An extensively upgraded Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1 has won this season’s Big Bend Open Road Race (BBORR) in Texas, averaging 278.423 km/h (173.004 mph) throughout the entire 40-minute race.
The race is conducted on a 59-mile (95-km) stretch of road in one direction, then the other. It sums up to 118 miles, or 190 kilometers. The latest winner, John Anholt, not only managed to beat the previous average speed record but also hit 343 km/h (213 mph) at a certain point.
We don’t know all the peculiarities of the tuning setup seen here, but Anholt mentions a high-end supercharger, a larger throttle body, ported cylinder heads and an AWE straight-pipe exhaust system. He claims the car is around 30 percent more powerful than stock. The stock C7 ZR1 makes 765 PS (755 hp / 563 kW), so this one should be good for 1,014 PS (1,000 hp / 747 kW) or so.
There are certain limitations to this build, too. For one, it actually managed to melt the rear end with the sheer heat of its exhaust – any more and it might combust. Anholt claims that it also goes through a whole tank of gas in 20 minutes if you aren’t careful with the accelerator, so he had to balance between speed and fuel economy throughout the race. Even so, he’s proud of the new record and is looking forward to tuning the ‘Vette further.
