3 Things We Want To See From The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The Chevy Corvette was introduced in 1953 and is now in its eighth generation. It has long been regarded as one of the Big Three's premier sports cars, thanks in part to the high-performance ZR1 variant that first appeared in 1970 as a $1,000 package of add-ons. That C3-generation ZR1 only lasted three years, but Chevy brought the designation back in 1990, 2009, and 2019.
The ZR1 will return in 2025, and Chevy is keeping things fairly well under wraps for now. Glimpses have been limited to prototype spy shots like the one above, but Chevy recently released a short teaser video that drops one notable hint: the exhaust note in the teaser's audio strongly suggests the presence of at least one turbocharger. That would be a first for the Corvette, but we're going to don our Chevy engineer's smock and Corvette enthusiast hat and discuss a few other things we'd like to see on the 2025 Corvette ZR1.
A street-legal ZZ632 V8
Chevy dealer Fred Gibb used a loophole in the ordering system to give birth to the COPO Camaro in 1969, and the current version of that special-issue muscle car has a 632 cubic inch V8 as one of its powerplant options. That engine puts out as much as 1,004 horsepower and 876 lb-ft of torque, although the COPO Camaro is meant for the racetrack and can't be registered for street use. In our exhaust-addled dreams, we envision a DMV-friendly version of the 632 under the hood of the 2025 Corvette ZR1. That engine is naturally aspirated, though, making the apparent presence of a turbo or two either a deliberate misdirection or a dream-shattering development.
Adding forced induction to Chevy Performance's beastliest V8 could up its power output significantly, but would also give Chevy's engineers quite the challenge in terms of fitment. Offering the 632 in the 2025 ZR1 would also add considerable weight to the nimble Corvette, which tipped the scales at 3,535 pounds for 2024.
a real 6-speed manual transmission
Whatever engine Chevy chooses to drop in the 2025 Corvette ZR1, it will likely be paired with the same dual-clutch eight-speed transmission used in the 2024 Corvette Stingray. While this modern innovation allows the driver to move through the gearbox at lightning speed, we would happily sacrifice a few tenths of a second over a quarter-mile run for the ability to row through gears the old-fashioned way.
Column-mounted paddle shifters might give drivers the sensation that they're piloting a Formula 1 or INDYCAR racer, but nothing connects a driver to a vehicle like a good old-fashioned stick shift. We're journalists and not automotive engineers, but there must be a way to combine the two technologies in the same vehicle. For what we expect to pay for a ZR1, maybe Chevy can deliver such a configuration.
We'll admit that this is probably a pipe dream, as the standard-issue 2025 Corvette is only available with an eight-speed automatic, although it comes in a few spectacular new colors.
All-wheel drive
Regardless of what powertrain Chevy chooses to offer in the 2025 Corvette ZR1, we'd like to see that muscle delivered to the pavement via all four wheels. All-wheel drive used to be the domain of utilitarian vehicles and demure daily drivers, but the technology has found its way into performance cars like the Lamborghini Revuelto (pictured above) in recent years. Putting the Corvette ZR1 on an all-wheel drive platform would require a ground-up redesign, so this development might also have to live solely in our fantasies for a little while longer.
Should Chevy opt to distribute the ZR1's power to all four wheels, we'd expect to see limited-slip rear and center differentials to minimize wheelspin and maximize traction, although a way to electronically disable that feature in the back to do some single-wheel burnouts would be a welcome touch. All-wheel drive would give the Corvette ZR1 the same sure-footed balance as the current iterations of the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Targa, both of which deliver sub-three second 0–60 times and wear price tags over $100,000.