BREAKING: First C8 Corvette ZR1 on the Dyno Puts Down 1,028 HP AT THE REAR WHEELS! (UPDATED)
GM rates the 2025 C8 Corvette ZR1 at 1,064 crank horsepower. But Paragon Performance recorded nearly that much at the rear wheels.
We may still be recovering from the ZR1X’s debut last week. But the RWD 2025 C8 Corvette ZR1 is finally hitting the streets and ending up in customer garages. Which means enthusiasts are already testing them and figuring out how to make this twin-turbocharged supercar that’s already capable of racing to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, running the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds, and hitting a staggering 233 mph top speed… even faster. Today, speed shop Paragon Performance, which also has a growing YouTube channel, live-streamed the “world’s first 2025 ZR1 dyno test.” And the results are nothing short of jaw-dropping:
1,028.60 horsepower at the rear wheels and 839.85 ft.-lbs. of peak torque!
For the record, Chevrolet rates the 2025 ZR1 at 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 RPM, and 828 ft.-lbs. of peak torque at 6,000 RPM. Both figures SAE-measured at the crankshaft. Meaning, before any sort of drivetrain loss is factored into the equation. And today, the new ZR1 exceeded its torque rating and came within spitting distance of its horsepower rating at the rear wheels. Meaning, after that power had to run through the transmission, axle shafts, and wheels/tires.
UPDATE 6/27: Yesterday, Paragon Performance posted the following image to Facebook, which shows how the Standard (STD) dyno curve compares to the SAE smoothing curve, which typically reads lower:
As you can see, the SAE curve shows a more modest 1010 rear-wheel horsepower and 825 ft.-lbs. of peak torque.
Still very impressive, but numbers that seems little closer to accurate, based on Chevrolet’s advertised crank horsepower ratings for the ZR1.
Previous: Does this mean the C8 ZR1 is underrated from the factory, or that perhaps the customers who own this particular Hysteria Purple ZR1 lucked out and got themselves a so-called factory freak?
Those are certainly possibilities. But it’s important to point out that there are many variables when it comes to dyno results. Some dynos can read higher than others, while others read lower. There are also, per the update above, different types of what’s called “smoothing curves” that affect how the final numbers read. And, of course, there are lots of environmental factors, from air temperatures to humidity to elevation to the transmission gearing used to achieve these numbers.
In other words, to oversimplify a complex topic, the true benefit of a dyno isn’t to measure exact values, but instead it’s more of a tool to help tune and modify vehicles to see how specific cars react to alterations.
It’s still very helpful, and super exciting to see these results. And we mention all this not to take away from the ZR1’s wild achievement today, or to doubt any of Paragon Performance’s methods. This speed shop, based out of Waukee, Iowa, has a TON of experience running C8 Corvettes on the dyno. (On Stingrays, for example, they said they’ve seen a range of 415 to 455 horsepower on this same dyno.) And Paragon promises to do more testing with other ZR1s as well as aftermarket bolt-on products like the Eventuri Cold Air Intake, so I’m sure we’ll get more updates as other results come in.
Regardless, I’m excited to see where everyone takes these incredible Corvettes
What do YOU think about these results?
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