|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Corvette » 2009 Corvette ZR1 ( RSS)
-
|
With GM hotshoe Jan Magnussen in the cockpit of Zee Really fast One , the General's hypercar trimmed a staggering four seconds off its previous record-breaking lap time, bringing in a 7:22.4 lap around the 13-mile circuit. Although blisteringly quick, the ZR1's new time still falls short of the Viper ACR's best time of 7:22.1. We don't expect this glorious arms race to end anytime soon — not that we'd ever want these warriors of the raceway to quit duking it out. Guess it depends on whomever ends up owning the Viper brand . galleryPost('ZR1reviewtrack', 6, 'Corvette ZR1 On the Track'); [ MotorGears ]
|
-
|
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 ]
|
-
|
Writing in his weekly column in the ever-so-slightly left-of-center Sunday Times , Jeremy Clarkson expressed his love for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 before claiming “after three days the damn thing was beginning to disintegrate.” He may have just been "doing it wrong." Of course, this being Clarkson, the rest of the column was about the Chrysler Sebring , the War of Independence and his own insecurities that arise from him being a balding, fat idiot from a backwater nation who’s made a career on the tenuous appeal of his jackassery, so we don’t know if he was talking about the overall build quality (which we found to be peerless) or the interior (which we agree is unfittingly cheap for a $103,300 car). The rest of what Clarkson had to say and more of our analysis after the jump. I spent most of my time in America this time in a new Corvette ZR1. It is a fabulous car. Mesmerisingly fast, good looking and amazing value. But after three days the damn thing was beginning to disintegrate...
|
-
|
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...
|
-
|
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...
|
-
|
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 ]
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("/CamaroSSVetteZR1.flv", 494, 300,""); This is the first time we've seen both the 2010 Camaro SS and the 2009 Corvette ZR1 sharing track time, though the video leaves us a bit confused. Yes, the two look great together, and the V8 soundtrack isn't too bad either...except we only get to hear each of the cars sing solo. We were expecting to hear a roaring duet of muscle, but the audio has suspiciously been cut from those scenes. And, is it just us, or have some portions of the video been blatantly sped up? [via CamaroZ28 ]
|
-
|
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...
|
-
|
Not counting the cars brought over to test on the Nurburgring, this is the first Corvette ZR1 in Europe. So what would you do with a 205 MPH car and a stretch of Autobahn with no speed limit? Exactly. Sure, they only hit about 192 MPH, but for an impromptu run with a fair amount of traffic on the road, that's stupid fast. Video below the jump. [via autoblog.nl ]
|
-
|
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. galleryPost('zr1pilotsport', 3, 'Michelin PS2 ZP'); 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...
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("/JimMeroVIDEO.flv", 494, 290,""); Talking to Corvette ZR1 engineer Jim Mero during our first drive of the car at GM's proving grounds, we asked him about his record-setting lap of the Nürburgring . He told us if you inspect the video , you can see he probably could have shaved at least half a second off the 7:26.4 lap time if he had just taken a few of the turns better. Then, just to prove the point, Mero took us for a lap around the "Lutz Ring" at Milford. Although Mero was going easy on us, we still flopped around like a rag doll through every turn.
|
-
|
Think you’ve seen all of our photos of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 ? Well you haven’t. Follow the jump for every single one of our 81 photos of the best car ever made, in all their unedited glory. galleryPost('zr1megagallery', 8, '2009 Corvette ZR1 Mega Gallery'); Photography: Alex Conley
|
-
|
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...
|
-
|
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
|
-
|
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
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|