ˆ C4 Corvette ZR-1s gather for the coming out of their successors

tags : corvette zr-1 , corvette zr1 , corvette zr1 pictures , corvettezr-1 , corvettezr1 , corvettezr1pictures

At the coming out party for the new ZR1 Corvette last week at Milford Proving Grounds, General Motors decided to bring out a handful of ZR-1s (note the dash to distinguish it from the new model) from the first go around in the early '90s to remind us all of how far things have progressed in the past 18 years. The original ZR-1 was built from 1990-95 and, as with the new model, its engine was the heart of the car. In the late '80s when the ZR-1 was conceived, GM owned Lotus. The British sports car specialist designed the LT5 V8 specifically for the ZR-1. Aside from sharing bore spacing with the regular small-block, they had nothing else in common. The LT5 was an all-aluminum, dual overhead cam, 32 valve V8. At the time of its introduction, the motor had an output of 375 hp (eventually bumped to 405 hp in the last couple years of production), which was huge for the day, though tame by today's standards. Unfortunately, the C4 Corvette wasn't a great car to start with. Even with the beefed up sills that were added to to the convertible, the C4 wasn't particularly rigid. The car rode hard and the huge clam-shell hood quivered constantly on anything but glass smooth pavement. While the expensive ZR-1 never sold in huge numbers, it did spawn some interesting derivatives that GM keeps in its Heritage Collection. Among the ones brought to Milford were one of the active suspension prototypes. These used a fully active hydraulic suspension system with no springs, but the hydraulics reportedly consumed upwards of 40 hp. One unique car from the collection is the DR-1 (above). This was the only ZR-1 convertible ever built and was produced for Don Runkle (hence the DR), who at the time was chief engineer at Chevrolet. The other three cars were stock ZR-1s of various vintages.

posted : 9/2/2008 @3:05:46 AM

ˆ Spy Shots: Corvette ZR1 attacking the Nurburgring

tags : breaking , corvette zr-1 , corvette zr1 , corvette zr1 pictures , corvette zr1 spy shots , corvettezr-1 , corvettezr1 , corvettezr1pictures , corvettezr1spyshots , spy pics , spy shots , spypics , spyshots , zr1 , zr1corvette , zr1topspeed

Corvette Chief Engineer (and Autoblog commenter) Tadge Juechter said last week that the new ZR1 "will be able to take the production-car track record at any racetrack" and should lap the famed Nurburgring race track in Germany in "seven minutes, twenty-something seconds." Considering Nissan just posted a new official lap time of 7:29 for the GT-R and that the GT-R V-Spec is reportedly clicking off laps in 7:25, them sounds like fightin' words. Well, the ZR1 is officially being flogged around the Ring as we speak, though no one has yet to report a lap time for this gorgeous red prototype that was spotted by KGP photographers. BridgetoGantry.com reports that yesterday there was a helicopter over the track "chasing something that sounded very V8 and awfully supercharged," so perhaps lap times will soon be forthcoming. We imagine the supercharged LS9 V8's 628 horsepower and the ZR1's 205-mph top speed will not disappoint.

posted : 5/8/2008 @6:04:46 PM

ˆ Detroit 2008: Up close with the Corvette ZR1

tags : 2009 , 2009 chevrolet corvette zr1 , 2009chevroletcorvettezr1 , chevrolet corvette zr1 , chevroletcorvettezr1 , corvette zr1 pictures , corvettezr1pictures , detroit , detroit 2008 , detroit2008 , zr1

We've had a few looks now at the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. First we were introduced to GM's new supercar at the Michigan Design Center last week, then again at the GM Style event just before the show, and yesterday we observed its innards on the show floor. Most of us hadn't seen the car up close on the showroom floor, and so we paid the GM display a lengthy visit to explore the car up close. A few things caught our eye, including the massive carbon ceramic disc brakes both front and rear, as well as the beautiful carbon fiber front splitter, roof, and side skirts. We are still unsure what we think of the glass window covering the 6.2-liter supercharged V8, but we did enjoy the "Take No Prisoners" skull on the intake inspired by the Bad Boy Vettes C6R livery. We won't go too much into an analysis of the car - a search for the ZR1 on the site will bring up dozens of posts regarding almost every aspect of the vehicle - but we have posted several new photos live from the show floor for you to enjoy.

posted : 1/16/2008 @4:14:55 PM

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