Eh, it could use another hundred horsepower.' You never drive a ZR1 and think it could use another hundred horsepower." And yet, here we are. They added another hundred horsepower. And another hundred after that, and another hundred after that. And then nine more for good measure. Prior super-Vettes, as good as they were, played by rules established in 1953: front engine, rear drive, and (almost) always a pushrod V-8. The new ZR1's sole guiding ideology is the pursuit of maximum capability, and so it makes an exponential leap in performance—who'd have thought that 755 horsepower would ever seem quaint, let alone so soon? View Exterior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver The benchmarks are moving fast. The 1990 ZR-1's 375 horsepower, so staggering in its day, is now considered a normal output for a family SUV. Will 1064 horsepower ever seem normal? We doubt it, but if you're stout enough to want a taste of that future, the ZR1 is ready right now. As for whether you're ready for it, there's only one way to find out. VERDICT: Chevy builds an earthbound rocket. Specifications Specifications 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door targa PRICE Base/As Tested: $178,195/$205,265 Options: carbon-fiber wheels, $13,995; ZR1 Carbon Fiber Aero package, $8495; ZTK Performance package, $1500; Competition sport bucket seats, $995; body-colored split-window trim, $995; microsuede-wrapped steering wheel, $695; black exhaust tips, $395 ENGINE twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection Displacement: 333 in3, 5463 cm3 Power: 1064 hp @ 7000 rpm Torque: 828 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm TRANSMISSION 8-speed dual-clutch automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/control arms Brakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/15.4-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP F: 275/30ZR-20 (97Y) TPC R: 345/25ZR-21 (104Y) TPC DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 107.2 in Length: 185.9 in Width: 79.7 in Height: 48.6 in Passenger Volume: 51 ft3 Trunk Volume: 9 ft3 Curb Weight: 3831 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 2.2 sec 100 mph: 4.5 sec 130 mph: 7.1 sec 1/4-Mile: 9.5 sec @ 149 mph 150 mph: 9.7 sec 170 mph: 13.1 sec 200 mph: 23.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.0 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.0 sec Top Speed (mfr claim): 225 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 140 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 273 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.13 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed, Track/Street: 4/13 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 14/12/18 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Ezra Dyer Senior Editor Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He's now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. Tested by David Beard Managing Testing Editor David Beard studies and reviews automotive related things and pushes fossil-fuel and electric-powered stuff to their limits. His passion for the Ford Pinto began at his conception, which took place in a Pinto.
The Drive
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
BMW Has Too Much on Its Plate to Worry About a Supercar Right Now
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Just one month ago, a BMW executive kept the flame of hope for a new halo supercar alive, telling the world that we could trust that the company was working in the background to realize such a car—we'd just have to wait for 'the right time.' It was one of those bare-minimum corporate responses in a way, because the company makes no commitments and keeps fans relatively satisfied by simply saying that it wants the same thing they do. Unfortunately, it also left the door open for someone like M CEO Frank van Meel to come in and burst some bubbles, which is what happened last weekend at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, where the new Concept Speedtop debuted. 'We don't want to lose focus on our high-performance cars because we do a super sports car,' van Meel was quoted during a panel organized by BMW Blog . 'I must be honest; we are always dreaming about it. And maybe some day we find the right window of opportunity where we have the capacity to work on a car like that. And also, the company, BMW Group, says: 'Ok, go for it.' We never give up, I can promise you that, but actually, it's not here yet.' These comments are interesting because, on the face of it, van Meel is kind of just reiterating M's known position on the matter, which is that he'd love to introduce a true, standalone supercar one day. But the point about losing 'focus' on existing high-performance models, and finding the 'right window of opportunity,' arguably puts that dream further out of reach. The limited-production BMW Concept Skytop and Speedtop. BMW BMW has its hands full right now, trying to reinvent its entire lineup with a new design ethos and the versatility to build new cars with every degree of electrification. And M, specifically, has the arduous task of keeping enthusiasts interested in battery-electric takes on their favorite models, like the M3. Consider the backlash Mercedes-AMG received when it started putting four-cylinders in cars that used to have V8s. The electric M3 probably won't be quite as surprising a turn—BMW has been teasing it for quite a while now, slowly peeling back the curtain shrouding the car's development—but it's still going to face adversity, regardless of whether it's accompanied by a version with an internal-combustion engine. Factor in the same headwinds in China that every once-beloved German luxury marque is managing in that region, leading to a 37% dive in net profit over last year and, you know, everything happening with tariffs on this side of the world, and one thing appears to be clear: Now is definitely not the 'window of opportunity' van Meel has been waiting for. These are all problems BMW will have to address before that eventual halo supercar begins to make the transition from dream to reality. And if we're talking about M's responsibilities alone, it's got to concentrate on establishing itself in the post-Neue Klasse era, with the diversity of powertrains it's likely to offer. That very well should be the priority, as much as I'd love to see a modern take on the M1. So, the next big standalone M car sounds like it's a ways off. If it's any consolation to the purists out there, I'd at least expect that it won't be anything like the XM. That proved an expensive mistake you just can't see a company as big and old as BMW making more than once. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@
