illustration by john lawson
The Carrera GT was Porsche’s first production road car with carbon-fiber construction. Porsche kept the carbon fiber and many of the styling cues for the follow-up 918 Spyder but went high-tech with the powertrain instead of merely making it more potent. Granted, the 918 is quicker, lopping more than a second off the Carrera GT’s 0–60-mph and quarter-mile times. All the extra oomph comes from the electric motors, as the 918’s 4.6-liter V-8 is less powerful than the 5.7-liter V-10 in the Carrera GT.
This story originally appeared in Volume 36 of Road & Track.
The 918 was one of a defining trio of hybrid hypercars circa 2013, the other two being the Ferrari LaFerrari and the McLaren P1. Like the McLaren, the Porsche is a plug-in, but it is the only one with a motor on the front axle. Hybridization, plugging in, and all-wheel drive have since become common in supercars. Like the 918, many have electrified front axles, albeit using two motors: Acura’s second-generation NSX; the Aston Martin Valhalla; the Czinger 21C; Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale, 849 Testarossa, and F80; Lamborghini’s Revuelto and Temerario; the upcoming Bugatti Tourbillon. Plus, of course, with a single front motor, there’s the Corvette Grand Sport X and ZR1X.
Click on the gallery below for more information
Open Gallery
Because all the latest Corvette model variants were conceived and approved during the C8’s early planning process, the ZR1X is a straightforwardly engineered 1250-hp giant killer. The rear of the car is standard ZR1, and the LT7 twin-turbo V-8 shares its architecture with the Z06’s naturally aspirated LT6. The electric motor up front is borrowed from the outgoing E-Ray, but its output is bumped up to 186 hp via new software and upgraded internal components. Chevy engineers also extended the e-motor’s cutoff speed another 10 mph to 160, so it’s fully contributing to the ZR1X’s quarter-mile performance of 9.2 seconds at 155 mph.
A companion upgrade is larger brakes, standard on the ZR1X and now optional on the ZR1. The carbon-ceramic discs are 16.5 inches at all four corners, versus the ZR1’s standard 15.7-inch fronts and 15.4-inch rears. As a ’26 model, the ZR1X also gets the updated Corvette interior and the latest Performance Traction Management system, which adds a Pro mode at the highest level. Pro removes all driver assistance except the antilock-braking system and, in the hybrid Vettes, still uses the front-axle motor as a stability aid.
Click on the gallery below for more information
Open Gallery
A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences.JOIN NOW
Executive Editor Mike Austin has worked as a writer, editor, and occasional video host across titles such as Car and Driver, Autoblog, Popular Mechanics, and Hemmings (plus a few more). Prior to joining Road & Track he finally put his engineering degrees to use as an EV analyst. His personal cars skew slightly oddball, including a 1991 Honda Beat, 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan, 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider, and 2007 Saab 9-3 wagon.