Back in April 2024, the folks at Chevrolet started teasing the all-new Corvette ZR1. The following month, Chevy revealed July 25 as the reveal date. However, the time and location hadn't been made public. Until today, that is.
According to MidEngineCorvetteForum big kahuna John, the newcomer will debut at the Miami Track Concours Club at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. The MidEngineCorvetteForum admin didn't get an invitation.
John further shared that "not a single friend" of his got invited, not even well-connected folks or long-time customers. Then again, even if the media has priority at said event, remember that many peeps are on waiting lists for the 2025 model year Corvette ZR1.
The Concours Club is best described as an automotive resort with a private circuit. A haven for driving enthusiasts, the club opened its doors in June 2021. The final 100 memberships were sold for big money, as in a one-time fee of $375K and $35K per annum.
Two years were required to complete the circuit, which offers a 2,100-foot straightaway and seven different configurations. Located next to the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, said complex further boasts some of the most advanced track telemetry out there.
Photo: Chevrolet on YouTube
Regarding the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Detroit-based automaker confirmed the model year in late June 2024. Back then, General Motors also made it clear that vehicle availability would be announced sometime after the July 25 reveal of the most extreme C8 yet.
Building on the wide-bodied Z06, the ZR1 is a twin-turbocharged affair with around 800 ponies to its name. It's rumored that General Motors pushed the LT7 engine to 850 horses, but even 800 is enough for the 2025 model to dethrone the previous-generation ZR1 as the most powerful production Corvette ever.
There is, however, a bit of a mystery surrounding the 5.5-liter V8. Based on leaked screenshots, the LT7 features Active Fuel Management, which is GM vernacular for cylinder deactivation technology. AFM should not be confused with Dynamic Fuel Management, which enables the truck-specific 5.3L and 6.2L small-block V8 engines to shut off seven cylinders in light load conditions.
The LT6 of the Z06 does not feature Active Fuel Management. What's more, GM-developed engines with AFM technology feature cross-plane crankshafts rather than a flat-plane unit. Whatever may be in the offing, there's no denying the ZR1 sounds like a muffled Z06 because of its twin-snail setup.
Bigger on aero than the Z06, the ZR1 further differs from the free-breathing model by means of a different regular production order code for the Tremec-supplied transaxle. Instead of M1M, the ZR1 uses the M1K version. Only GM and Tremec know for certain how the M1K differs from the M1M. The small-block Stingray and E-Ray, meanwhile, use dual-clutch transaxles dubbed M1L and MLH.
On that note, look forward to a higher starting price than what Chevy used to charge for the 2019 model year. Offered for one year only, the C7-gen ZR1 used to retail at $118,900 for the coupe. By comparison, the C8-gen Z06 currently starts at $112,700 sans destination.
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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