A Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 that participated in a street race in Texas ended up with its rear completely melted due to the extreme heat in the region.
John Anhalt drove the C7 Corvette ZR1 2019 during the 2025 Big Bend Open Road Race (BBORR), a 190-kilometer course from Fort Stockton to Sanderson and back. This is considered the most challenging street race in the country.
Even so, Anhalt set a new average speed record for the course of 173.004 mph (the equivalent of 278.423 km/h) over 119 km. As a result, the rear bodywork of the Corvette melted due to the extreme heat.
Speaking to the website Road & Track, Anhalt and Kelli Hughes, his navigator and competition partner, talked about the Corvette, which they now affectionately call the “toasted marshmallow.”
Anhalt bought the car in 2020, and at the time, it was a perfect example with nearly zero mileage. However, when it came time to compete in the BBORR, he had to make several modifications. “I changed everything I could on the car to prepare for this race.”
From the factory, the model comes with a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine producing 755 hp and an official top speed of 341 km/h. Now, the ZR1 produces about 30% more horsepower than the original, thanks to a larger throttle body, ported heads, updated rockers, lifters, supercharger, among other changes.
But why did the Corvette end up toasted? Essentially, the ZR1 doesn’t have a proper exhaust system, so to speak. It has Kooks heads and AWE straight pipes, but no muffler. In addition to being loud, the system struggles to handle the heat the car generates at the rear.
Now, Anhalt is working to determine the exact cause of the melted bumper so that it can be fixed in time for the next BBORR event, scheduled for April 2026.
Photos: Facebook. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
