It’s been a long time coming! GM has finally unveiled the Corvette ZR1, and its a beauty! I don’t even know where to begin here, so lets talk about appearances first. At first glance, the ZR1 doesn’t really look all that different from the current Z06, and that is probably due to the fact that the aluminum and magnesium frame of the current generation Z06 forms the basis of the ZR1. There is a carbon fiber splitter on the front, not dissimilar to the chin splitter found on the Le Mans winning Corvette C6R. The hood bulges out on the top to cover the impressive new engine, but on the top, lies a transparent lexan window to show off the powerplant. Moving to the side of the vehicle, an astute observer would notice 2 vertical fender vents. All that hot air in the engine bay has to go somewhere, and 2 massive holes aught to help that. The roof of the ZR1 is all carbon fiber, to help lower the center of gravity, and to make it look absolutely badass. But to help with the latter, GM spent a small fortune to develop a special clearcoat to put on top of the carbon fiber to help prevent resin oxidization, which on any other car would turn yellow and crackly over time. GM wanted to ensure the carbon fiber would look good for the lifespan of the vehicle, and apparently a gallon of the clear coat cost $60,000. The front clip of the ZR1 is also carbon fiber, although painted to match the rest of the vehicle.

Lets talk engines.
The new ‘Vette uses a new V8 LS9 engine, which produces at least 100hp per liter of displacement. Though GM hasn’t released any info about the power output, they told us that engine displacement is 6.2L. Now, obviously, simple minded folks wouldn’t be able to form the kind of hypothesis that I am about to, but then again, not everyone has been a 3 time winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for being a math whiz either. Not to brag or anything… I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that the ZR1 will produce between 620-650 horses. How do I come up with that number? I am a genius, that’s how.

Make the jump for more info on this beast of a Corvette

The LS9 adds a supercharger, squeezed into the valley of the V8 block, with an air-to-liquid intercooler on top. The blower is all new, sourced from Eaton and has rotors with four lobes to improve the efficiency of the unit and lower parasitic losses. The power is harnessed through a Tremec 6060 gearbox with unique ratios from the Z06, that directs all those horses into the rear wheels.

Power doesn’t mean jack unless it makes it to the ground though, and you can bet GM engineers took that basic fact into consideration. To that end, they’ve designed the chassis to be stiffer than (insert crude joke about Ron Jeremy here) and have given the ‘Vette the same magneto-rheological dampers as the Ferrari 599. That means there is fluid filled with iron particles inside the units, and the viscosity can be instantly changed by varying an electric current passing through it. Sensors in the car take measurements every 0.001 seconds and adjust the dampers every 0.002 seconds. The grip is promised to be superior to the Z06 on road and track even though the springs are actually softer.

Stopping power comes from ridiculously huge Brembo sourced carbon ceramic brakes. The rear wheels get 15″ rotors (which are what the Ferrari Enzo uses on its front wheels. Pshht. Amateurs…) and 15.5″ rotors on the front. Rear wheels get 4 piston calipers, while the front wheels get 6 pot calipers. There’s more rubber on the ZR1’s wheels than there is silicone in Pamela Anderson(!), so you can bet that handling will be wicked. Michelin Pilot Sport 285/30ZR19s are wrapped around the front wheels while tractive forces go through 335/25ZR20s at the rear. Giggetty.

General Motors wanted to create a supercar that was easily driven on normal roads at normal speeds, and while I can’t say firsthand that they have managed to accomplish this task, I’d wager a guess that they probably did. After all, it took them five freaking years to finish the project. And since they are going to be charging at least $100k USD for the ZR1, it had better live up to the promise! But its still a bargain of a super car, given that it costs merely 1/3 the price of its similarly spec’d out Italian rivals.

If you’d like to see a review of the ZR1 and perhaps even a video or two, all you have to do is mail me a cheque for $100 thousand dollars. US, or Canadian, doesn’t really matter according to the markets today. I’ll be sure to buy a supervette and write the most kickass review you’ll ever get a chance to witness. Oh, yeah. Just make the cheque out to “World’s Handsomest Man.” All the bank tellers know me by that name. Or sometimes “sweetcheeks.”

[Source: Chevrolet]