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Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The ZR1 is an American muscle car with a difference - it has the racing technology to take on Europe’s sleek supercars, writes Sam Hardy
From The Sunday Times
August 31, 2008
If you want to go fast in America, only one rule applies: cubic inches. Since the 1950s, US car makers have followed this famous “big engine equals big power” formula, and the ’Vette - Chevrolet Corvette, to the uninitiated - was the prime exponent.
The new flagship ZR1 you see here packs a 6.2 litre V8 - not exactly a small engine by anyone’s standards. However, these days a big engine alone isn’t enough for glory. To lock horns with the best European machines (think Porsche’s 911 GT2 and Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia) and emerge as the sports car in front, you need racing-car technology.
The new ZR1 has exactly that. It may look similar to the Corvette Z06 but it owes more in design terms to another relative, the C6.R Le Mans racer. Its chassis is made of aluminium and magnesium, the kind designed for track racing (the Z06 has steel underpinnnings). Many of the ZR1’s body panels, including the bonnet, roof and front bumper, are made of carbon fibre. Why such an emphasis on expensive new materials? Because Chevrolet needed to put its pin-up sports car on a diet.
Losing more flab than a guest on the Jerry Springer TV show wasn’t the only challenge. Racing cars have been known to perform spectacular cartwheels at lesser speeds than the ’Vette’s 205mph, so additional aerodynamic spoilers help keep it stable at speed.
Together with its new active damper system and carbon-ceramic brakes, these modifications have helped to put the ZR1 at the top of the sports-car pile. Chevrolet claims it has lapped the 13-mile Nürburgring race circuit in Germany in 7min 26.4sec – 3sec faster than the quickest production car let loose on the circuit to date, the Nissan GT-R.
Then there’s the heart of the matter, the engine. The 6.2 litre V8 may be similar to the unit found in the Z06, but it gets a big boost from a supercharger and intercooler. With a nod to the Ferrari F430’s glass engine cover, you can even see the engine through a polycarbonate window in the bonnet.
Pumping out 638bhp and 604 lb ft of torque, it’s as muscular as an Olympic weightlifter whose diet consists of nothing but steaks and tree trunks. On a hard charge, it sounds like something Tom Cruise would have driven in Days of Thunder, amplified through concert speakers.
First gear stretches to 65mph, which accounts for a scant 0-60mph time of 3.4sec. If those figures don’t worry engineers from Stuttgart and Maranello, then how about 0-100mph in 7sec? You’d need a 911 GT2 or 430 Scuderia just to keep the ’Vette in sight.
All of this means that in the US, where many states still have a rigidly enforced 55mph speed limit, hitting the red line in first gear would get you arrested. Doing it in second would probably get you deported. And doing it in third would probably see the fun ended with what Swat teams describe as lethal force. Nor would the state troopers have to worry about creeping up on you. The V8’s noise would drown out the sound of a squad car on your tail, including the siren.
It differs from American sports cars of the past in that the driving experience doesn’t go to pieces when you arrive at a corner. The brakes are tremendous, wiping off speed with ease. Turn into a bend and the nose just grips. There’s no body roll; the tail squats down and powers you away from the apex without drama. If you have seen an F-16 Tomcat take off, you have an idea of what it’s like.
Let loose for a few laps of General Motors’ Milford proving ground in Detroit, the ZR1 made an instant impression. Even with some wickedly off-camber downhill corners, the ZR1 held its line with tenacity. It is responsive to the driver’s inputs, and the brave and skilled can enjoy Dukes of Hazzard-style powersliding.
The active dampers certainly play their part, with sport mode sharpening things up on the track and tour mode giving a firm but well-control-led ride on the road. All the controls are on the macho side - there’s none of the finesse that a Porsche 911 offers – but they give you plenty of feed-back. The ZR1 is as at home off the track as on. Its big V8 registers barely a whisper at a cruise and it munches through miles like Hershey bars.
It even has a decent-sized trunk, sorry, boot, as well as Bluetooth, sat nav and a head-up display system. There are some familiar letdowns that have afflicted many American muscle cars. The build quality is flaky. You’ll need a private oil well to satisfy the fuel consumption, and as for road tax, well, GM isn’t quoting a CO2 figure at the moment, which tells its own story.
Before a ZR1 even turns a wheel in the UK (it’s due to go on sale in early 2009), potential buyers had better dig deep – the ultimate Corvette is expected to cost about £100,000, making it £40,000 more than the Z06. That’s still something of a bargain compared with the £172,605 Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Just don’t dwell too long on the fuel consumption. The official figure is 19mpg, but if you’re intent on putting your foot down, expect half of that – at most.
The ZR1 is an American muscle car with a difference - it has the racing technology to take on Europe’s sleek supercars, writes Sam Hardy
From The Sunday Times
August 31, 2008
If you want to go fast in America, only one rule applies: cubic inches. Since the 1950s, US car makers have followed this famous “big engine equals big power” formula, and the ’Vette - Chevrolet Corvette, to the uninitiated - was the prime exponent.
The new flagship ZR1 you see here packs a 6.2 litre V8 - not exactly a small engine by anyone’s standards. However, these days a big engine alone isn’t enough for glory. To lock horns with the best European machines (think Porsche’s 911 GT2 and Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia) and emerge as the sports car in front, you need racing-car technology.
The new ZR1 has exactly that. It may look similar to the Corvette Z06 but it owes more in design terms to another relative, the C6.R Le Mans racer. Its chassis is made of aluminium and magnesium, the kind designed for track racing (the Z06 has steel underpinnnings). Many of the ZR1’s body panels, including the bonnet, roof and front bumper, are made of carbon fibre. Why such an emphasis on expensive new materials? Because Chevrolet needed to put its pin-up sports car on a diet.
Losing more flab than a guest on the Jerry Springer TV show wasn’t the only challenge. Racing cars have been known to perform spectacular cartwheels at lesser speeds than the ’Vette’s 205mph, so additional aerodynamic spoilers help keep it stable at speed.
Together with its new active damper system and carbon-ceramic brakes, these modifications have helped to put the ZR1 at the top of the sports-car pile. Chevrolet claims it has lapped the 13-mile Nürburgring race circuit in Germany in 7min 26.4sec – 3sec faster than the quickest production car let loose on the circuit to date, the Nissan GT-R.
Then there’s the heart of the matter, the engine. The 6.2 litre V8 may be similar to the unit found in the Z06, but it gets a big boost from a supercharger and intercooler. With a nod to the Ferrari F430’s glass engine cover, you can even see the engine through a polycarbonate window in the bonnet.
Pumping out 638bhp and 604 lb ft of torque, it’s as muscular as an Olympic weightlifter whose diet consists of nothing but steaks and tree trunks. On a hard charge, it sounds like something Tom Cruise would have driven in Days of Thunder, amplified through concert speakers.
First gear stretches to 65mph, which accounts for a scant 0-60mph time of 3.4sec. If those figures don’t worry engineers from Stuttgart and Maranello, then how about 0-100mph in 7sec? You’d need a 911 GT2 or 430 Scuderia just to keep the ’Vette in sight.
All of this means that in the US, where many states still have a rigidly enforced 55mph speed limit, hitting the red line in first gear would get you arrested. Doing it in second would probably get you deported. And doing it in third would probably see the fun ended with what Swat teams describe as lethal force. Nor would the state troopers have to worry about creeping up on you. The V8’s noise would drown out the sound of a squad car on your tail, including the siren.
It differs from American sports cars of the past in that the driving experience doesn’t go to pieces when you arrive at a corner. The brakes are tremendous, wiping off speed with ease. Turn into a bend and the nose just grips. There’s no body roll; the tail squats down and powers you away from the apex without drama. If you have seen an F-16 Tomcat take off, you have an idea of what it’s like.
Let loose for a few laps of General Motors’ Milford proving ground in Detroit, the ZR1 made an instant impression. Even with some wickedly off-camber downhill corners, the ZR1 held its line with tenacity. It is responsive to the driver’s inputs, and the brave and skilled can enjoy Dukes of Hazzard-style powersliding.
The active dampers certainly play their part, with sport mode sharpening things up on the track and tour mode giving a firm but well-control-led ride on the road. All the controls are on the macho side - there’s none of the finesse that a Porsche 911 offers – but they give you plenty of feed-back. The ZR1 is as at home off the track as on. Its big V8 registers barely a whisper at a cruise and it munches through miles like Hershey bars.
It even has a decent-sized trunk, sorry, boot, as well as Bluetooth, sat nav and a head-up display system. There are some familiar letdowns that have afflicted many American muscle cars. The build quality is flaky. You’ll need a private oil well to satisfy the fuel consumption, and as for road tax, well, GM isn’t quoting a CO2 figure at the moment, which tells its own story.
Before a ZR1 even turns a wheel in the UK (it’s due to go on sale in early 2009), potential buyers had better dig deep – the ultimate Corvette is expected to cost about £100,000, making it £40,000 more than the Z06. That’s still something of a bargain compared with the £172,605 Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Just don’t dwell too long on the fuel consumption. The official figure is 19mpg, but if you’re intent on putting your foot down, expect half of that – at most.
