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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...
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newVideoPlayer("/C4ZR1activesuspension.flv", 494, 290,""); To show off the history behind the 2009 Corvette ZR1 during our first drive at Milford, GM brought out some C4 ZR-1 'Vettes. The most interesting one was this 1990 prototype adorned in vents and scoops. Corvette commander Harlan Charles says this was a testbed for a complicated and heavy active suspension system that used hydraulics to lean the big black 'Vette into turns. Obviously, with the magnetic ride control system of today, this is an obsolete setup, but interesting nonetheless.
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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.
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GM's recent decision to re-offer employee pricing on all new vehicles brings the 505 HP Corvette Z06 down to an astonishing base price of $62,653. Normally, these type of incentives don't include high horsepower and halo cars, but according to the boys at Kicking Tires , GM will include both the 2008 Corvette and the Chevy's up-powered big brother, the 2008 Corvette Z06 , in their current deal. No matter how glowing of a review Wes gave it, with that heavy of a discount you'll maybe want to think twice about spending the money on the new 2009 Corvette ZR1 . galleryPost('2008CorvetteZ06Press', 6, 'A Worthy Champ'); The 638 HP 2009 Corvette ZR1's price of $103,000 (let's pretend for a moment vagaries such as dealer markup don't exist) has a cost per HP of $162. While not the best deal on price per HP, it's still a steal. But this pricing on the 2008 Corvette Z06 brings the cost per HP war to a whole new level — dropping the already amazingly...
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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
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Chop 265 pounds off of a Corvette Z06, add lighter brakes and wheels, some carbon fiber bits and a new hood, then charge $109,000 for the lot of it. Sounds like a tall proposition in the face of the recently reviewed Corvette ZR1 , but that's not stopping tuner Katech Performance from doing it. Touted as a "Superleggera" version of the Z06, the Corvette Z06 Clubsport draws a bead on weight reduction and suspension improvements. We can't speak to the results, but we can say they're going to have a tough road to hoe on this one. Full press release below the fold. KATECH PERFORMANCE UNVEILS LIGHTWEIGHT Z06 FOR THE TRACK New ClubSport Package Shaves Pounds to Shave Seconds off Lap Times CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Katech Performance, ever attuned to the collective conscious of the Corvette universe, knew this – enthusiasts wanted a lighter weight Z06 tuned for the track. Now they have it. The Corvette Z06 ClubSport package – available exclusively from Katech Performance...
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Chop 265 pounds off of a Corvette Z06, add lighter brakes and wheels, some carbon fiber bits and a new hood, then charge $109,000 for the lot of it. Sounds like a tall proposition in the face of the recently reviewed Corvette ZR1 , but that's not stopping tuner Katech Performance from doing it. Touted as a "Superleggera" version of the Z06, the Corvette Z06 Clubsport draws a bead on weight reduction and suspension improvements. We can't speak to the results, but we can say they're going to have a tough road to hoe on this one. Full press release below the fold. KATECH PERFORMANCE UNVEILS LIGHTWEIGHT Z06 FOR THE TRACK New ClubSport Package Shaves Pounds to Shave Seconds off Lap Times CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Katech Performance, ever attuned to the collective conscious of the Corvette universe, knew this – enthusiasts wanted a lighter weight Z06 tuned for the track. Now they have it. The Corvette Z06 ClubSport package – available exclusively from Katech Performance...
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Is the 2009 Corvette ZR1 really the end of an era? Popular Mechanics doesn't think so. They're already speculating on what might be in store for the 2012 Corvette "C7" , and they see a future that includes higher performance and better fuel economy. Among the many questions are whether the next Corvette offer a twin-turbo direct-injection V6? The answer? Maybe. How about a range of smaller V8 engines? Perhaps. Then there's the age-old question: Will the engine will be moved to the middle, behind the driver? No. Here's what PopMech has to say about an engine moving amidship: "One thing we know with certainty is that the mid-engine Corvette—the one that pops up as a production possibility every decade or so—remains just a wistful idea. "The mid-engine Corvette is simply too expensive," says auto analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics. "It would need costly new tooling and offers little weight savings because it requires an extra, metal-intensive firewall...
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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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Following in the trend of late-model Corvettes being re-bodied to look like old 'Vettes, this illustration shows Blue Fusion's (that's actually the name of the company, not some fanboy's screen name) hopes for a car that combines the C6 chassis with C2 split-window styling. While this sounds like a great idea, they've yet to actually make one, which is fine by us because they could probably use a history lesson first. You see, they say they're basing the styling of the Rossi 66 on the "1966 C2 split-window Corvette" , which is a bit puzzling considering that the iconic split-window design was only on the original 1963 models. But Blue Fusion doesn't have time to study up on trivia, because they're scrambling to get a working production model ready for November's SEMA show. Their optimistic press release is below the jump. galleryPost('rossivette', 3, 'Split-Window C6'); We are pleased to introduce to the Corvette enthusiasts...
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We thought the Corvette Z06 cop car the Royal Oak PD is sporting for the Woodward Dream Cruise was impressive. But now they're rolling out the bigger guns with a Corvette ZR1 police car. The cop driving this 'Vette is exactly 26.3% more bad-ass than the Johnny Law in that weak-sauce Z06. Now you hooligans have to roll out some real hardware to even think about keeping up with the boys in blue, much less escaping in the blistering 3 MPH speeds seen at the Dream Cruise. And yes, we were getting the shakes: There were no fresh ZR1 stories for like, 37 seconds. galleryPost('zr1cops', 6, 'ZR1 Dons Another Kind Of Blue Badge');
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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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We were cruising Woodward a couple minutes ago, scoping things out for spontaneous conflagrations of coolness, and we got way more than we bargained for. Parked outside the Dairy Deluxe, an ice cream parlor staple along the Ave, was a pair of Corvette ZR1 s. So of course, like moths to a flame we descended for picture taking. Only thing is, the ZR1's kept coming, in all, five of the super-Vettes had been driven in by various members of the GM engineering squad, and that wasn't all we saw, we discovered the unofficial mascot of the ZR1 — he's blue, he has horns, and his name is Elwood. Get it? Jake and Elwood, like the Blues Brothers. Jump for more. galleryPost('elwood', 3, 'Jake Begets Elwood'); galleryPost('zr1icecream', 3, 'ZR1 Posse Takes An Ice Cream Break'); The "Jake" logo originally born of the Corvette C5R racing program has been officially nixed from all ZR1 activities. That doesn't mean the GM Design Studio couldn't...
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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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