[VIDEO] C8 Corvette ZR1 Flexes its Muscles Against the McLaren 750S

Aug 14, 2026

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[VIDEO] C8 Corvette ZR1 Flexes its Muscles Against the McLaren 750S

Photo Credit: Savage Geese

ZR1, the greatest alphanumeric in American motoring. Only the four mightiest Corvettes of the last 37 years have earned the right to wear the badge that represents the state of the art at Detroit’s largest automaker. When a new ZR1 hits the scene, it tends to reset the world streetcar hierarchy. The C4 Corvette ZR-1 bullied everything south of the unobtanium Ferrari F40 and Testarossa. After taking a generation off, the C6 version came back even better; taking down even the best Europe had to offer (from both Ferrari and Lamborghini).

When the moniker made a surprise, one-year return to send the C7 – and 66 years of front-engine Corvettes – out in style, it became an instant collectable in a way no Corvette had before – much to the chagrin of the folks who packed away 1990 ZR-1s with similar expectations. But, despite its inherent desirability as the end of the line for original recipe ‘Vettes and a then GM record 755 horsepower, it’s update on the supercharged C6 formula was no longer as devastating to the Euro bluebloods as it was a decade before.

McLaren, a semi-new semi-mainstream player had cemented itself as the road car manufacturer to beat with the otherworldly 720S. It propelled a C5 Z06-like featherweight 3,100-pounds with a somehow underrated 710 HP 4L twin-turbo V8 that imbued it with hypercar performance for a supercar price. Whether they met on a road course, a drag strip, or a strip club, the boosted Mac inevitably came out on top. It wasn’t just fast, either, it was also dang good to drive, taking R&T’s Performance Car of the Year crown, along with just about every other go-fast award out there, becoming an automotive EGOT of sorts.

GM regrouped, gave its halo car engine relocation surgery, and cooked up a twin-snail flat-plane V8 of its own… American style. The C8 ZR1 had one mission: shock and awe. It did the McLaren-style layout – unfortunately, without the excessive lightness, though it didn’t really need it with the firepower that’s about to be described – and supersized everything. Its 180-degree V8 displaced a record 5.5L, and its turbos were the biggest ever fitted to a production car. The result was a jaw dropping 1,064 ponies, out flexing even Ferrari’s top-end hybrid stuff, without having to resort to the same electrical enhancement.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s follow-up to the 720S was more of a facelift, barely distinguishable visually, and only squeezing a now-pedestrian-sounding 740 horses from the same 4-liter powerplant. It’s still enviably light and wicked quick, but, entering the ring with the revolutionarily upgraded ZR1 with the always excellent Savage Geese in the producer’s box, the expensive Brit suddenly looks like a longshot of an underdog for the first time.

In the impressive head-to-head linked below, the Geese and their pro driver, ironically named “Britt” Casey Jr. take the midengined competitors around their preferred layout at Autobahn Country Club for overall comparisons, official lap times, and the in-depth coverage and interviews that the top-notch YouTube channel has become famous for. Enjoy this video, Corvette Nation, but more importantly than that, enjoy ‘the now’ as you contemplate the following question: how is Chevrolet possibly going to top its current Corvette offerings?