ZR1 review in today's Sunday Times
Discussion
"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 [minor confusion with base C6]). 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.
"VERDICT A muscle car on steroids"
"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 [minor confusion with base C6]). 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.
"VERDICT A muscle car on steroids"
5 USA sorry mate but i had to give up reading thoes exstracts after about the 5th one! complete load of b
ks! where do they find these guys? and where do they get their info from???
Its funny how the likes of Top Gear love the cars and understand that ok they are not the same as the European supercars.
i wouldn't worry too much about these kinds of coments though. similar things have been said about the scoobies and evos for a long time now. they offer a similar thing, big power and big capability for not too much cash. and look how well they are doing over here now! lol
Chris.
ks! where do they find these guys? and where do they get their info from???Its funny how the likes of Top Gear love the cars and understand that ok they are not the same as the European supercars.
i wouldn't worry too much about these kinds of coments though. similar things have been said about the scoobies and evos for a long time now. they offer a similar thing, big power and big capability for not too much cash. and look how well they are doing over here now! lol
Chris.
zubair said:
typical which super car is going to be ecnomical at high speeds.zr1 gets better fuel consumption than most super cars in that league.i have a z06 and viper gts so i should know.
It's a sad fact that many journalists resort to cliché and stereotypes, in this case (without any comparative numbers) assuming that a large, simple V-8 means poor fuel consumption and a smaller, "high-tech" engine means better fuel consumption. A quick check on road-test figures always seems to confirm the opposite...My favourite (ahem) rag Autocar is another good example of this approach. They recently road-tested the updated 911. In the pros and cons at the start of the test they praised it for its "relatively good economy" (19.4mpg average, 8.9mpg track). Rewind 3 years to their test of the C6 (17.9mpg average, 8.4mpg track) which was advertised on the front cover with the line "New Corvette: 400bhp, 8.4mpg...". I know in their case incompetence and having a monkey as a proof-reader (only joking, they don't have a proof-reader) is partly to blame, but there's bias in there too....
Despite the rather iffy reporting and inaccuracies, there are two good points about the whole article. First there was a stonking great image of a ZR1 in yellow that took the whole FRONT page up of "In Gear" and the two pages dedicated to the write-up actually painted a very positive picture of the car.
And look who's been cutting and pasting from the article... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/684962.htm !!!
And look who's been cutting and pasting from the article... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/684962.htm !!!
Edited by G4HKS on Monday 1st September 11:20
I've emailed them this, but it's probably too boring to get printed:
Dear Sir,
Although it was good to read yet another positive review of a Corvette in the Sunday Times last week, I feel Sam Hardy did not do his research diligently enough.
He states the Z06 version has steel underpinnings, when in fact it uses exactly the same aluminium/magnesium chassis as the ZR1. It is the base model C6 that has the cheaper and (only slightly) heavier steel chassis.
Likewise it is the 7.0litre Z06 that was developed alongside the monster C6.R Le Mans racers. The ZR1’s engine actually shares the same 6.2 litre capacity as the base C6’s, although few parts are common between them.
Furthermore, far from having been put on a “race diet” as the headline suggested, the road-biased ZR1 is nearly a full 100kg heavier than the Z06 and is in fact the heaviest car in the Corvette range.
However, despite this, and being the only Corvette in the current range to have to pay the Federal “Gas Guzzler” tax in the US, I fully expect its Euro fuel consumption figures to be significantly better than the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Sam Hardy compares it to.
With the way cars are going to be strangled by upcoming regulation, expect this to be the most powerful production Corvette in history, so enthusiasts should enjoy them while they can...
Regards,
David Yu
Managing Editor
www.auto-journals.com
p.s. should you ever need to send a more knowledgeable correspondent out to test cars, I am available for very reasonable rates!
Dear Sir,
Although it was good to read yet another positive review of a Corvette in the Sunday Times last week, I feel Sam Hardy did not do his research diligently enough.
He states the Z06 version has steel underpinnings, when in fact it uses exactly the same aluminium/magnesium chassis as the ZR1. It is the base model C6 that has the cheaper and (only slightly) heavier steel chassis.
Likewise it is the 7.0litre Z06 that was developed alongside the monster C6.R Le Mans racers. The ZR1’s engine actually shares the same 6.2 litre capacity as the base C6’s, although few parts are common between them.
Furthermore, far from having been put on a “race diet” as the headline suggested, the road-biased ZR1 is nearly a full 100kg heavier than the Z06 and is in fact the heaviest car in the Corvette range.
However, despite this, and being the only Corvette in the current range to have to pay the Federal “Gas Guzzler” tax in the US, I fully expect its Euro fuel consumption figures to be significantly better than the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Sam Hardy compares it to.
With the way cars are going to be strangled by upcoming regulation, expect this to be the most powerful production Corvette in history, so enthusiasts should enjoy them while they can...
Regards,
David Yu
Managing Editor
www.auto-journals.com
p.s. should you ever need to send a more knowledgeable correspondent out to test cars, I am available for very reasonable rates!
Godzilla said:
I've emailed them this, but it's probably too boring to get printed:
Dear Sir,
Although it was good to read yet another positive review of a Corvette in the Sunday Times last week, I feel Sam Hardy did not do his research diligently enough.
He states the Z06 version has steel underpinnings, when in fact it uses exactly the same aluminium/magnesium chassis as the ZR1. It is the base model C6 that has the cheaper and (only slightly) heavier steel chassis.
Likewise it is the 7.0litre Z06 that was developed alongside the monster C6.R Le Mans racers. The ZR1’s engine actually shares the same 6.2 litre capacity as the base C6’s, although few parts are common between them.
Furthermore, far from having been put on a “race diet” as the headline suggested, the road-biased ZR1 is nearly a full 100kg heavier than the Z06 and is in fact the heaviest car in the Corvette range.
However, despite this, and being the only Corvette in the current range to have to pay the Federal “Gas Guzzler” tax in the US, I fully expect its Euro fuel consumption figures to be significantly better than the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Sam Hardy compares it to.
With the way cars are going to be strangled by upcoming regulation, expect this to be the most powerful production Corvette in history, so enthusiasts should enjoy them while they can...
Regards,
David Yu
Managing Editor
www.auto-journals.com
p.s. should you ever need to send a more knowledgeable correspondent out to test cars, I am available for very reasonable rates!
David, love the p.s. bit mate! Dear Sir,
Although it was good to read yet another positive review of a Corvette in the Sunday Times last week, I feel Sam Hardy did not do his research diligently enough.
He states the Z06 version has steel underpinnings, when in fact it uses exactly the same aluminium/magnesium chassis as the ZR1. It is the base model C6 that has the cheaper and (only slightly) heavier steel chassis.
Likewise it is the 7.0litre Z06 that was developed alongside the monster C6.R Le Mans racers. The ZR1’s engine actually shares the same 6.2 litre capacity as the base C6’s, although few parts are common between them.
Furthermore, far from having been put on a “race diet” as the headline suggested, the road-biased ZR1 is nearly a full 100kg heavier than the Z06 and is in fact the heaviest car in the Corvette range.
However, despite this, and being the only Corvette in the current range to have to pay the Federal “Gas Guzzler” tax in the US, I fully expect its Euro fuel consumption figures to be significantly better than the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Sam Hardy compares it to.
With the way cars are going to be strangled by upcoming regulation, expect this to be the most powerful production Corvette in history, so enthusiasts should enjoy them while they can...
Regards,
David Yu
Managing Editor
www.auto-journals.com
p.s. should you ever need to send a more knowledgeable correspondent out to test cars, I am available for very reasonable rates!
chuntington101 said:
5 USA sorry mate but i had to give up reading thoes exstracts after about the 5th one! complete load of bks! where do they find these guys? and where do they get their info from???
Its funny how the likes of Top Gear love the cars and understand that ok they are not the same as the European supercars.
Judging by the number of similarities between that article and the one in TG mag (admittedly there are also differences) I think they must all have been given the same press pack for ALL their info when they went to the test track.ks! where do they find these guys? and where do they get their info from???Its funny how the likes of Top Gear love the cars and understand that ok they are not the same as the European supercars.
TG has given the ZR1 17/20. It did the same for the Z06. But then the Z06 ended up showing as 14/20 in the back of the mag a few months later and for ever more. I wonder if the same will happen with the ZR1.
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