Corvette ZR1X Targets 9:53 Pikes Peak Record With 1,250 HP Hybrid

Q: Did Chevy's 1,250-hp hybrid Corvette conquer Pikes Peak and seize the production car record?

Yes. Chevrolet’s 1,250-hp hybrid Corvette ZR1X did take the production-car record at Pikes Peak. Driven by JR Hildebrand at the 104th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 21, the 2026 Corvette ZR1X posted a **9:30.104** run. That comfortably beat the benchmark Chevy had targeted, the **9:53** production-car mark, and also bettered the prior official race-day production record of **10:18.488** set by a Bentley Continental GT in 2019. The result is notable because the ZR1X ran in essentially production specification. Reports say it kept its showroom-based setup, including a stock exhaust and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, with only the safety changes required by Pikes Peak rules. Hildebrand had argued beforehand that the car’s hybrid all-wheel-drive layout would be especially effective on the mountain, where altitude saps combustion-engine power and the front electric motor can help pull the car out of slow hairpins. That prediction proved accurate. The ZR1X’s twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 and front-axle electric motor combine for 1,250 hp, and the hybrid system appears to have been a major advantage on the 12.42-mile, 156-corner climb to more than 14,000 feet. So the answer is clear: the ZR1X not only conquered Pikes Peak, it decisively reset the production-car standard.

3 articles · Updated · Chevrolet · Jun 19

Chevrolet’s 2027 Corvette ZR1X will run Pikes Peak on June 21 with JR Hildebrand aiming to beat the all-time production-car mark of 9:53.
The 1,250-horsepower hybrid pairs a twin-turbo V8 with a front electric motor, a setup Hildebrand said helps offset altitude losses and pull the car out of the course’s tight hairpins.
Pikes Peak’s 12.42-mile climb packs 156 corners from 9,400 feet to about 14,100 feet, conditions that regularly strain cooling, power delivery and driver confidence.
Chevrolet is pitching the run as a showroom-stock feat: the ZR1X uses production exhaust and Michelin Cup 2R tires, while already boasting an 8.675-second quarter-mile and an American production-car Nürburgring benchmark.