The Dodge Viper had controlled the American high-end performance market for over a decade when General Motors released the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. This 505 horsepower monster quickly announced itself as the first real challenger to the Viper, and it did so at a fair price advantage. The Z06 was available at just over $70,000 US Dollars compared to the $83,000 price tag of the Viper. The two cars were incredibly well matched, but looking to not be outdone, Dodge announced the refined Viper for 2008, which packed 600 horsepower. Tests across the industry showed that the extra power was enough to put the SRT Viper back on top.
Throughout the new battle between the Viper and Z06, there were rumors flying around of a bigger, faster Vette. Internet forums were flooded with discussions of what this super Corvette would be called, with the most popular being centered on Blue Devil, Stingray, Corvette SS, Z07, and finally ZR-1. The rumors about the name of the car were often accompanied by rumors of what the powertrain would be, and the constant suggestion was that it would be the first Corvette to feature forced induction.
General Motors began leaking bits of information about the car, making the ZR-1 official, and the public was introduced to the new car via some illegally taken photographs of a test mule ZR-1 being shipped overseas. This created a frenzy of discussions about the new Corvette, and as more pictures surfaced of the car on streets and racetracks around the world, anticipation of the newest American Supercar grew. That anticipation was answered with the full release details of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, and this car would prove to be everything that the public had hoped it would be.
The biggest addition, and the reason that this Corvette is getting so much attention, is what’s under the hood. The new ZR-1 comes packed with the newest installation in the infamous LSX engine series, named the LS9. Measuring 6.2L (376 cubic inches), the ZR-1 makes its power with less engine volume than the Z06, and that effort is aided by an Eaton supercharger. Chevrolet stated that the ZR-1 had a targeted horsepower goal of 100hp per liter, which would put it at 620hp, but in April of 2008, the official numbers hit the press; 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque. This new Corvette had announced itself as the most powerful, and likely the fastest production car ever produced by General Motors. The supercharger, which is proudly displayed through the polycarbonate “window” in the hood, is the first of it’s kind on a production car in the American market. Specially designed by Eaton for the ZR-1, the supercharger utilizes a new 4-lobe rotor design which helps to improve efficiency of the unit as well as quieting it down, and the intake air is cooled by the uniquely integrated water-to-air intercooler system.
This huge jump in power over the Z06 and the Viper are a big part of why the ZR-1 is an instant legend, but that’s not the only reason. Like the Z06, the design focus was on an all-around performance car, and every aspect of the 2009 ZR-1 has been tuned to optimize this car’s abilities on the track without compromising comfort and usefulness on the open roads.
The power is sent to the wheels through a stronger six-speed transmission, featuring gearing designed to optimize low-end power and acceleration as well as allowing for a top speed over 200 miles per hour. The ZR-1 also boasts the best fuel economy of any 600+ horsepower production car in the world thanks to a combination of the gearing and the engine tuning. The clutch is also designed specifically for the new ZR-1, and it uses a twin-disc setup. This allows for a very strong “grab” during spirited driving, but it also allows for easy shifting in daily driving, and effectively lengthens the life of the clutch under normal driving conditions. Once power travels through the transmission and down the driveshaft, it is dispersed by the upgraded rear differential, featuring asymmetrical axle shafts, which are designed to handle the torque put out by the ZR-1s blown LS9.
The car will hit 200mph and will handle some of the toughest road courses in the world, and to help the car get stopped in these extreme situations the braking system is fully redesigned from what is offered in the Z06. The ZR-1 is one of the few production cars in the world to feature carbon-ceramic brake rotors as opposed to the usual cast iron rotors. There are a handful of practical reasons for these high-dollar rotors, and the most interesting fact is for those who plan to only drive their ZR-1 on the street, the rotors will likely last for the life of the car. Unlike iron rotors that wear every time you brake, the carbon-ceramic rotors do not wear under normal circumstances, and they disperse heat much more efficiently, helping to prevent any sort of warping. From a performance standpoint, these cross-drilled and slotted rotors are among the best “stock” brake rotors in the market, and measuring 15” in the rear and 15.5” up front, they are the largest rotors of their kind available on any car in the world. The ZR-1 features brake pads almost twice as large as the Z06 pads, and those pads are clamped down upon by 6-pi
