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What do you get when you strap a pair of turbos on the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 of any star-spangled supercar? It’s not a trick question, I assure you. You get the most powerful Corvette of all time: the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Still, beyond the ZR1’s obscene four-figure power output, the brand asserts that the turbochargers on the C8 ZR1 are the biggest of any turbos on any production car.

The C8 Corvette ZR1 uses twin turbos to break records– and BorgWarner says those turbochargers break records by themselves

1,064 horsepower. That’s the sort of power you would expect from race cars of yesteryear. Today, however, supercars and hypercars routinely dip into the lunacy of 1,000+ horsepower outputs. Imagine, then, the thrill of seeing Chevrolet unveil the C8 Corvette ZR1 blow right past the 800 or 900-horsepower figures we expected and hit four-figure output.

To accomplish such a monstrous task, Chevy imbued the C8 Corvette ZR1’s V8 with a set of turbochargers. Of course, we’re not talking about the traditional, cross-plane V8s you’d find in the Corvettes of old. No, this is the flat-plane 5.5L mill you’ll find under the hood of the current-generation Z06. The result? A C8 ZR1 will summon 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. 

However, the ZR1’s 76-mm BorgWarner turbochargers are themselves record breakers. According to BorgWarner’s assertion, the air-guzzling 76-mm turbos and 67-mm turbines establish the set as the “largest passenger car twin turbochargers.” To give you a point of reference, each of those turbos is larger than the average unit in a Powerstroke diesel pickup truck. And there’s two of them. Forget the ringing; I hear freedom whistling.

I’m sensing a pattern here. When the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon rolled out to the public, it smashed records. The only production car to perform a wheelie without modification. The fastest-accelerating production ICE car in the world at the time. Oh, and the biggest hood scoop of any factory car ever. Incidentally, it seems as though the C8 ZR1 is claiming a similar collection of superlatives and records.

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Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).