The Chevrolet Corvette rolled out of Flint, Michigan in 1953 and has never stopped—eight generations, no domestic rivals left standing. It nearly didn't happen fiberglass body, straight-six engine, two-speed automatic, and at its Waldorf-Astoria debut, almost none of its 300 hand-assembled units sold.
The seventh-generation Corvette appears to be bowing out in spectacular fashion. ZR1, the final entry in the C7 lineup, is rumored to pack at least 700 hp from its supercharged V8—with some speculation pushing that figure as high as 750 hp. That may sound ambitious given the well-documented struggles of the Z06’s 650-hp V8, but if true, it would make the ZR1 the most powerful factory-built, street-legal Corvette ever made— a worthy send-off for the front-engine era.The guesswork will likely be settled at the Detroit auto show, where Chevy is expected to pull the wraps off the ZR1. The equally anticipated Camaro Z28 may also make an appearance.From what we can gather in videos circulating online, the ZR1 is shaping up to be the most track-capable Corvette yet. GM has been spotted running the new car alongside a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, suggesting the 707-hp supercharged benchmark is very much on their radar—and lending some weight to those eye-popping power claims.With the Viper now retired, the ZR1 may have a clear shot at the title of most extreme front-engine production car ever built. Based on everything we’ve seen, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
