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MT tests ZR1, goes even faster than C&D

When we got behind the wheel of the 638-hp Corvette ZR1, we were pleasantly stunned at the raw, violent pull exhibited by the 3,364-lb supercar. Motor Trend was equally impressed during a recent trip to Chrysler's Arizona proving grounds where they brought their considerable testing equipment along to add their own cold hard stats to a growing list of platitudes. Motor Trend tested the ZR1 at the Chrysler Proving Grounds because its 5-mile loop is one of the few places that has the space to test the ZR1's top speed. The mag was able to crest 200 wind-adjusted mph, and MT computers showed that the ZR1 was still pulling when that magical number was achieved. Hitting 200 mph puts anything on four wheels in the supercar club, and a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds ranks the ZR1 near the top of any exclusive car club. MT testers also needed only 11.2 seconds to travel a quarter mile and crossed the magic line at 130.5 mph, which they point out is 6.1 mph faster than the Dodge Viper. Car and Driver was the first to test the ZR1 and posted slightly slower 0-60 and quarter mile times of 3.4 and 11.5 seconds, respectively. Other impressive stats from MT, however, include a 60-0 brake distance of just 97 feet and max lateral acceleration of 1.1 g, which easily bests the Viper's .99. It would seem then that Motor Trend's results confirm what we already knew: 638-hp Corvettes are very fast.
posted : 10/22/2008 @11:05:23 PM
2008 Chevy Corvette Z06

I received an Indy 500 poster on my birthday in 1986 that featured a Yellow C4 Corvette pace car leading the pack. My dad hung the poster above my bed, and I can honestly say that I stared at it every night for years. The Corvette was my dream car for my entire childhood, but as an adult I turned my attention to European rides like the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari 360 Modena. When the C6 Corvette hit the scene for the 2005 model year, the Bow Tie brand's halo vehicle again had me pining for some General Motors muscle. GM gave the base Vette the same 400 horsepower as the C5 Z06, and I figured it was all the power I could ever want. That is, until the 2006 Z06 came along. The Z06 was kicking ass on the track and in enthusiast magazines, and it was toppling competition that far exceeded the Corvette's $70,000 price of entry. We never had the Z06 in the Autoblog Garage, so we were more than happy to take it off Chevy's hands for a week. Hit the jump to see if the Z06 met our lofty expectations from childhood.
posted : 10/13/2008 @9:10:56 PM
Corvette ZR1 to cost £109,000 in UK

The car that Top Gear liked to drive, if not exactly to look at, has a price they definitely won't want to pay. At an on-the-road price of £109,000, the ZR1 costs nearly £48,000 pounds more than a Z06 in the UK. As if that weren't problematic enough, that price puts the left-hand-drive-only ZR1 £8,000 past the 911 Turbo and a colossal £55,000 beyond the GT-R Premium Edition. True, that's still the base GT-R, but Nissan has a whole lot of room to play with when it prices the V-Spec. True as well, the price of the ZR1 also includes a driver training course and a 3-year / 60,000-mile warranty, which should count for something. Perhaps not £55,000, though. Luckily for Chevrolet UK, it will only have to sell two of them this year, and single digits in the years to come. You can read the full press release after the jump, and then decide if you'd rather have one lump of incredible American metal or a GT-R and a Swiss bank account.
posted : 10/3/2008 @8:28:09 PM
VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 does epic burnouts, we have proof

The Corvette ZR1 has some sick, nasty, evil power. Hitting the pedal will propel you to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and in the hands of a skilled professional, this blue-collar supercar can lap the 'Ring in 7:26:4. There is no question that 638 horsepower and a 3,300-lb curb weight is good for getting you somewhere in a big fat hurry, but in the right hands it can also get you nowhere fast. One particular Development Engineer is the General's number one burnout artist, and we captured video of him creating two 300-foot works of art. We love the rubber-ripping smoke storm and sound of the LS9 at full tilt, but we're not so sure this unsuspecting set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2s shares our excitement.
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posted : 8/31/2008 @4:52:01 PM
GM releases pics of Corvette ZR1 lapping 'Ring

The stats we throw around when comparing cars has remained the same for years. A car's 0-60 mph time and top speed are the two most well known, but this year a new stat has emerged that tells us more about a car's overall abilities than just mashing the accelerator would. It's the lap time of the Nürburgring, and you're just not a contender for supercar of the year until you've done it. The Nissan GT-R really brought attention to this statistic when it began impressing spy photogs who watched it slither around the 'Ring all through its development. Then the GT-R posted a blistering 7:29 lap time. The stat was further thrust into the spotlight when a Corvette engineer promised that Nissan would not hold the record for long. And it didn't. On June 27th, the Corvette ZR1 ran the 'Ring in 7:26.4 to take the crown. While we've watched video of the ZR1's fast lap over and over, we haven't enjoyed any professoinal images of the ZR1 running the Nürburgring yet, until today. GM has just released four new photos of a production ZR1 on the famous German track, and while these aren't pics of the record run, they still show a ZR1 on the 'Ring and that's enough to become our next desktop wallpaper.
posted : 8/30/2008 @3:11:11 PM
VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 being built from start to finish

This morning General Motors released all the official numbers for the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 including its price ($103,000), 0-60 mph time (3.4 sec), quarter-mile (11.3 sec at 131 mph) and top speed (205 mph). It's the fastest, most powerful and most expensive vehicle GM has ever built. So how does it get built? Why, at the Corvette's Bowling Green production facility in Kentucky. Put together by the same people who lovingly assemble your garden variety Vettes, the ZR1 is nevertheless a very difficult vehicle than the bang-for-the-buck coupe on which it's based. Watch the video after the jump to see a ZR1 go from a frame to full-fledged supercar in about four and a half minutes of time lapsed video interspersed with interviews of the plant workers who have the privilege of assembling this King of Corvettes
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posted : 6/19/2008 @10:22:41 PM
2009 Corvette ZR1 starts at $103,300

General Motors and Chevrolet have just released all their official numbers for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 and... hold on to your butts... its base MSRP (including destination charges) will be $103,300. Add to that a $1,700 Gas guzzler tax, $2,000 for chrome wheels and another $10,000 for the only Option package available that adds upgraded seats, side air bags, Bose audio, a nav system, Bluetooth, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel and leather-wrapped interior, and you're looking at a grand total of $117,000. We believe that may make the Corvette ZR1 the most expensive product ever offered by GM, but consider what you get. The ZR1 is a 638-hp supercar that can reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, run the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at 131 mph (!) and top out at 205 mph, all while returning 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Unfortunately, Chevy didn't hit its target of having the most fuel-efficient supercar on earth with the ZR1, as they admit that the Dodge Viper (13/22) and Porsche GT3 (15/22) are a bit less thirsty. Of course, they're neither as powerful nor as fast, and the Porsche is more expensive. The ZR1 will likely be marked up by dealers far above its $117k asking price, but kudos to General Motors anyway for having the balls to build it.
posted : 6/19/2008 @10:13:16 PM
2009 Corvette Z06 gets new color and wheels

Yes, it's a slow news day, as many Fridays are. But who's going to complain about looking at new high-res photos of the 2009 Chevy Corvette Z06? Sure, it's not the ZR1, but it's still a damn fine car and for 2009 is getting a few tweaks that might be noteworthy to some. The first that's immediately evident is the Cyber Gray Metallic paint color, which is also joined by Blade Silver Metallic. With the deletion of Machine Sliver Metallic, the Z06 exterior color palette now stands at nine colors. Also new are 'spider'-design 10-spoke wheels exclusive to the Z06, and they look damn good framing those large rotors and red calipers. Less exciting is the new bright surround around the Corvette logo on the hood and redesigned Z06 sill plates, though owners of the '09 model will get a standard power hatch pull-down, Bluetooth as an option and the 10.5-quart dry sump oil system from the ZR1. There's some more new stuff in GM's own words after the jump, but we're too busy looking at the pics to tell you what they are.
posted : 6/16/2008 @9:19:53 PM

GM Europe reveals Corvette Competition to kick off racing season

The Chevy Corvette trails only the Ford Mustang in number of special editions offered from the factory and by third-party tuners. Aside from the Z06 and ZR1, GM has also offered Vette-o-philes the Victory Edition (Euro only), 427 Limited Edition Z06, the Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Champion Corvette Z06, and many Indy 500 Pace Car special editions over the years. And that's just from the factory. Check out Callaway and Lingenfelter for an even longer list of special Vettes.

GM of Europe has announced one more special Corvette to add to the list. Along with the aforementioned Victory Edition, GM will also be offering Europeans the Corvette Competition, which supposedly celebrates the new racing season that kicked off in mid-March with the 12 Hours of Sebring. Despite that race being held on American soil as part of the American Le Mans Series, the Corvette Competition is for Euro consumption only.

The Corvette Competition bears little resemblance to the C6.R race car from Corvette Racing, other than the fact they're both Corvettes. While the race car is a precision tool of speed and endurance, the production Corvette Competition is a gussied up base C6 coupe. Exterior mods include a honey comb grille in the lower front air intake and between its pair of dual tailpipes, a Z06 rear spoiler perched out back, and unique 5-spoke alloy wheels in Competition Grey. The rest of the car is dipped in black paint for maximum stealth effect. Other than that, the Corvette Competition's hardware is identical to that of a garden variety C6 Coupe, though GM claims it's limited the available options on to keep weight down. Since it is a special edition model, production will be limited and the price has only been referred to as "competitive".

posted : 3/27/2008 @11:00:24 AM
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