2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

American cars are often perceived as being, cheesy, tacky, plasticky, crappy and other such things, but one car that often shoots those accusations down with its performance figures is the Corvette.  The world really took notice when the Z06 came around, as it was a car that could offer blistering performance for a lot less than other sports cars.  Take for example, the much appreciated BMW M3.  The Z06 cost around the same, yet beat it 3.8 to 4.8 in the 0-60, pulled 1.02 g on the skidpad vs. 0.87 g and destroyed in every other single performance category as well.  Interestingly, owners reported that 26+ MPG on the highway was possible with the Vette too, with standard Vettes exceeded 30 MPG on long runs.  

Chevy has now come out with its Super-Vette, the ZR1.  Vettes always tend to represent good value, and this is no exception.  At $100,000 though, not everyone will see the value in the ZR1, and poseur-types will flock to buy something German, maybe something Italian or the current object of popularity in California, the GT-R (Car & Driver said they’ve never gotten so much attention in any car, ever).  The ZR1 is meant for people who value performance over posing, and value over sheer cost.  So how does it add up, overall?  

It still looks a little tacky, and plasticky, and it certainly doesn’t have a bunch of overhead cams with little doohickeys that manage er… something.  Nor are those engine innards timed by little Japanese robots or whatever makes the Godzilla go, but what it does have is a proper, modern-day American V8.  Putting out 638 horsepower.  And 605 lb-ft of torque.  To put that in perspective, that’s around 6 Honda Fit engines, more than 2 NSX engines, or almost 2 Mustang V8 engines.  And, are you ready for this? It has more horsepower and torque than the almighty Mclaren F1’s custom BMW V12 engine had.  

And while most people, myself included, sometimes like to talk about the V8 in Corvettes as a crude-but-effective manner of generating power, the truth is, it is very well-engineered.  It uses titanium connecting rods, just like the NSX did, sodium-filled valves, and a host of other features that make it incredibly good at doing what it does.  

Overhead valves and large displacement usually spell unsophisticated for many car enthusiasts, as they like to see engines that generate a lot of horsepower for their displacement, have variable valve timing on intake and exhaust valves, variable intake manifolds, individual throttle butterflies, things of that nature. Real-life realities are quite different, though.  The outgoing M3 had a very sophisticated inline-6 engine, that displaced 3.2 liters and generated 333 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque.  Both the horsepower and the torque numbers are exceptional for the size of the engine, but this sort of power does come at a price - fuel economy.  The M3’s I-6 would not have the 28-32 highway mpg of a good Honda or Toyota V6, and not the reliability either.  Honda factors reliability into the equation as well, but the penalty is still fuel with their high-performance engines.  

So while the Corvette’s V8 seems simple and unassuming, it isn’t.  It delivers tsunamis (not just waves) of torque, and because of that, can offer you everyday thrills without having to rev into the five-digit range.  A by-product of this is reasonable fuel economy considering what the engine outputs.  This is the standard 7-liter Corvette V8 I’m talking about though.  What about the ZR1 V8?  Well, its displacement is reduced to 6.2-liters, and forced induction is applied.  Supercharging!  It’s an excellent choice, much better than going with turbo(s), because there is essentially no lag as with a turbo, and it is much easier on the engine than a turbo is.  Speaking of the engine, the walls and other components have been strengthened to deal with the torque.  Two intercoolers exist along with the supercharger.  

Other parts of the ZR1 are equally impressive, such as the huge carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes and the aerodynamic improvements.  Reportedly the carbon fiber splitter at the front generates so much downforce that the entire fascia had to be redesigned just so it wouldn’t deform from the force.  Of course, it uses magnetorheological shock absorbers that are entirely controlled by computer.  This is one of GM’s most innovative products, ever, in my opinion.  Depending on the charge being passed through, the viscosity of the fluid inside the shock absorber can change, thereby completely changing the dynamics of the suspension.  And all this can happen in fractions of a second - the geek in me just eats this stuff up.  

The interior, tacky and cheap as it is, is pretty comfortable in terms of size.  It will seat two oversized North Americans in a good deal of comfort, which is a bigger deal than you might think.  Many if not most two-seat cars are too small to drive around for more than short stints, and the size and comfort make the Vette something of a GT.  It’s a shame Chevy can’t get their hands on better interior designers though.  That would really make this car an ultimate two-seat GT.  

You can drive the ZR1 on long road trips, and it’s a great cruiser, but I’m pretty sure it won’t like the winter. So if you’re Canadian, or an American living in the snowbelt, you’ll probably need another vehicle for the white stuff.  That aside, it’s one of the most practical supercars ever, just like the NSX was when it first came out.  

Via Popular Mechanics