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The new Captain America
[SIZE=-1]Dying to drive a 320kph supercar but with budget short of half a Porsche GT2 and don't want to fall for the Nissan GT-R craze? Try this Chevy
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand
[/SIZE] - Oh mi gosh, what planet is it from?
'Tis from planet Chevrolet in the GM system. Its name is Corvette ZR1.
- Is it a racecar, concept or a toy model?
At the moment it's a concept, to become production and sold this mid-year and we got a hunch Matchbox will make into toy later on.
A racecar? Well, with 620hp from a hand-built supercharged 6.2L V8 sitting propelling the rear wheels with a body weighing just 1.5 tonnes, it's virtually race-ready.
- Are you sure it's not
a Lambo? Sure, but this is the fastest production car ever built by GM and possibly the quickest American supercar ever.
With power-to-weight ratio of 408hp per tonne - better than the Porsche GT2, Ferrari F430 Scuderia and even the Lamborghini LP640 - it is expected to be the first production Corvette to crack 320kph, although no official figures will be out until its launch this summer.
- Yeah? But American cars are only fast in a straight line, aren't they?
But the ZR-1 is different. For a start, it has a new sophisticated six-speed manual with twin-disc clutch (no, not that VW-style semi-automatic), electro-magnetic dampers and all-round independent suspension tuned to corner at over 1g and standard carbon-ceramic brake discs.
- Now you're talking!
There's more: the 19-inch front rims are shod with 285/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport2 tyres and the 20-inch rear rims wear 335/25ZR20.
The front six-piston and rear four-piston calipers wear 100% greater surface area brake pads than on the Z06 - Corvette's current fastest edition.
- Will I get all those body kit as pictured?
GM promises us so. There's gonna be a see-through plastic covering over the valvecam cover on the carbon hood, carbon front spoilers, fenders, side skirts and roof panels.
- Is the body made of carbon too?
No, it's still mainly steel, but with extensive use of aluminium on the suspension.
- Any carbon inside?
You wish. The interior is still a cockpit style for the driver with leather wrap everything - door trim, seats and dash - and with ZR1 logo all over.
Two prominent Corvette double flag logos adorn the centre console and the steering wheel.
Carbon is not yet an all-American taste and, uh, this is Chevrolet not Lambo.
- How many ZR1s will they make?
Not many and each one will have its own identification plaque. It will be a limited production but the number has not yet been decided.
- When will it come to Thailand?
Patience, the ZR1 will debut in the flesh in the middle of the year as a 2009 model and definitely on its home territory - USA. So, don't be surprised if a show car won't arrive until late this year at the earliest.
- Don't care, how much?
Judging by the "lesser" Z06's pricetag in the States, the ZR1 flagship could hop to B9m in Thailand after all the taxes.
- Golly, that's even cheaper than the Nissan GT-R!
Yep, if you're after raw and expectedly little sophistication, then the ZR1 is probably the most cost effective production car that can hit 320kph. One catch, though - you shouldn't expect a right-hand drive version.
[SIZE=-1]Dying to drive a 320kph supercar but with budget short of half a Porsche GT2 and don't want to fall for the Nissan GT-R craze? Try this Chevy
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand
[/SIZE] - Oh mi gosh, what planet is it from?
'Tis from planet Chevrolet in the GM system. Its name is Corvette ZR1.
- Is it a racecar, concept or a toy model?
At the moment it's a concept, to become production and sold this mid-year and we got a hunch Matchbox will make into toy later on.
A racecar? Well, with 620hp from a hand-built supercharged 6.2L V8 sitting propelling the rear wheels with a body weighing just 1.5 tonnes, it's virtually race-ready.
- Are you sure it's not
a Lambo? Sure, but this is the fastest production car ever built by GM and possibly the quickest American supercar ever.
With power-to-weight ratio of 408hp per tonne - better than the Porsche GT2, Ferrari F430 Scuderia and even the Lamborghini LP640 - it is expected to be the first production Corvette to crack 320kph, although no official figures will be out until its launch this summer.
- Yeah? But American cars are only fast in a straight line, aren't they?
But the ZR-1 is different. For a start, it has a new sophisticated six-speed manual with twin-disc clutch (no, not that VW-style semi-automatic), electro-magnetic dampers and all-round independent suspension tuned to corner at over 1g and standard carbon-ceramic brake discs.
- Now you're talking!
There's more: the 19-inch front rims are shod with 285/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport2 tyres and the 20-inch rear rims wear 335/25ZR20.
The front six-piston and rear four-piston calipers wear 100% greater surface area brake pads than on the Z06 - Corvette's current fastest edition.
- Will I get all those body kit as pictured?
GM promises us so. There's gonna be a see-through plastic covering over the valvecam cover on the carbon hood, carbon front spoilers, fenders, side skirts and roof panels.
- Is the body made of carbon too?
No, it's still mainly steel, but with extensive use of aluminium on the suspension.
- Any carbon inside?
You wish. The interior is still a cockpit style for the driver with leather wrap everything - door trim, seats and dash - and with ZR1 logo all over.
Two prominent Corvette double flag logos adorn the centre console and the steering wheel.
Carbon is not yet an all-American taste and, uh, this is Chevrolet not Lambo.
- How many ZR1s will they make?
Not many and each one will have its own identification plaque. It will be a limited production but the number has not yet been decided.
- When will it come to Thailand?
Patience, the ZR1 will debut in the flesh in the middle of the year as a 2009 model and definitely on its home territory - USA. So, don't be surprised if a show car won't arrive until late this year at the earliest.
- Don't care, how much?
Judging by the "lesser" Z06's pricetag in the States, the ZR1 flagship could hop to B9m in Thailand after all the taxes.
- Golly, that's even cheaper than the Nissan GT-R!
Yep, if you're after raw and expectedly little sophistication, then the ZR1 is probably the most cost effective production car that can hit 320kph. One catch, though - you shouldn't expect a right-hand drive version.
