C8 ZR1 News Recap: GM Teases Us With Engine Clues In 2nd Video, And More...

It’s highly likely that the spirited and entertaining debates surrounding the powerplant for the highly anticipated 2025 ZR1 will not be settled until the official reveal, but in the meantime, GM seems to be having a hoot teasing us enthusiasts. The speculations have been all over the map and are best illustrated in our ongoing summary:

The Evolution of What CorvSport has Dubbed “The Great ZR1 Engine Debate”

LT7 Twin-Turbo based on the flat-plane crank 5.5L LT6 out of the C8 Z06
670hp LT6 in concert with the E-Ray’s 160hp 1.9 kWh electric motor on the front wheels
900+hp LT6-based flat-plane crank Twin-Turbo with TWO electric motors
6.2L cross-plane crank V8 (most likely with twin turbos)
5.5L cross-plane crank Twin-Turbo LT7 with VVT and AFM

Today, we have our two top fresh news stories and CorvSport’s comprehensive ZR1 archives in case you missed any exciting news. Let’s dive in!

1) Chevy Drops Subtle Engine Clues In Brand-New Teaser Video

The new teaser video, titled “Unthinkable Speed Is Coming,” has garnered 75,000 views in just 48 hours, and despite a total of two teaser videos within the last two months, we have yet to see more than 60 seconds of tease time; damn you, Chevy! We’ve posted the full video below (as well as the original), and after watching the 22-second video, one may be left with more engine questions than answers.

But the keen eyes of Mike from the popular Brink of Speed YouTube channel caught something that even we rabid enthusiasts missed. First, it’s worth revisiting the story of GM engineers placing rockets in various places on the Z06’s LT6 engine, as that will explain why the hidden clues in the new teaser video are so relevant. Keith Cornett from the Corvette Blogger summarized the significance of the LT6’s rockets perfectly here:

“The LT6 was referred to as the Gemini project while it was in development, and Jordan Lee’s small block engineers were successful in creating the largest naturally aspirated V8 engine with the flat-plane crank. To celebrate their achievement, the LT6 was adorned with a number of these rockets that are located all over the engine. If the ZR1s engine doesn’t have the flat-plane crank, is it still worthy of having the Gemini rocket to represent it?”

One of the multiple rockets located on the LT6 engine/Photo Credit: Corvette Blogger

And now, how GM got creative.

At 10 seconds into the teaser video, the ZR1 roars through the screen, leaving a flood of smoke in its path! As the ZR1 disappears, the clues start to appear. Mike from Brink of Speed was wise to slow this down because it’s nearly indiscernible at regular speed. The circular smokey turbo outlines are pretty cool at full speed, and the rocket seems to be blasting off.

Graphics on video screenshot credited to Keith Cornett

Now that you know what to look for, crank up the volume for another tease of what the 2025 ZR1 could possibly sound like. What engine do you think it will have? More importantly, why is Chevy calling the speed “unthinkable?” Is 800+ horsepower unthinkable? Is a twin-turbo on the flat-plane crank LT6 unthinkable? Or is it both? Like I said, the video leads to more questions than answers. And we are fine with that!

2) Michigan Man Captures Raw Video of ZR1 Mule in the Wild

While it’s cool that this muscle car enthusiast had the wherewithal to grab his camera and film this camouflaged ZR1 while cruising on the streets of Detroit, it would have worked out better sound-wise if he was in his girlfriend’s Corolla because the supercharger whine of his Demon 170 is hard to ignore. I made up the part about his significant other having a Corolla, but the sentiment remains! Does this 3+ minute video do anything to settle the ZR1 engine debate? Take a listen and let us know!

Best Timestamps:

[0:50] YouTuber CARSUAL pulls up alongside the ZR1 as they approach a stop light, and it appears you can hear the ZR1 doing some downshifts (it could be the Demon, but the closeup driveby is a great sequence nonetheless)
[1:06] Surprisingly, the ZR1 driver pulls away from the light fairly aggressively
[1:46] The ZR1 gives us a pretty good downshift sound from the quad exhaust
[2:15] Another good takeoff from stopped traffic
[2:40] Soundwise, probably the best launch from a standstill for the ZR1 and the liveliest street driving for engine sounds, with some cool exhaust crackling and burbles!

3) CorvSport 2025 ZR1 Archives (Newest First)

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