With Chevrolet blowing the doors off to signal the arrival of the incredible Corvette ZR1, now the sole holder of the title “most powerful Chevrolet car in history,” we all knew that it would only be a matter of time before the discussion about the sports car turned to its possible exploits at the world’s most famous race track. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that barely a few days have passed since the Corvette burst into our lives and yes, there’s already talk of it conquering the Nurburgring.

Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Juechter, broke the news to Road &Track, saying that Chevy will, in fact, attempt a flying lap around the 12.9-mile Nordschleife section of the ring with the goal of posting a lap time below seven minutes. Considering that only four street-legal, production cars - the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Lamborghini Huracan LP640-4 Performante, Porsche 918 Spyder, Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce - have ever accomplished that feat, the Corvette ZR1 is most certainly shooting for the stars and making no apologies about it. Since that planned trip to Germany isn’t for another few months, expect the discussion surrounding the ZR1’s potential to build up ahead of its eventual run at the ‘Ring. Hopefully, that happens sooner than later because with what the ZR1 is packing - 755 horsepower and a menu of advanced aero tech - that goal appears to be there for the taking.

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Can the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 actually do it?

It’s too early to tell at this point, but based on its power numbers and the fact that it’s dripping in aerodynamics, I’d rate the Corvette ZR1’s chance of pulling a sub-seven minute lap time at the Nurburgring as “pretty good.” I’m not going to go so far as to say that it’s an absolute certainty, though, because if you really think about it, there should be more than just four production cars to post that kind of time in the track. But, whether its driver nerves, inclement weather, or just straight up underestimating the challenges posed by the track, a lot of cars that looked to be locks on paper failed to live up to the hype.

That said, I am confident that the Corvette ZR1 can not only accomplish it, but do so handily. It certainly has the power to get the job done. It should have the pace too, considering that there’s a good chance that this car can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in around 2.5 seconds and hit speeds in excess of 210 mph. Combine all that with Chevrolet’s focus on making the car potent in aerodynamics and handling, and you have a machine that looks to be poised to break a few lap records in the process. I won’t go so far as to say that it can break the 911 GT2 RS’ record lap of 6:47.25 at the ‘Ring, but I do think that, if everything breaks right for Chevy during the Corvette ZR1’s run, the latter has a chance to approach - maybe even eclipse - the 6:55 lap time of the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Only time will provide the answer to the question we’ve all been asking so, hopefully, the ZR1’s run at the ‘Ring takes place early next year. It’d be a shame to start building up the hype this early only for the buzz to lose its sustainability. Let’s get to it, Chevrolet. You’ve done great work with the Corvette ZR1. Now it’s time to unleash it and see what it can really do with the eyes of the world watching it.

10 fastest cars around Nurburgring

References

Chevrolet Corvette

Read our full review on the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

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