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We knew the 2009 Corvette ZR1 was fast, but until now, we didn’t know how fast it could be in the hands of anyone other than GM’s official test drivers. It appears Popular Mechanics has strapped its own timing gear to the ZR1 and hit the go pedal. We’re kind of relieved they pulled times slightly slower than those officially quoted by GM. Despite the ridiculously accessible nature of its performance, the ZR1 is a real driver’s car that actually requires some driving. It’s nice to see that variations in driver skill, surface and other variables actually have an effect on it, rather than relying on electronics capable of completely removing humans from the equation. Hit the jump for the results. galleryPost('pmzr1numbers', 6, 'Popular Mechanics ZR1 Performance Figures'); [via Popular Mechanics ]
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DigitalCorvettes is reporting a rumor that production on the Corvette ZR1 , Chevy's new super car we just drove a month or so ago, has been halted at the Bowling Green Corvette plant. We've received no official comment from GM, and we've got no evidence to substantiate this rumor other than what the Corvette-lovers over at DigitalCorvettes are reporting. To be fair, we can't believe this is true, and we've put in a call to Chevy PR to confirm or deny the rumor. We expect to hear back from them by the morning at the latest. Full rumor report below the jump: FACTS 1. ZR1 production has been halted at Bowling Green despite orders to fill. 2. There is nothing wrong with the ZR1 itself. No production line issues that warrant it being stopped. 3. There is no official word from GM yet. Key word, 'official'. But, there is 'word' and we are hearing it. INFO COMING IN 1. The ZR1 model itself may be on the chopping block, or has already been cancelled. 2. GM is...
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UPDATE: Rumor busted! Chevy PR tells us ZR1 production has NOT been canceled. DigitalCorvettes was, as we'd claimed most likely the case, wrong on this story. DigitalCorvettes is reporting a rumor that production on the Corvette ZR1 , Chevy's new super car we just drove a month or so ago, has been halted at the Bowling Green Corvette plant. We knew the Corvette plant was on shutdown this week, but we fully expected the plant to resume production next week. Digital Corvettes is now reporting that's now not the case . We've got no evidence to substantiate this rumor other than what the Corvette-lovers over at DigitalCorvettes are reporting. To be fair, we can't believe this is true, and we've put in a call to Chevy PR to confirm or deny the rumor. We expect to hear back from them by the morning at the latest. Full rumor report below the jump: FACTS 1. ZR1 production has been halted at Bowling Green despite orders to fill. 2. There is nothing wrong with the ZR1 itself...
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GM has released UK pricing for the Corvette ZR1 at £109,000 — roughly equivalent to $200,167, or about OMG,WTFBBQ,NFW,ROFLCOPTER!!1! in internet dollars. If you aren't a very good forex trader, or one of the eleven remaining hedge fund managers with a job, there's no reason for you to read this if you live in Britain, unless of course you're one of those creepy self-flagellating monks from the Da Vinci Code. In any of the above cases, it sucks to be you, and us 'mericans will happily keep our 638 HP mega-Vette all to ourselves. [ Carscoop ]
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Hopefully we'll all have the chance to see a full Top Gear top test of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 by Jeremy Clarkson, complete with big powerslides, loud proclamations of "Powwah!" and a power lap by the Stig. However, for the moment you'll have to be happy with Top Gear Magazine 's Paul Horrell, who recently spent time behind the wheel of the new super-Vette. So does Horrell confirm our sentiments on the ZR1? Not quite. Horrell reckons "the dynamics are better than an Aston DBS, but you don't get the delicious precision of a (Ferrari) 599." Fair enough, but it's a good start for the ZR1 across the pond. Especially considering whether or not the rest of the European press agree with his overall positive assessment will likely play a big role in not just the success of the ZR1, but the European perception of American cars in general. The ZR1, in many ways, is our ambassador. And a hell of an ambassador it is. galleryPost('zr1reviewroad', 6, 'Jalopnik...
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The 2009 Corvette ZR1 is the best car ever made. It redefines what performance cars are capable of, not by its numbers (the 0-to-60 in 3.3 seconds and a 205 MPH top speed figures are no longer noteworthy north of $100,000), but by how it makes those numbers so accessible. Simply put, the ZR1's most remarkable achievement is how easy and unintimidating the chassis makes exploiting the car's 638 HP. The only problem is I'm not good enough a driver to fully do so. galleryPost('zr1reviewroad', 9, '2009 Corvette ZR1'); newVideoPlayer("/ZR1review.flv", 494, 290,""); galleryPost('ZR1reviewtrack', 9, ''); Halfway through a day's lapping, halfway around the Lutz Ring and full throttle at the top of third gear is bringing me and a red ZR1 into a 180-degree corner way too fast, while the blind crest just before it — taken at maximum power and maximum cornering — has us way off line too. In any other supercar, especially one as hairy...
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Yesterday, we drove the 2009 Corvette ZR1 both at GM's Milford proving grounds and on the road. Even though we can't tell you about it yet (check back Wednesday, August 20th at 12:01 am) we can show you the pictures and take a look at how it stacks up against the competition...by the numbers. Want to know how it compares to the 2009 Nissan GT-R ? What about the Ferrari 599 GTB , 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 , 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 , Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and Mercedes McLaren SLR ? Click through to find out. galleryPost('zr1select1', 24, '2009 Corvette ZR1 Driven'); Photography: Alex Conley
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newVideoPlayer("/ZR1burnouts.flv", 494, 290,""); Last night we showed you a little tease of our upcoming review of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 coming Wednesday, August 20th at 12:01 AM. Well, we decided not to tease you too much with thoughts of the ZR1s staggering 638 HP 6.2-liter LS9 engine . Without further ado, here's two awesome, all-American, Godzilla-intimidating rolling burnouts on the huge Milford skidpad. But we're assuming you'll still be hungry for more. And we've delivered. While others may give you a whole crapload of crappy pictures, below the jump we have three of the most amazing shots we've yet seen of the ZR1. Enjoy. galleryPost('CorvetteZR1Burnouts', 4, 'The Most Amazing ZR1 Hoonage Ever'); Photo Credit: Alex C. Conley
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newVideoPlayer("/ZR1tease.flv", 494, 290,""); We asked you earlier today what you wanted to see — and as usual, we've delivered. Although you'll have to wait just a little bit longer for the full Corvette ZR1 test drive — check back during the wee hours of Wednesday, August 20th at 12:01 AM — we've got a little treat for you tonight. It's a little exclusive to whet your whistle — the very first video of a smokey burnout of the new 2009 Corvette ZR1 . Oh, and Wes doing his best impression of the Stig.
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After months of sharing details and spreading rumors about the 2009 Corvette ZR1 we've finally been given the keys to one of the super Vettes for a day of hoonage at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. Our fearless Road Test Editor Wes Siler is out there right now tackling the beast ( It was a condition of employment — Ed. ) Obviously, he'll drive the crap out of it. But what else would you like to see? Should he give Suze Orman the ride of her life? Should he try and reenact the Jim Mero 'Ring run or the also impressive Jim Mero Lutz-Ring-run ? Burnout? Donut? Pizza delivery? Live vicariously through us for a day for less than the $185,000 cost. Be honest, be smart and be creative. Most importantly — be back here Sunday at Midnight to find out what he did. But for the moment tell us what do you want to see Wes do with the 2009 Corvette ZR1?
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newVideoPlayer("/affordZR1.flv", 494, 410,""); If you're looking to justify the purchase of a 2009 Corvette ZR1 , Suze Orman may not be the best person to call. That's what one potential ZR1 buyer found out when he called into the "Can I Afford It?" segment of Orman's financial advice show on CNBC. But Dan, the caller, isn't exactly some penniless chump dreaming beyond his means: He's got $150k just chillin' in his savings account. Now, we know the ZR1 starts at $103,300 , but Dan was figuring on spending $120,000. Of course, Orman apparently doesn't understand just how special the ZR1 is, claiming that its value will drop like a brick as soon as it pulls off the dealer lot. We're not so sure, what with the first car being auctioned off for a cool $1,000,000 . Not to mention, if Dan can actually find a ZR1 for $120k, with all the inevitable dealer mark-ups , he'll be getting quite the bargain. [via CorvetteBlogger ]
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newVideoPlayer("/ZR1Build_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); The much-anticipated 2009 Corvette ZR1 began production, as the first unit finished the assembly process and was delivered to Chevy dealer Dave Ressler during a press event in Bowling Green on Monday. What, you didn't notice? Well, it seems the build coincided with the unveiling of the new Chevy Camaro , forcing the ZR1 news under the radar. Guess those promotions budget cuts only allow one high-profile unveiling per week, eh? Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Dave Ressler, the new owner of the first 2009 ZR1 — the rights to which were sold at Barrett-Jackson , with proceeds going to charity — also happens to be the owner of the oldest known Corvette, a 1953 model. So what does Ressler do for a living? Why, he's a Chevy dealer, of course, and the owner of a large 'Vette collection in North Dakota. Ressler hasn't announced his plans for the new car, which has unique blue paint and a special VIN, but...
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newVideoPlayer("/2009_CorvetteZR1_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); 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. Instead, we're treated to GM test engineer Jim Mero — we think — driving one of the invited journalists around the road course at the General's Milford Proving Grounds. We know Mero's a pretty...
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Jalopnik reader and tipster Kyle spent the July 4th vacation up near Michigan's pinkie finger in Traverse City. On a quick jaunt down to Elk Rapids, a town not too far away from there, he ran across a yellow 2009 Corvette ZR1 sitting pretty at the roadside in the resort town. Maybe it's just tired and taking a vacation over the summer GM shut-down. Although we did notice there's no manny plates on it, that may just be because it's a "captured test fleet" vehicle. In all fairness, we're still not quite sure we get the distinction between "captured test fleet" and you know, a "test vehicle." Maybe there's no distinction. Anyone want to take us up on our question — drop a note into the comments below. galleryPost('2009CorvetteZR1SpyMI', 3, 'Corvette ZR1 Spotted In Elk Rapids');
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Today, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 officially stepped up the global war for Nürburgring supremacy, as General Motors development engineer Jim Mero drove a stock ZR1 around the Nürburgring in a time of 7:26.4. That's significantly faster than the 7:29 lap set by the Nissan GT-R. We can't wait to see what the rest of the world's supercar competitors are gonna do now to step up their game. galleryPost('09ChevyCorvetteZR1Black', 6, 'Corvette ZR1 Sets The Ring On Fire'); GM assures us that the lap time was set by stock ZR1, fitted only with extra safety and communications equipment. Everything else, from the production-spec Michelin Pilot tires, to the factory-spec ride height and suspension settings were untouched. Even the fuel was normal pump gas, though that stuff is still probably like $500 per gallon in Germany, right? None the less, this is the same spec car that people all across the country are going to buy at an inflated price , and inevitably hide away in their...
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