Bowling Green’s powerhouse harnesses massive turbochargers to unleash its peak 1,064 horsepower
I saw the new Chevy Corvette ZR1 in person back in June—and I’m still not over it. In nearly eight years of doing this job, no car has left me as stunned by its spec sheet as this one. Powered by a boosted 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8, it produces a jaw-dropping 1,064 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. We already knew the performance came in part thanks to the car’s 76-millimeter BorgWarner twin turbos—but here’s the kicker: these are the largest twin turbos ever fitted to a production car.
That’s straight from BorgWarner, which confirmed the news in a press release last week while announcing its official partnership with Chevy. Each turbo features a 76mm forged milled compressor wheel, a 67mm turbine wheel, and was purpose-built for the ZR1. As a nod to the “Gemini twin” LT6 and LT7 engines, BorgWarner even decorated each unit with Gemini rocket insignias.
Sure, you’ve probably heard of bigger turbos in the aftermarket—some push 100mm or more—but this is about factory twin-turbo setups. These BorgWarner 7667 units don’t just bring size—they’re fully integrated with the Corvette’s systems, using sensors to monitor compressor wheel speeds in real time. It’s far more advanced than anything off the shelf.
This powertrain is the culmination of eight Corvette generations, as LT7 assistant chief engineer Dustin Gardner told me. The move to a mid-engine layout was essential, as the width of the twin turbos made a front-engine setup impossible. “You put 1,000 hp in a front-engined car,” Gardner said, “and you’re not going to be able to use it.”
These turbos are even larger than the ones on the Koenigsegg Jesko. But that’s always been the Corvette’s thing—outperforming European supercars for a fraction of the price. Chevy hasn’t announced ZR1 pricing yet, but you can bet it’ll cost far less than the seven-figure hypercars it’s ready to chase down on the Nürburgring.
