Earlier this month, the National Corvette Museum suspended assembly plant tours at the Corvette's production facility due to manufacturing advancements. According to MidEngineCorvetteForum admin and co-founder John, the assembly line has been updated to support Corvette ZR1 production.
A reliable source informed John that the first EX VIN ZR1 rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green on February 13, meaning that the 2025 model year Corvette ZR1's debut is looming on the horizon. To be held between April 25 and April 27, the NCM Bash would be the perfect event for the C8 ZR1's premiere. But alas, we don't know for certain yet.
Although every debut's circumstances are unique, bear in mind that General Motors revealed the C8 Z06 and C8 E-Ray less than a month after the Detroit-based automaker started teasing said models. We could be in for a treat in March, but remember that things rarely go according to plan in this industry. Considering that the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette was produced through September 2023, GM could take the veils off in the second half of 2024.
EX VIN stands for experimental builds used for either vehicle development (think Nurburgring testing) or fine-tuning the manufacturing process. EX VINs can't be registered to individuals, which means that the C8 ZR1 produced on February 13th will have to be crushed at some point in the future.
Spied in the US on quite a few occasions as of late, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will come in both coupe and convertible flavors. The number of rear wing options isn't clear for the time being, but similar to the previous-generation ZR1, the newcomer will certainly feature a high-downforce spec as part of the ZTK track performance pack.
Photo: Baldauf
It's worth remembering that the C7 ZR1 was produced for 2019 only, with prices kicking off at $121,995 for the coupe and $126,495 for the convertible. The ZTK package used to retail at $2,995. In addition to the adjustable rear wing, it further added specific chassis tuning and Magnetic Ride Control tuning for superior cornering grip, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performance tires, as well as a front splitter with carbon-fiber end caps.
The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 still is the most powerful series-production Corvette of all time. It also happens to be the only series-production vehicle from General Motors to feature the fifth-gen LT5 small block, the only fifth-generation small block to sport both direct and port fuel injection.
Along with the larger supercharged, the ZR1 improved on the Z06's 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) to a beastly 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet (969 Nm). Better still, GM offered both a manual and a torque-converter automatic. That's going to change for the C8, though, because the C8 is a mid-engine platform.
The dual-clutch transaxle of the ZR1 is dubbed M1K as opposed to M1M for the Z06. The LT7 engine of the ZR1 is best described as the twin-turbo sibling of the Z06's free-breathing LT6. You can look forward to 800-odd horsepower and plenty of torque, although it remains to be seen if the 5.5-liter DOHC engine has more torque to offer than the 6.2-liter small block of the C7-gen Corvette ZR1.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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