Chevy has dropped the performance specs for the new ZR1 super Corvette. And for the best model line GM currently has, there's no reason to weave the numbers into sonorous prose. So here we go: 638 horsepower from the supercharged 6.2 liter small block V8; top speed is 205 mph, 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, 0-100 in 7 seconds, seats to wet in 1 second. Oh, and because it is June of 2008, we should mention the fuel economy: 14 city/20 highway. Yup, the ZR1 is so badass that not only will it completely smoke anything else with an MSRP under $100,000 (save Godzilla perhaps), but you'll get 20 mpg highway if you keep your foot off the damn pedal. Which may well be impossible. The Corvette is THE most important car in the GM lineup from an image perspective (it's also arguably the best executed car they offer) and they're damn well right to offer super high performance versions every few years, just to cast a halo on the halo car. Finally, we arrive at today's announced price: a hefty $103,000 + a $10,000 options pack (plus dealer rip-off fees). And that means you can either approach the ZR1 as the deal of the century compared to a Ferrari (which costs more and has even higher dealer rip-off fees), or totally overpriced compared to the $72,000 Corvette Z06. As for me, I'd be happy with a lowly base Corvette and its paltry 430 horsepower.
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Humorously (nor not), the ZR1 might increase GM’s overall corporate fuel economy (not the CAFE rating, because it isn’t a truck, but the actual average mileage).
I like this car a lot, but I still wonder if this would have been better as a Cadillac XLR-V.
How come nobody started talking about stereotypical Corvette owners?
Pass me the Michelob, please.
Completely smoke Godzilla?
Sounds like a stretch.
@SherbearnSean:
Crap, I forgot. Even if it wins, it won’t completely smoke it. You’re right.
Post amended accordingly.
638 horsepower is all right. I was hoping for 650 – 700 range. Maybe next year?
I want one.
Try 700hp with a tune and pulley swap. And even more with tweaking that GM tuners can provide all over the country.
If only all Chevrolets and GM products were as consistent and well done as the Corvette.
It’s mad. I like it.
It’s the only car in the GM lineup I’d miss if GM went away. It’s also absolutely bonkers.
@rtz:
Wait till someone gets this car on a dyno, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I’d bet serious bucks that this car’s HP rating, 0-60 times, etc are all underrated.
Does that $10,000 option pack include seats with a drain? I’ll need one given the speed combined with the buckets of sweat and the pi** of the lucky person riding shotgun!
Isn’t a huge part of the price increase…besides the insane engine…include that special carbon fiber “paint” protection that costs 60something thousand a gallon?
Yes, the seats will still feel weak and the shifts might not be as crisp as other cars, but hang the hell on…it’s the ZR1. Just goes to show that GM can nail one.
And please don’t parts share with Caddy – keep this ‘vette special.
Building on Justin’s post –
It looks like Nissan is giving the auto rags some ringers of the not-a-Skyline for magazine testing and maybe Chevy might be understating things.
Let the comparison tests begin.
Fulley loaded Z06’s are going for 67 or 68k even with NAV included. That 103k plus is a huge step up for 100hp or so.
Z06’s are very fun cars to drive and quite fast – can beat and keep up with GT3s. The ZR1 is $30k cheaper than a 997TT but the 997TT does have European luxury inside versus cheap materials that Corvettes still have. For instance, one of the biggest nitpicks of the Fort GT (brilliant car) was the Keyfob – it was a standard Ford key w/ built in remote (nothing to set it apart from the rental fleet Fords).
Hmm nice love the Corvette, but for the past 20 years its been a creeky plastic flawed thing. Lowbrow image with some nice mechanicals. I dont buy new cars and everytime I take a look at a 2nd hand Corvette its total disappointment. These cars dont age well. Combine that with some more recent what are you thinking! styling. I took a look at the new one and the interior still sucks, felt like I took a seat back to 1991. Fast isn’t “all that” im afraid. Although the fact it was on the shopping list says something, it would’ve been my third choice maybe second.
Howler,
Nice generalizations. You are disappointed with excellent HP/dollar, fuel economy/HP, all around performance/dollar?
I’d love for you to take a spin in my 98 convertible and then make the outrageous claim that Corvettes are creeky plastic junk.
I’m sure some people haven’t cared for their vettes as they should, but that is true with any car.
In my experience, any vette that’s maintained is a tremendous performance vehicle, that’s why I bought a 10 year old example. Then again, I must be that “type” that loves to go fast inexpensively while getting 28 mpg on the highway!!
That car is flat out gorgeus. Period.
And still a “bargain” with 638HP. You will see how many more it will pump once a “tuner” puts a pulley and ECU reflash into it.
And as the author pointed, if the LS1 Camaros, Firebirds and Corvettes are any indication, that engine must be in the 650-660HP range. LS1 F-bodies dinoed at about 5% below claimed HP, which is technically impossible.
The Corvette is THE most important car in the GM lineup from an image perspective
I don’t buy it. I am skeptical of the whole halo car concept, but with regards to Chevy I think it is downright laughable that the existence of Corvette drives sales of their lower end shit boxes.
How come nobody started talking about stereotypical Corvette owners?
You mean like tight pants, a loud shirt undone to the belly button, a couple of gold chains, the Bee Gees playing in the background, and the belief that owning a Corvette will get them chicks. Even with more modern clothing, the leisure suit mentality remains. :-)
Halo cars may be sketchy as a pure $$$ proposition, but they’re useful for putting new ideas/technology into production.
Unfortunately, selling my house and living in a ZR1 sounds like a less than appetizing proposition at this point in life. :-(
Justin,
Don’t forget to add the $1700 gas guzzler tax to the bottom line. So it will take $114,700 to buy a fully loaded one.
Also, GM is quoting an 11.3 @ 131mph quarter mile time, which, ironically, is exactly what my mildly modded Z06 runs.
The new ZR1 is officially quoted as having a 205 mph top speed.
My only complaint about these fancy Corvettes is the goofy window in the plastic hood that reveals… a plastic engine cover. Whisky? Tango? Foxtrot?
Works when you have an actual engine under there, ala Ferrari 360, Jaguar XJ-220 (or even XJ-13, c.1966!) but having a window on some injection molded simulation of an engine is just patently ludicrous. Nxva gb jrnevat genafcnerag cnagf fubjvat n qvyqb haqrearngu.
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
(apply the world’s most basic Crypto to that scrambled bit to decipher… as it skates perilously close to what some might consider distasteful. If RF thinks it’ll fly he can put it in plain text.)
I agree, any modern Vette is a deal. Amazing that for 34K a used semi-supercar is yours to keep! Interior is a disappointment but you’ll get over it fast. For the price difference, I think I would opt for the Z06, but hey, everybody has their own squeal point.
If I had the money to afford the car and a lawyer on retainer I’d buy one…no question.
I applaud the Vette’s bold bang for the buck statement. I still prefer a less powerful more sophisticated and a more umm…smart vehicle. GT3, GT3, R8, and M5 fit the bill.
Impressive car, but I’d rather have the Z06. Lighter, cheaper, plenty powerful. The supercharger’s torque will just liquefy the rear tires. If power’s what you’re after, Lingenfelter has an engine package good for 660HP and a more linear torque curve for $10K. Throw in another $10K for upgraded brakes and tires, and I’d happily pit that car against the ZR1 on the Ring for $20K less.
Would I swoon over ZR-1? Yepp. Would I sell my liver for it? Nope, at least not so far…
Interior really needs refreshing, Guys you should take A/C and Radio controls from either latest Buicks or Caddy SUvs with Navigation screen. then redo the stupid mismatching panel that encloses those controls, and make it aligned and perfectly fitting with dashboard. refit those dashboard gauge mounted buttons on sides, so that they fit to dash as well.
Another thing, In zr-1 version the b-pillar, because of being carbon, can stay so, but in base versions where the roof is the same colour as fenders, the b-pillar looks amateur, because it is cut in the middle of the angle where joined to fenders. Add buttons on both sides of the steering wheel, add chrome gauge rims and nice accents.Add playthings like computer data reading on Gt-R And be Number 1, even with that transversely mounted leaf spring!
Hmm… barely more than 100hp/litre even with a supercharger? impressive!
GM managed to produce a car with stupefying performance, respectable fuel economy, at a value price. Honestly, why the hell would you care about hp/liter?
HP/liter matters when you don’t have a lot of liters – high-strung engines that need to be revved to the moon. This is a different beast, and personally, if I had torque, fuel economy and a terror-inducing top end, I wouldn’t care whether the car was powered by a Cummins or a hamster on a wheel.
But hey, it’s fun to be a numbers snob sometimes.
The more muscular flanks are just what that body needed. Should be a stunner.
Probably won’t beat the factory specs-GM has tended to publish numbers that are proving ground best that independants rarely beat.
They have been pretty quiet on ‘Ring times also. Straight line it should school the GTR but around a track…
I have to agree that this is a good vehicle for them and agree that it is the only GM vehicle that would leave a hole in the market if it was gone.
Cheers GM!
Bunter
Impressive numbers, and yes, I do think those performance figures are underrated (Nissan’s GT-R provide proof of that). But as much as I like the ZR-1, I think I’d stick with the ZO6. 505hp is plenty to give those Porsches and Ferraris out there a run for there money.
Maybe they could pop a Volt drivetrain in there and give Tesla a run for their money…
Just Kidding.
chuckgoolsbee ‘My only complaint about these fancy Corvettes is the goofy window in the plastic hood that reveals… a plastic engine cover.’
It reveals the alloy housing of a very large supercharger…not a plastic engine cover.
for $114k, it sounds like a great car compared to other cars with similar specs. For $8K+ taxes, I’ll take a year old, new from the dealer, 1000cc sportbike & use the leftovers putting a 40% downpayment on my house.
This goes double being married…..My wife thinks my STi is “too fast” and doesn’t like to ride in it with me.
Another example of GM wasting their engineering talent on a $100k car while Toyota eats them alive in the $20-30k category.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy driving around in a Corvette just like the next guy, but any High Performance shop can make an existing Vette put up those numbers. And I still argue speed alone is not what sells that car. It’s a vanity car – something to be seen in. Everyone from the mid-life-crisis crowd to the retiree with a fat pension has one. Big whoop. Show me a Ferarri and lets talk.
On top of that, all the recent Vettes I’ve been in haven’t impressed me that much in terms of fit and finish. It’s not like slipping into the luxury and finesse of a Lexus or BMW. Not that it’s supposed to be that, but everyone pumps up how great the Corvette is inside & out. I don’t see it.
“If power’s what you’re after, Lingenfelter has an engine package good for 660HP and a more linear torque curve for $10K. Throw in another $10K for upgraded brakes and tires, and I’d happily pit that car against the ZR1 on the Ring for $20K less.”
“…..but any High Performance shop can make an existing Vette put up those numbers.”
I have to agree with the above assessements of the ZR1. Calloway, Lingenfelter, and a whole host of other tuners have been turning out High HP vettes since the beginning of time so what is the big deal about Chevy making the equivalent of a Calloway Twin Turbo, or Lingerfelter supercharged Vette?
I mean come on Dudes, you guys are acting like you have never seen or heard of a Vette with over 600hp! It really is not that big of a deal.
Nissan makes the second comming of the 959, a sports/GT car like nothing we have seen before and folks here want to poo poo all over it. Chevy slaps a superchanger and some other go fast bits on a Vette and folks are ready to wet their pants.
Go figure!
IMO the ZR1 only serves as a benchmark for the Tuners to beat and with a whooping $50,000 proce differenc ebetween the ZR1 and base Vette there is a LOT of wiggle room here to play with.
Viewed from the POV of engineering achivement the ZR1 is not so great. Everything the GM has done a serious tuner can also do. On the other hand there is no way anyone is going to take a 350z or G37 and make it perform anywhere near a GT-R.
The only problem is the GT-R is an ugly vehicle and I would not buy it. The Vette is much better looking. I’ll go out on a limb and say I would rather have the new Lexus IS_F at 400+ HP and the luxury of having a four door with power. The Pontiac G8 GT is not bad either but it’s not in the same realm.