What Does It Take to Build the World's Fastest Corvette in GT7?

Drifting is still my main focus, but Time Attack also has a special place in my heart. I've been watching Tsukuba runs for almost two decades, and it's always exciting to see a new top challenger in the game. I recently embarked on a virtual challenge at the Japanese race track, testing several Hot Hatches to see which are the fastest and most exciting.

I'd say the Megane RS won there, but I wouldn't count out the Suzuki Swift Sport either. Still, this was all just practice for a much tougher challenge. Seeing a driver from Texas racing at Tsukuba in an insane Chevrolet Corvette must have been a bit of a shock for most people. Setting the venue's third-fastest lap ever (for a RWD car) must have further amplified that sensation.

I felt mesmerized watching Feras Qartoumi go from start to finish in 51.231 seconds. And I wanted to see what it takes to reach that level of performance. I don't have the finances to embark on such a journey right now, as I'm certain we're talking about a quarter of a million-dollar project. But I am lucky to have access to the next best thing: a Sony PlayStation 5 with a PS VR2 headset. So, earlier this week, I embarked on a challenge that would take up many more hours than I had originally estimated.

Stock Corvette Runs

For starters, I decided to go through every Corvette generation available in Gran Turismo 7. I'm still nostalgic over Need for Speed: Porsche and in high hopes that a similar game format would also come out for other brands. I already had two Corvettes in my garage, but I came across eight more vehicles available at Legends Cars or Brand Central.

It took me a year to discover that you can sell cars in GT7 (it would have been crazy if you couldn't do it), but I never needed the money so badly. The only natural progression was to start with the slower cars, so I opted for the Chevrolet Corvette (C1) '58. Despite using a Small-Block 283 CI (4.6-liter) V8 with just over 240 hp on tap, I didn't think much of it initially. But I had underestimated its potential.

I don't even remember ever driving a convertible around Tsukuba, and it felt nice just moving along at a slow speed. But once I stepped on the throttle, I noticed that driving can be thrilling. It's light and stable (at least if you're not too aggressive with your throttle inputs). The engine sound isn't very impressive, but you'll forget it once you navigate the 12 corners.

I wrote down the top speed for each car before braking for the final corner, and the speedometer was at 100 mph (161 kph) in the C1. It felt faster than some of the hot hatches I tested previously, and the 1:13.333 lap time confirmed my suspicion (slightly slower than the Mini Cooper S, but faster than the Suzuki Swift Sport). Mind you, I only drove each car for three laps before concluding the test.

More intimate knowledge of how each behaves will result in faster lap times. Fast forward to 1969, I was now in the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible (C3). It's slightly heavier than the C1 but has more power to play with (298 BHP). I couldn't hit 110 mph before braking for the last corner, and then I experienced some understeer. The engine sound is pretty good this time, and the interior looks much sportier.

The brake feel was decent, and the car was very stable as I was gentle with the controls. I stopped the clock at 1:11.444 (faster than the 2005 Mini Cooper S). Going behind the 1989 C4 ZR-1 wheel, I stopped to gawk at the digital dash for a few moments. You can even see the MPG reading while you're driving, and I got it down to 10 MPH at one point. I have poor GT7 drifting skills, but I felt like I could easily slide around the corners in the ZR-1. It's much faster than its predecessors (375 BHP setup), and I could read 112 mph just before hitting the brakes on the main straight.

At 1:06.943, I was almost a second faster in the C4 than in the Megane RS Trophy. And I knew something epic was on the horizon, as I selected the 2009 Corvette ZR1 (C6) for my next attempt. It might be over a decade old but still feels like a modern vehicle. If I had to describe it using only one word, it would be "Exhilarating."

Hearing the supercharger whine lets you know that the heat is on, and this machine makes all the previous cars feel like station wagons by comparison. I hit 136 mph before braking for the last corner, and I soon realized that this car needed more stopping power for track duty. The ZR1 is magnificent to drive; it's very stable and took me to a lap time of 1:01.876. I opted for the 2014 C7 and the C7 Gr.3 Road Car next, but neither came close to that level of speed.

The latter makes a formidable track weapon to begin with, though. I felt terrified going into my test with the C7 ZR1. With 754 hp on tap, I am certain it can be "gone in 60 seconds" with the right driver around Tsukuba. I was slightly faster in the C7 ZR1 than the C6 ZR1, but the latter is still closer to my heart. Gran Turismo 7 allows you to experience two race-spec C7 Corvettes: the Gr.4 and the Gr.3 iterations.

Both are proper race cars, and it was relatively easy for me to do sub-1-minute laps. The Gr.4 managed a 58.821 run (reaching 205 kph on the main straight). I was almost three seconds faster in the Gr. 3 car, and you're entering an entirely new dimension of speed with this one. It's not a vehicle you can easily master.

But it immediately climbed to the top of the rankings in my book, shattering my old R32 GT-R record. The only problem was it made me think there was no way I could build a faster car. I saved the Corvette C8 for last. It made me think that Chevrolet should have switched to the RMR layout long ago; it's that good. It was slower than the previous ZR1 models, but it only has less than 500 hp on tap.

C6 ZR1 Record Attempt

I wanted to start with the same chassis because Feras Qartoumi used a Corvette C6 as a base for his Time Attack project. The only sixth-gen Corvette in GT7 is the ZR1, so I had to use that. I threw everything at it, meaning I had to sell more cars to get the credits. Performance levels soared to 889 bhp, while weight dropped to 1,115 kg.

Feras uses a twin-turbo setup on his car (good for about 1,300 hp), but you can only opt for a supercharger upgrade on the C6 ZR1. Seeing that I was racing in Japan, I also opted for a set of Volk Racing TE37 Ultra wheels to go with the wide body, the big wing on the back, and the carbon-like paint job. I drove each base model for three laps. But I knew that wouldn't be feasible for the main challenge.

My first session went on for 13 laps, and it felt exhausting. I've never seen a speedometer needle move that fast before, and it all felt on par with Qartoumi's Corvette. The experience was almost as intense as my real-world time attack in a 500-hp Mazda RX-7 last year, minus the G-forces. My tenth lap was the fastest: 53.564 seconds for 1.271 miles (2.045 km).

I was ecstatic, but I still had to find a way to shave an extra 2.333 seconds to be as fast as Feras. For a layout like Tsukuba, that sounds like an eternity. I soon discovered I had forgotten to upgrade some more parts and was happy to see performance levels were now up to 946 hp. Four laps later, my new record was 53.053 seconds per lap. In case you're curious, the top speed on the main straight was just over 160 mph.

And this is where I began to struggle. I've watched the onboard video of Qartoumi's fast lap several times, trying to find the ideal lines and braking points. I figured I would have to try playing with the car settings, but I'm inexperienced with these changes. I fiddled with the upgraded gearbox, opting for a top speed of 300 kph and improved acceleration. I increased rear downforce levels. And the car felt faster and more stable in most cases. But it can become snappy fast, and I've had to forfeit over a dozen runs due to spinning out.

I must mention that I've had Traction Control on 0 and ABS on Weak the whole time. Increasing TC levels didn't help much, making the driving experience less exciting. Then, I thought I'd see how bad semi-slicks would make my life, and the car is nearly undrivable. Trial and error is the only way forward for me when it comes to setting up the car.

As far as I can tell, there's no way to build a faster Corvette in Gran Turismo 7 than starting from a C6 ZR1. But I will investigate the matter in a future story. I'm hoping I will at least shave another second from my current record by then.