Burn Rubber After Reading

Over a thousand horsepower. Base price under $200k. A first-of-its-kind V-8. The Corvette ZR1 isn't just the world's most affordable supercar; it's a new definition of American muscle.

- BY DANIEL DUMAS

A Corvette ZR1 on the track at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

AT THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS RACE-track in Austin, there's a smooth straightaway between the hairpin at turn 11 and the brake-melting turn 12. Nearly two thirds of a mile long, it is beloved by pros and lucky amateurs as a place where throttles open, slipstreams occur, and the fastest speeds in a race happen. NASCAR drivers hit close to 180 miles per hour here. F1 cars touch 214. MotoGP riders routinely flirt with 220. I, a lucky amateur, did more than 170 miles per hour in the 2025 Corvette ZR1. Life will never be the same.