Photo: National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
The Chevrolet Corvette, nicknamed “America’s sports car,” has always attracted a lot of attention since its arrival in 1953. Over the course of no less than eight generations and over seven decades, this model has constantly evolved at a rapid pace. However, it looks like the latest iteration, dubbed the C8, is making great strides!
It was originally unveiled on July 18, 2019, in Tustin, California, after first being announced in April of that year, and the convertible model quickly debuted as well in October 2019 during a special event at the Kennedy Space Center held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Production began in February 2020 after some friction between parent company GM and labor unions, and the eighth-generation Corvette sports car debuted with the first mid-engine configuration in the nameplate's history with the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray targa coupe and HTC (hard top convertible).
It breaks away from the traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive format, and for the better, as we’ve discovered after more than four years on the market. Stingray models are available with a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 called the LT2 that churns out 495 horsepower when the car is equipped with the Z51 package, and it’s a fantastic entry-level sports car at a current MSRP of $68,300. Alas, once people got excited about the new mid-engined myriad of possibilities, everyone knew they needed more.
No worries. The Corvette team quickly delivered the C8 Corvette Z06, the homologation vehicle for the Corvette C8.R race version, which debuted in late 2021 with a proposed introduction for the 2023 model year. It replaced the V8 engine with a new LT6 mill, a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter unit with a flat-plane crank and producing no less than 670 hp, making it the most powerful naturally aspirated production V8, above the M159 engine in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series.
The new hardcore model now costs over $110k, and Chevrolet decided it needed something in the middle: the fastest production Corvette ever, the first with all-wheel drive, and the first high-performance hybrid in the series. Called the E-Ray, it pairs the Stingray V8 with an electric motor and makes a combined 655 horsepower. Combined with electric all-wheel drive, it’s a mighty force at the local quarter-mile drag strip and a fantastic all-weather Corvette, too.
But wait, because Team Corvette and enthusiasts wanted even more for the next installment of the family. As is tradition, Chevrolet’s C8 will also receive a flagship ZR1 version, officially announced on July 25 with a few high-performance surprises up its sleeve. More specifically, everyone thought it would receive a twin-turbo LT6 from the Z06 mixed with a twin-turbo unit instead of a supercharger for the first time, and would make around 800 horsepower to make room for the rumored Zora hybrid variant. Now dubbed the LT7, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s engine features twin turbocharging but makes no less than 1,064 horsepower, shattering every possible record for the company and, in the process, humiliating some established supercar names like the 986-hp Ferrari SF90 Stradale or the 1,001-hp Lamborghini Revuelto.
Now, a Chevy Corvette is flirting with hypercar dominance. And the good news? Apparently, a $25 donation gets you no less than 22 chances (18 plus 4 promotional) to win the ZR1 in what is possibly the first C8 Chevy Corvette ZR1 giveaway. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located in Knoxville, Iowa, loves to give away these high-performance sport Corvettes. Their last one was a superb 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary special edition, and now the 501(c)(3) nonprofit is upping the ante with a new 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1, which isn’t even on the road yet!
This is, for sure, their biggest giveaway yet, with the grand prize being the ZR1 with the ZTK Performance Package plus $30,000 in cash! All you have to do is donate $25 to $2,000, and each threshold will include a certain number of entries plus additional promotional bonuses, from 18 plus four to no less than 4,000 plus 800 entries! The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with the ZTK Performance Package up for grabs will be offered in an eye-catching Competition Yellow Tintcoat Metallic, and the twin-turbo V8 churns out 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm, enough for an estimated top speed of over 215 mph on the track and an estimated quarter-mile time of under ten seconds. Sounds awesome, right?