Corvette C8 ZR1X unveiled with 1250hp

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The mid-engined, current-generation C8 Corvette has been the most radical reinvention yet of General Motors’s long-running sports car, and now the company has turned everything up to 11 with the new ZR1X unveiled overnight.

As the badge suggests, the ZR1X is basically a pissed-off ZR1. But where the ZR1 is a rear-wheel-drive, ICE-only car, the new ZR1X is all-wheel-drive and employs the ZR1’s twin-turbo, flat-plane-crank, 5.5-litre LT7 V8 in tandem with the hybrid electric system from the E-Ray C8 to make a combined 1250hp (932kW).

The ZR1X’s LT7 makes the same 1064hp (793kW) it did in the ZR1, sending its grunt through an eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels only. The front wheels are driven by the E-Ray-derived hybrid electric motor but with power bumped up to 186hp (139kW) compared to 160p (120kW) in the E-Ray.

So, what does this all mean for performance? GM is playing those cards close to its chest for now, simply saying that the ZR1X has a 0-60mph time of “under two seconds” and an estimated nine-second quarter-mile capability.

Other notable features for the ZR1X include a ‘Push-to-Pass’ mode, which yields a maximum-power blast for a short burst at the touch of a button, along with Qualifying and Endurance modes to manage power outputs for owners wanting to flex their car’s abilities on track.

The ZR1X also boasts a new J59 brake package – also set to become an option on the 2026 ZR1 – comprising 419mm front and rear carbon-ceramic discs with Alcon 10-piston front calipers and six-piston rear clamps. At full tilt, they can apply 1.9G of braking force, and are housed in 20-inch front and 21-inch rear hoops.

As the ZR1 is not made in right-hand drive and therefore not offered in Australia, we unfortunately expect the same for the ZR1X. As of now, GMSV offers the base Stingray, E-Ray, and Z06 models from the C8 Corvette range in Australia.

Deliveries of the ZR1X are said to commence in the USA at the end of this year, but no pricing has been confirmed. Industry guesses have placed it at US$215,000-plus (A$330,000) before on-roads. For comparison, the ‘base’ ZR1 starts from US$178,195 (A$274,000).