1,250 HP Corvette ZR1X Targets New Pikes Peak Production Record

Chevrolet is gunning for a new production-car benchmark at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this weekend with its fire-breathing Corvette ZR1X.

The 2027 model will tackle the 12.42-mile (20 km) course—packed with 156 corners and a 4,725-foot (1,440 m) climb—aiming to shatter the existing 9:53 outright production-car record.

Behind the wheel will be IndyCar veteran JR Hildebrand, who’s tasked with piloting the 1,250 HP (932 kW / 1,267 PS) all-wheel-drive beast up the mountain in under nine minutes and 53 seconds.

The ZR1X slots into the hybrid production class, running a stock exhaust and Michelin Cup 2R rubber from the ZTK Performance Package.

Hildebrand stressed the car’s accessibility, calling it “something you could literally walk into a Chevy dealership and buy,” though it wears minor race-only tweaks to meet regulations.

Under the hood sits a 5.5-liter V8 paired with a front-mounted electric motor, delivering all-wheel drive and a claimed 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) sprint of 1.89 seconds when fitted with the ZTK package. The attempt isn’t just about speed—it’s a statement.

As Hildebrand put it, the goal is to “lay down a heater that will be hard for anybody else to come after anytime soon.” The ZR1X’s assault on Pikes Peak underscores Chevrolet’s push to prove the Corvette’s hybrid ZR1 variant can hang with the most extreme hypercars, even on the world’s most grueling hill climb.