Corvette ZR1X — Mano a Mano with McClaren and Ferrari at a Fraction of Their Prices

Lawrence Ulrich's March 22, 2026 New York Times story about the latest Corvette had me at: 

"Driving the ZR1X at California's Sonoma Raceway feels like hitching a ride on the Large Hadron Collider, fast enough to rearrange my subatomic particles."

More from the article? Your wish is my demand.

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Sporting a zero-to-60 sprint in 1.7 seconds, and an Indy-worthy 233-m.p.h. peak, Chevrolet's Corvette ZR1X is silly, even surreal.

This hybrid hypercar could depart from a Manhattan stoplight at 39th Street and nip 160 m.p.h. by 44th Street, a blistering quarter-mile. Theoretically, of course.

When I segue to roads in the Napa Valley, the 'Vette's roaring, twin-turbocharged, 1,064-horsepower V-8 threatens to tear sauvignon and chardonnay vines from their roadside roots. Electrified front wheels, the car's secret sauce, tack on 188 horses more to the all-wheel-drive ZR1X.

The hand-built, titanium-girded racing engine, autographed by a single master technician, is displayed under a transparent pane. (A shout-out to Jeff Smith, my signatory from the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky).

It all sounds intimidating. Yet the ZR1X still feels like a familiar, approachable Corvette.

The hybrid battery fits entirely in the center console, allowing the Corvette to hug the ground like no conventional EV. Press a "Charge +" button and the ZR1X refills that battery over a few miles of cruising. No plug required.

There's even an F1-style "push-to-pass" button on the steering wheel. It summons every joule and kilowatt of thrust — perfect for underdog encounters with haughty Ferrari owners.

If any Chinese automaker built such a giant-slaying hybrid, challenging the world's most exotic cars at a fraction of their price, the spotlight would be blinding.*

The targets of the ZR1X may have seemed too ambitious: hybrids like the Ferrari F80, at an eye-watering $3.7 million, and the $2.1 million McLaren W1. Yet the Corvette generates more power than the Ferrari and virtually matches the McClaren, and its 233-m.p.h. top speed makes it faster than either.

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Get yours here.

*With near 100% certainty Chinese automakers have purchased a number of these cars and as you read these words are reverse engineering the ZR1X.

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?