The Corvette ZR1 Is the World’s Most Affordable Supercar. Driving It Blew My Mind.

At the Circuit of the Americas race-track in Austin, there’s a smooth straightaway between the hairpin at turn 11 and the brake-melting turn 12. Nearly two thirds of a mile long, it is beloved by pros and lucky amateurs as a place where throttles open, slipstreams occur, and the fastest speeds in a race happen. NASCAR drivers hit close to 180 miles per hour here. F1 cars touch 214. MotoGP riders routinely flirt with 220. I, a lucky amateur, did more than 170 miles per hour in the 2025 Corvette ZR1. Life will never be the same.

The first thing to know about the ZR1, the most powerful ’Vette in history, is that it is propelled by an engine that’s never been seen in a production car: a 5.5-liter flat-plane crank twin-turbo V-8. For those without an automotive-engineering degree, the flat-plane crank allows the engine to rev faster and produces a sharper sound—more F1 scream than American-muscle bellow. Paired with the twin turbos, the ZR1’s horsepower tops out at 1,064 and delivers 828 foot-pounds of torque at 6,000 rpm. The zero-to-60 time is 2.3 seconds (the hybrid ZR1X is rumored to have a sub-two-second time), with a top speed around 210 miles per hour.

The ZR1’s most impressive stat might be its sticker: Base models start at $180k. This might be the best deal in automotive history. High-performance sports cars with similar specs can sell for hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, more.

The ZR1 has the edge on its speediest European rivals going zero to 60.

Corvette ZR1: 2.3 secondsPorsche 911 Turbo S: 2.6 secondsLamborghini Huracán Evo: 2.9 secondsMcLaren Artura: 3.0 secondsFerrari Roma: 3.4 seconds

How did Chevy engineer a car that can keep up with Bugattis, McLarens, and Porsches at a significantly lower price point? One way was to skip the exotic building materials found in most exotic cars. Sit inside the cockpit and you’ll find an interior that’s more lithe than luxe. There’s carbon fiber, brushed aluminum, and plenty of leather, sure. But it feels less like a first-class cabin and more like a fighter jet. And I think that’s the point.

When I rounded that hairpin at turn 11, entered the straightaway, and rolled the throttle, something unexpected happened. The outside world melted and road noise faded. The only sounds that existed were my own breathing and the howl of the V-8. I was going fast, faster than I had ever driven in my life, but time had slowed to a crawl. Things felt weightless. I was one with the car. Is this what the singularity will feel like?

After I finished my lap, one of the Chevrolet engineers was quick to point out the ZR1’s practicality. “You could even take it to the grocery store!” he offered. Well, yes, the ZR1 does offer a tiny bit of cargo space in the rear compartment—you could fit a set of golf clubs back there—but that’s not why you buy this car. You buy it to fly it.