Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 smashes speed record: 233 mph, fastest US production car

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is now the fastest car ever built by an American auto manufacturer.

General Motors President Mark Reuss drove a 2025 Corvette ZR1 at 233 mph at a test track in Germany.

The car has set a top speed record unrivaled by any current production car priced under $1 million.

Fastest American car

The Corvette team set this two-way average speed on the northbound and southbound straightaways of the High-Speed Oval Track at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in a recent test in Papenburg, Germany.

“Setting the top-speed record in the Corvette ZR1 is a true triumph for Corvette and for Chevrolet, and also an exhilarating, surreal experience for me personally,” said Reuss.

“With the current generation’s switch to mid-engine, we knew the outstanding performance and balance made this a real possibility. To go over there and get it done is a testament to the power of ZR1, and to the incredibly talented team that developed and built it.”

The ZR1 features an auto manufacturer’s most powerful V8 engine ever produced in America. In 2020, Corvette shifted to mid-engine architecture, unlocking new levels of performance and innovation.

Chevrolet engineers leveraged GM’s deep software, modeling, and hardware development knowledge to set a new speed benchmark for American automakers.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The ZR1 coupe set the record with a standard chassis and aero package, a standard spoiler with short wicker, carbon fiber ground effects, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and aluminum wheels.

Chevrolet engineers developed Top Speed Mode exclusively for closed-course use. This mode adjusts chassis control systems for maximum speed. The ZR1 reached 233 mph with the engine at the redline in sixth gear.

During testing, including Reuss’s record run, an engineer was in the passenger seat, analyzing data in real-time.

The 233-mph run was not a one-off performance. Five engineers and ZR1 development cars onsite exceeded 230 mph across multiple runs.

Papenburg provided optimal conditions, such as temperature and air density, for a high-speed test. Chevrolet engineers have previously set top speeds for this facility’s sixth and seventh-generation Corvette ZR1 and the sixth-generation Camaro ZL1.

The ZR1 is the fastest car GM has ever produced. The 2025 Corvette ZR1 features a 5.5L, twin-turbocharged LT7 DOHC flat-plane crank V8 engine.

Per SAE guidelines, it has 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm—the most power ever from a factory Corvette and the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by an auto manufacturer.

The car features a GM-estimated sub-10-second quarter-mile time and a purposeful carbon fiber aero package that creates over 1,200 pounds of downforce at top speed.

The new Corvette revives one of the most iconic styles in its history: the split rear window.

General Motors plans to drive the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower-emission cars, trucks, and SUVs.

GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs as we move to an all-electric future.