- A stock Corvette ZR1X ran multiple sub-9-second quarter-mile passes.
- It did so with amateur drivers behind the wheel using launch control.
- Car featured the ZTK package, carbon wheels, and had the wing removed.
Not all that long ago, an eight-second pass at a drag strip meant some serious hardware. Achieving such a time often required a tube chassis, slicks, and often a driver with years of experience. Now, it just requires a person with a little experience behind the wheel of a factory Corvette with a window sticker of around $250,000.
A new video from Brooks Weisblat of DragTimes shows just how easy it can be to do a sub-9-second pass. Weisblat and the owner of the ZR1X in question aren’t professional race-car drivers. Sure, they have lots of experience with expensive toys, but they’re closer to spectators than record-setters when put up against real pros with decades of experience.
More: America’s Everyday Corvette ZR1X Hypercar Versus The World
Despite that, the ZR1X in this video might as well make each of them superheroes. It features carbon fiber wheels, the ZTK package, and the full carbon fiber aero package. The rear wing was removed for the runs, even though Chevy does not recommend doing so, while the dive planes remained installed. On the very first pass of the day, the car managed an 8.742-second pass at 159 mph. During that run, it also recorded a 0-60 time of 1.96 seconds (1.77 with rollout).
The second pass came with no cooldown, yet the car still managed 0–60 in 1.95 seconds, a 5.663-second eighth-mile, and an 8.784-second quarter at 157 mph. On the third run, performance dropped only slightly, with 0–60 in 2.02 seconds, 0–130 mph in 5.91 seconds, and an 8.83-second quarter-mile at 157 mph.
One interesting detail from the runs is that the car appears to lose roughly 100 horsepower from the front electric motor after about 130 mph, suggesting the hybrid system reduces assistance at higher speeds. Even so, trap speeds in the high-150-mph range put the ZR1X squarely in modern hypercar territory.
Let’s put all of this into perspective. Nobody at the track was chasing a one-in-a-million hero pass. There was no pro driver, no factory test team, and no endless tuning between runs. Just experienced enthusiasts making back-to-back launches in a production Corvette running consistent 8-second quarter miles. Ten years ago, that would have sounded ridiculous. Twenty years ago, it would have seemed impossible. Today, it’s reality.
