Hybrid Corvette ZR1X Shatters Pikes Peak Production Car Record With 1,250-HP AWD Powertrain
JR Hildebrand drove the electrified supercar to victory, beating the previous mark by 23 seconds in Colorado's grueling climb.
At a Glance
- The ZR1X combines a 1,064-hp twin-turbo V8 with a 186-hp electric front axle for all-wheel drive
- Driver JR Hildebrand completed the 156-turn course in 9:30.104 using stock exhaust and street tires
- The hybrid powertrain proved ideal for high-altitude performance with forced induction and electric torque
Chevrolet’s mind-boggling, twin-turbocharged, 1,250-horsepower, all-wheel-drive, hybrid-electric 2026 Corvette ZR1X smashed the class record for hybrid production cars in the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Veteran IndyCar driver JR Hildebrand piloted the ‘Vette to a time of 9:30.104, which not only set the official record for Hybrid Production Cars, it also smashed the overall record for any production car by 23 seconds.
Shredding Pikes Peak’s 156 turns through nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain on the way to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, the ZR1X’s combination of a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged LT7 V8 and front-axle electric motor was perfect for coping with the thin air at altitude with forced induction and for powering out of the course’s slow corners with the assistance of electric torque.
"The car just absolutely ripped from the start line to the finish; I’m so amped by how the whole program went,” said Hildebrand. “We came here to establish the hybrid production car record in this car and in doing so become the fastest production car of any kind ever up the mountain. The Corvette ZR1X is an incredible platform that was quite the weapon for this event, living up to every expectation we had."
Those expectations were set early, as the ZR1X started the weekend as the fastest qualifier in its Time Attack 1 class.
Consider that the ZR1X achieved this accomplishment while running its EPA emissions-legal stock exhaust system, not the unrestricted racing exhaust permitted by the class rules, and that Hildebrandt drove on factory-standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires rather than pure racing slicks.
Hildebrand in the ZR1X during the Pikes Peak record run. LARRY CHEN PHOTO
"Over the past year, we’ve gone on tour with the ZR1 family of Corvettes showing off their incredible capabilities on some of the most challenging racing circuits both here and abroad,” said Tony Roma, Executive Chief Engineer, Global Corvette and Performance Cars Team.
“When JR approached us about doing a program at Pikes Peak, we immediately saw the potential to highlight the ZR1X’s strengths,” Roma recalled. “The combination of a 1,064-hp turbocharged engine, 186-hp electric front axle, and all-wheel drive gives it a clear advantage on the mountain. On Sunday, JR demonstrated exactly that in record-setting fashion.”
Recall that the Corvette ZR1X has also posted a quarter-mile run in 8.675 seconds and set the fastest official Nürburgring lap ever recorded by an American manufacturer’s production car.