The 755hp 2018 Corvette ZR1 might be the ultimate American supercar

ZR1 – named in tribute to the Corvette’s creator, legendary racer and engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov – is the ultimate Corvette nameplate and has been since the first Zee (never zed…) R1 in 1970.

And the new one announced this week really lives up to its billing, with a mighty 745bhp and 715 lb ft of torque from its supercharged V8, and a top speed, in new low-drag form, said to be 210mph plus. No acceleration times yet but the next-fastest ‘Vette, the Z06 with 650bhp, is credited with a 3.4 seconds 0-62mph time, so any ZR1 has to beat that.

All this is enough for lots of Chevy hyperbole of the “the king is back” and “look out Europe” kind. But lest we forget: 745bhp is more than any McLaren or Lamborghini currently offers, and more than all Ferraris except one.

The ZR1’s engine is the familiar supercharged 6.2-litre bent eight LT5 engine. In this form – as most powerful production Chevy ever – it gets a bigger intercooler for the Eaton supercharger and new direct-injection system. You can have your ZR1 with a seven-speed manual ‘box or – for the first time – in automatic form, with an eight-speed self-shifter and flappy paddles. In the UK – if it comes here, no word on that thus far – it will be left-hand drive only.

Any current model Corvette looks good (we think, anyway) but the ZR1 tops the lot of them, especially with the new big wing on the back. This is a big wing, standing tall on stanchions engineered as part of the chassis, and is said to provide 431 kg of downforce at speed. Along with its front splitter, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 summer-only tyres, and specific chassis tuning this High Wing version is the most track-focused ‘Vette yet. 

If it’s more autobahn you have in mind, you need the Low Wing set-up, second of the two aero packages available. It is in this more low-drag configuration that the ZR1 hits its claimed 210mph top speed, while still offering decent downforce: 70 per cent more in fact than that available with the Z06’s base aero package.

Other changes include redesigned front end to get more air to the engine (there are four new radiators, bringing the total to 13!). The bonnet is a new carbon-fibre design open at the centre in order to clear the new intercooler/supercharger assembly.

Oh, and it’s orange. Not quite McLaren orange, this new hue’s called Sebring Orange and is part of a design pack that sees brake calipers, stripes, seat belts, interior stitching and aluminium interior trim also rendered in orange. Other colours are available.

The Chevy supercar goes on sale in the US next spring as a 2019 model, by which time we should know more about its mid-engined replacement. So the ZR1 promises to be a short-lived model but it does represent a helluva way for the front-engined Corvette, 65 years old in 2018, to bow out.