GM Corvettes shatter American speed records at legendary racetrack

General Motors Corvette line has been crowned the fastest car by an American manufacturer on Germany’s world-famous Nürburgring racetrack. 

Notably, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1, and ZR1X achieved record lap times on the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit with three non-professional drivers behind the wheel. 

While they aren’t professional race car drivers by trade, these engineers helped develop the vehicles themselves and hold extensive driving experience along with advanced performance credentials.

Engineer Drew Cattell now holds the fastest Nürburgring lap time ever recorded by a non-professional driver. He clocked a 6:49.275 lap time in the electrified, all-wheel-drive ZR1X. This earned him a spot on the official Nürburgring record list. Close behind was vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace, who clocked 6:50.763 in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1.

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Driven by vehicle performance manager Aaron Link, the 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with what GM says is one of the strongest non-turbo V8 engines, came in second with a lap of 7:11.826. 

GM President Mark Reuss claimed that no other auto manufacturer has attempted something like this at the Nürburgring. 

“From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period,” Reuss added.

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The Corvettes were all U.S. production-spec vehicles. The only modifications were the safety equipment recommended by the track, including a roll hoop, full-containment race seat, fire extinguisher, and a six-point safety harness. 

The Corvette Z06 with Z07 Performance Package is equipped with a 670-horsepower 5.5-liter V8 engine and advanced carbon-ceramic brakes, strong 6-piston brakes in the front and 4-piston brakes in the back. It comes with ultra-light carbon fiber wheels paired with high-performance Michelin racing tires.

The ZR1 with ZTK Performance Package has 1,064 horsepower from a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. It comes with super-light carbon fiber wheels and high-grip Michelin summer tires, and features top-tier carbon-ceramic brakes with 10 brake pistons in the front and 6 in the back. 

The ZR1X with ZTK Performance Package has 1,250 horsepower from a 5.5-liter twin-turbo-charged V8. It comes with lightweight carbon fiber wheels with Michelin summer tires which have extra grip made for the track. It also has high-performance carbon-ceramic brakes with 10 pistons in the front and 6 in the back.