This is the moment a lot of car people have been waiting on, the first real life dyno test of a 2019 Corvette ZR1. As the first of the deliveries are being taken by their owners, people are wanting to see if the horsepower claims by GM are legitimate, and that’s not just limited to the people who own these cars. The number to live up to would be 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque, and this car is going to prove or disprove those figures.
The owner of this car, Mike aka “StreetSpeed717” according to the video, has taken a number of his other vehicles to Race Proven Motorsports of New Castle, Delaware, and this is where the numbers on an actual ZR1 will be tested. The crew straps the ZR1 to the dyno to see how closely the real life numbers come to the advertised numbers from GM.
If you want to skip to the dyno action, jump to the five minute mark since this video isn’t just about the car being on the dyno, the guys also wash the car, but feel free to soak in some of that new ZR1 goodness if you wish. Once the car is fired up and on the dyno, it’s time to put it to the test.
After three dyno pulls, it looks as though Chevrolet might have been misleading about the numbers, but in a good way. The pulls prove that the ZR1 is making between 664 and 668 horsepower to the rear wheels, which puts the flywheel numbers closer to 780 horsepower when accounting for the 15-percent drivetrain loss. So it’s not too far off, but it does seem like it’s a little more powerful than manufacturer claims.
One other thing to note about the car is that there’s a lot left in it, even without modifying it. There’s a lot of boost that can be unlocked for the supercharger, and timing can be adjusted; these are very simple tweaks that can be done through tuning. We can’t wait to see what kind of modifications people/shops are going to start throwing at these cars now that they’re in the driver’s hands.
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
