One of the most impressive things about the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is how much grip it has. Normally, sticking 638 HP into something that weighs just 3,350 LBS and driving only the rear wheels would result in massive amounts of wheel spin, both in a straight line and around corners. But in the ZR1, it doesn’t — not without significant provocation. This is partly due to the whiz-bang magnetic damping system that adjusts itself near-instantaneously to keep the car level around corners and keep the tires in contact with the road over rough surfaces. But a big part of its grip, and the resulting 7:26.4 ‘Ring time, comes down to the tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs specially developed, racecar-style, alongside the ZR1.
Specific to the ZR1, the 285/30-19 front and 335/25-20 rear tires use a different compound from that of the normal PS2s (which can also be found on the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V), designed to deliver ultimate track performance while retaining the ability to last for 20,000 miles of road use. We’re guessing burnouts may reduce their life expectancy substantially.
Unlike earlier versions of run-flat technology, which we weren’t big fans of thanks to increased unsprung weight and a harsher ride, these latest Pilot Sports’ reinforced sidewalls... [Read More]
During most sales events like GM’s current employee pricing madness — we know, we’re inundating readers with these posts, but we want to make sure shoppers are well-informed — high-performance cars like the Chevy Corvette and its more powerful big brother, the Corvette Z06, aren’t included. Not this time.
The Corvette Z06’s base version, called the 1LZ, starts at $72,125. After the employee pricing discount, it’s $62,653. Yep, that’s almost $10,000 off.
Zippy and his friends continue to supply us with great ZR1 news...
*ZR1: For On and Off the Track
Detroit News*
By Henry Payne
Aug. 20, 2008
Want some ZR1 advice? Don't buy it unless you plan to race it.
Driving the brand new, $103,000 Corvette ZR1 on the street is not much different than driving the $47,000-base 2009 Corvette C6 coupe -- already one of the world's finest two-seater sports cars.
Both models offer attractive interiors, comfort, and unobtrusive sound from their 6.2-liter engines. And the standard C6's 420 horsepower and 420-pound-feet-of torque provides plenty of get-up-and-go to stomp on any
911 or M3 lurking at a stop light. So why pay the $50,000 premium on the ZR1?
Because, when unleashed on the race track, the ZR1 proves to be a serious competition car wrapped in production vehicle's clothing.
As a veteran race driver of 25 years, I have competed in a variety of sports cars, including purpose-built racing prototypes like the 1969 Porsche 908 (the first Porsche to win the world manufacturer's championship) and the
1977 Toj 205C (one of the first winged sports racers and perhaps the fastest 2-liter car of its era).
The ZR1 is in the same league with these race-spec automobiles. And unlike similar super cars like the Ferrari 430 Scuderia or the Porsche GT, it achieves this performance for a price well south of... [Read More]
Thanks go to Zippy and one of his friends for this contribution:
*Super 'Vette: It's Out of This World
Detroit News*
By Scott Burgess
Aug. 20, 2008
Times are tough. Gas prices are high. Housing prices are low. And the car market is collapsing faster than a Jenga tower after six vodka shots.
America needs a superhero.
And when the next caped crusader arrives, he will screech onto the scene in a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. This car is Bat-tastic! It has more torque than a locomotive (well, a small one). It's faster than a speeding Bullitt and, if you construct the right ramp, it can leap the tallest building (around Milford) in a single bound.
This car is awesome. It should come with red go-go boots and a cape. Really, it's more than the sum total of all the superlatives you know. It's Superman, Batman, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four combined -- with a touch of stone-fisted Hellboy tossed into the mix.
Here's why: The all-new 6.2-liter supercharged LS9. It's a V-8 that produces
638 horsepower. Go back and read that again. On the extreme other side of Chevy, it would take six 2008 Aveos to almost generate the same power as a single ZR1.
It also creates 604 pound-feet of torque (544 pound-feet at 2,600 rpm). If you toughened up the rear end on a ZR1, you could rip tree stumps out of the ground.
Everything about this engine, which... [Read More]
We'd heard the long-lead media "drive" for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 was yesterday and it looks like the first in-car driving footage is now out on the web, less than 24 hours later. We obviously weren't there, primarily since we'd heard it was all magazines there. Frankly, we just don't need as much time as the glossies to put out a good story. We don't have character blocks to set in the printing press, no ink to squirt out and no parchment to unroll. So we guess it makes sense that we wouldn't need an invite to an event this far out. Of course, we also expected the invited media reps from the big n' bad buff books would, you know, drive the cars themselves.
One of the most impressive things about the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is how much grip it has. Normally, sticking 638 HP into something that weighs just 3,350 LBS and driving only the rear wheels would result in massive amounts of wheel spin, both in a straight line and around corners. But in the ZR1, it doesn’t — not without significant provocation. This is partly due to the whiz-bang magnetic damping system that adjusts itself near-instantaneously to keep the car level around corners and keep the tires in contact with the road over rough surfaces. But a big part of its grip, and the resulting 7:26.4 ‘Ring time, comes down to the tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs specially developed, racecar-style, alongside the ZR1.
Specific to the ZR1, the 285/30-19 front and 335/25-20 rear tires use a different compound from that of the normal PS2s (which can also be found on the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V), designed to deliver ultimate track performance while retaining the ability to last for 20,000 miles of road use. We’re guessing burnouts may reduce their life expectancy substantially.
Unlike earlier versions of run-flat technology, which we weren’t big fans of thanks to increased unsprung weight and a harsher ride, these latest Pilot Sports’ reinforced sidewalls... [Read More]
During most sales events like GM’s current employee pricing madness — we know, we’re inundating readers with these posts, but we want to make sure shoppers are well-informed — high-performance cars like the Chevy Corvette and its more powerful big brother, the Corvette Z06, aren’t included. Not this time.
The Corvette Z06’s base version, called the 1LZ, starts at $72,125. After the employee pricing discount, it’s $62,653. Yep, that’s almost $10,000 off.
Zippy and his friends continue to supply us with great ZR1 news...
*ZR1: For On and Off the Track
Detroit News*
By Henry Payne
Aug. 20, 2008
Want some ZR1 advice? Don't buy it unless you plan to race it.
Driving the brand new, $103,000 Corvette ZR1 on the street is not much different than driving the $47,000-base 2009 Corvette C6 coupe -- already one of the world's finest two-seater sports cars.
Both models offer attractive interiors, comfort, and unobtrusive sound from their 6.2-liter engines. And the standard C6's 420 horsepower and 420-pound-feet-of torque provides plenty of get-up-and-go to stomp on any
911 or M3 lurking at a stop light. So why pay the $50,000 premium on the ZR1?
Because, when unleashed on the race track, the ZR1 proves to be a serious competition car wrapped in production vehicle's clothing.
As a veteran race driver of 25 years, I have competed in a variety of sports cars, including purpose-built racing prototypes like the 1969 Porsche 908 (the first Porsche to win the world manufacturer's championship) and the
1977 Toj 205C (one of the first winged sports racers and perhaps the fastest 2-liter car of its era).
The ZR1 is in the same league with these race-spec automobiles. And unlike similar super cars like the Ferrari 430 Scuderia or the Porsche GT, it achieves this performance for a price well south of... [Read More]
Thanks go to Zippy and one of his friends for this contribution:
*Super 'Vette: It's Out of This World
Detroit News*
By Scott Burgess
Aug. 20, 2008
Times are tough. Gas prices are high. Housing prices are low. And the car market is collapsing faster than a Jenga tower after six vodka shots.
America needs a superhero.
And when the next caped crusader arrives, he will screech onto the scene in a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. This car is Bat-tastic! It has more torque than a locomotive (well, a small one). It's faster than a speeding Bullitt and, if you construct the right ramp, it can leap the tallest building (around Milford) in a single bound.
This car is awesome. It should come with red go-go boots and a cape. Really, it's more than the sum total of all the superlatives you know. It's Superman, Batman, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four combined -- with a touch of stone-fisted Hellboy tossed into the mix.
Here's why: The all-new 6.2-liter supercharged LS9. It's a V-8 that produces
638 horsepower. Go back and read that again. On the extreme other side of Chevy, it would take six 2008 Aveos to almost generate the same power as a single ZR1.
It also creates 604 pound-feet of torque (544 pound-feet at 2,600 rpm). If you toughened up the rear end on a ZR1, you could rip tree stumps out of the ground.
Everything about this engine, which... [Read More]
We'd heard the long-lead media "drive" for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 was yesterday and it looks like the first in-car driving footage is now out on the web, less than 24 hours later. We obviously weren't there, primarily since we'd heard it was all magazines there. Frankly, we just don't need as much time as the glossies to put out a good story. We don't have character blocks to set in the printing press, no ink to squirt out and no parchment to unroll. So we guess it makes sense that we wouldn't need an invite to an event this far out. Of course, we also expected the invited media reps from the big n' bad buff books would, you know, drive the cars themselves.
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