'Extraordinary achievement': Engineers break ground with new Corvette ZR1

"Mind-bending." "Cutting edge." "Next level."

Meet the 2025 Corvette ZR1.

The camouflage was finally removed to reveal the latest Corvette Thursday night at a private event in Miami, Florida. The ZR1 now holds the title for the "fastest and most powerful" Vette ever produced.

Chevrolet's engineers pushed the boundaries of engine architecture with the ZR1, squeezing 1,064 horsepower and 828 lb-ft of torque from the 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8.

"We didn't know what the final [horsepower] number could be until late in the program. Instead of saying we wanted a specific number, we said we will use all available technology, the best possible hardware, state-of-the-art software and controls systems and we'll see what we get," Tadge Juechter, Corvette's executive chief engineer, told ABC News. "What we got is very impressive ... we didn't leave a single pony on the table."

The engineers earned the bragging rights: They clocked a sub-10-second quarter-mile time on the Corvette ZR1's first launch. Four test drivers even pushed the car past 200 mph on their first laps at the Nürburgring track in Germany. Corvette detractors will have to finally accept that the American sports car continues to post performance stats that are equal to or better than its European rivals.

"No one will be able to question the overwhelming performance of the ZR1," Juechter pointed out. "People will look back 50 years from now and remember the C8 ZR1 as a high-water mark for the industry."

The ZR1's exterior design is more striking and aggressive than the base Stingray and the optional ZTK package adds a high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes and a tall hood Gurney lip, according to the marque. Head to a local racetrack to burn those Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires: the ZR1 has a top speed of 215 mph. The LT7 V8 is the first twin-turbocharged engine in a factory Corvette.

The available ZTK package even adds a high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes and a tall hood Gurney lip, all of which have been constructed from woven carbon fiber, according to the marque.

Corvette buffs may also appreciate the return of the split window – "a beloved element from Corvette’s history," according to Phil Zak, executive design director at Chevrolet. "Not only does this element provide function, but we were able to integrate passionate design into the form and do it in a way that paid homage to Corvette's history. ZR1 felt like the right time to bring the split-window back."

The car's interior received special attention, too: there's unique ZR1 badging found on an interior plaque, the sill plates and steering wheel. A new finishing stitch pattern for the doors is specific to the car.

Customers can choose from a long list of exterior colors, including Competition Yellow, Hysteria Purple, and Sebring Orange.

Production begins in 2025 with pricing details coming later this year. Will more Corvette owners choose the ZR1 over the electrified E-Ray or the raucous Z06 with its naturally aspirated V8 engine? Hard to tell. Juechter, however, argued that the ZR1 won't steal sales from the other Corvette models on the market.

"We are providing our customers an incredible menu of choices at different price points," he noted. "As long as they are happy, they can order, and we will build whatever they want."