Buzz Awards: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Named Best Performance Car For 2027
The lines between performance cars, luxury cars, trucks and EVs are blurred now more than ever. It used to be a choice on a Venn diagram: prioritize what you want, sacrifice what you don’t. With modern technology and engineering though, you can have it all, and for the price of a new vehicle, buyers are finding that they have to sacrifice less every year.
Our focus, however, is on cars designed to put performance first, not just cars that have great performance. It’s also worth mentioning that performance statistics alone were not the deciding factor in what won this year’s Buzz Awards: Performance Car of the Year.
When we balanced it all out, we wanted a car that didn’t just offer power, it offered balanced, usable performance that could be appreciated in almost every conceivable way. We asked not just how fast it can go, but how it felt getting up to speed, the road feel, the driver feedback.
When it came down to it, the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and the all-wheel drive variant, the ZR1X, came out on top.
Why We Picked the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
In the performance car landscape, things move fast, and we don’t just mean the cars themselves. New technology, new records, new designs, the industry develops faster than we can blink. It feels like just yesterday Chevrolet announced the production of a mid-engine Corvette, and now we are looking at the absolute monster that is the ZR1 and ZR1X.
What makes the ZR1 stand out is two things: not only is it a highly capable sports car that is manageable as a daily driver (for those of us who like an exciting drive to work), but it is also a platform that is adaptable over time because of the features and onboard capabilities that can be turned on and off.
We aren’t interested in going solely off of spec sheets and buzz-word records like top speed or 0 to 60 time because when it comes down to it, that makes up only a small percentage of what the ownership experience is actually like. What is it like to actually own and drive one? That’s what we care about, and the ZR1 delivers on every front.
“The ZR1 is the pinnacle of what a Corvette can be, and it’s apparent immediately when you walk up to it. Whereas the standard Stingray has some awkward angles and proportions necessitated by requirements for everyday practicality, the ZR1 is dedicated to maximum performance with a wider body, meaning it accommodates wider wheels that provide a more satisfying stance”—Jared Rosenholtz, Carbuzz.
Here’s what stands out: the Corvette C8 is everywhere. It is still a common American dream car, and just like every previous generation, the ZR1 simply kicks it up a notch from the base model. This gives you aftermarket support and a community, which on the performance side of things, makes it an even better platform.
All of that, and you still get remarkable records like the 9-minute and 30-second Pikes Peak climb in the ZR1X driven by JR Hildebrand, blowing the previous production car record out of the water by 23 seconds. And if you do need those go-to stats to gauge the sort of performance these ‘Vette’s have to offer, the ZR1 can sprint from 0-60 in just 2.2 seconds, while the ZR1X gets there in a blistering 1.68 seconds. Both can reach a top speed of 233 mph. You’re not going to beat that in a car this well-balanced.
What Almost Made the Cut
Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC
With the Dark Horse SC we get that American pony car toughness that has an established loyalty base from decades of Mustang enthusiasts. Its aggressive style brings years of heritage forward into the modern era, offering a muscle car experience with ease and, somehow, a touch of comfort and even some practicality. With 795 hp and 660 lb-ft of torque, it’s certainly nothing to scoff at, and if it went head-to-head with the ZR1 from a stoplight (which, for legal reasons, we obviously don’t encourage street racing…) we think it would be a compelling contest.
Lamborghini Temerario
Across the pond we have the 2027 Lamborghini Temerario, an all-wheel-drive Italian car here to battle the likes of the American titans. Its angular styling, refined interior, and 907 hp put it just a touch above the Dark Horse, with plenty of room to play. The issue, however, lies in the ability to truly unleash and enjoy that power on the road, and while it is undeniably a fun drive, it just doesn’t deliver the same every day, usable power and performance.
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