[sujaylahiri]

The 2009 Corvette ZR-1 (Blue Devil) will be officially revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2008.

According to GM, it'll have a 6.2L small block V8 with a Roots type Eaton supercharger. The 0-60 mph is in the low 3 seconds and it's expected to output 620-650 bhp with the new LS9 motor.

Also this time they won't make the mistake of running Goodyear run-flats, instead it comes factory fitted with Michelin Pilots, 19" in the front and 20" at the back. And this time they've got 15.5 inch carbon-ceramic discs for the front and 15 inch for the rear.
The retail price is expected to be around $100,000 which is again a bargain.

So the bottom line is: Watch out Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari. Here comes the Blue Devil.

@#4#



@#5#

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 unveiled

[faddy]

itz really a devil !!! just love it!!

[Harbir]

Give me a used F355 Spider instead

[ananthkamath]

Nice chassis and suspension. 650 hp from a blown 6.2 L is pretty lame a$$ though.

The original ZR1 had a DOHC engine from Lotus. Shame they didnt do that again. All GM wants is to make money off of a cheaply modded Z06. Not necessarily a bad thing, but they could've done better than this.

[Harbir]

this is a debate that often comes up on american forums. The LT5 was an enormously expensive engine. a few years later, GM's superb engine management system managed to get the same power out of the old style OHV 5.7L, without the bulk, weight, and complexity of the the DOHC LT5.

I am with GM on this because it doesn't matter what the CC of the engine is. what matters is what the physical size of the engine is in terms of its length, width, depth, and its weight. And the GM OHV engine is phenomenal because it puts out 430 to 650hp out of an engine thats physically very small and light, and is very inexpensive.

Aircraft engines are not rated with hp/L. they are rated at hp/kg. and the GM OHV V8 is fantastic when its performance is rated against its physical size, weight and cost. how many other 3200lb, 650hp, $100k cars are there?

That said, I am not particularly a fan of this new car. My avatar will tell you which way my tastes lie. If not, let me tell you, that I've also owned 4 MX5s and I find their power levels just perfect.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by Harbir

this is a debate that often comes up on american forums. The LT5 was an enormously expensive engine. a few years later, GM's superb engine management system managed to get the same power out of the old style OHV 5.7L, without the bulk, weight, and complexity of the the DOHC LT5. I am with GM on this because it doesn't matter what the cc of the CC of the engine is. what matters is what the physical size of the engine is in terms of its length, width, depth, and its weight. And the GM OHV engine is phenomenal because it puts out 430 to 650hp out of an engine thats physically very small and light, and is very inexpensive. Aircraft engines are not rated with hp/L. they are rated at hp/kg. and the GM OHV V8 is fantastic when its performance is rated against its physical size, weight and cost. how many other 3200lb, 650hp, $100k cars are there?

True, and GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said that they haven't fully "utilized" the potential of the LS9 yet.
Also the ZR-1 is supposed to be a transitional phase between the Z06 and the Z07. The word on the streets is that GM is still working on the Z07 which should be ready by 2009-2010. Although it's specs are still unknown.

I must say that the amount of kit you get on this car is comparable to current hypercars like the Carrera GT, Enzo Ferrari etc. I mean it's rear brake rotors are bigger than the Carrera GT's front rotors and it uses the same Magneto rheological dampers which are used in the Ferrari 599GTB amongst other cars. And also the carbon ceramic rotors. All this for a price under $100,000.

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

I must say that the amount of kit you get on this car is comparable to current hypercars like the Carrera GT, Enzo Ferrari etc. I mean it's rear brake rotors are bigger than the Carrera GT's front rotors and it uses the same Magneto rheological dampers which are used in the Ferrari 599GTB amongst other cars. And also the carbon ceramic rotors. All this for a price under $100,000.

yes, but at this point, after having acknowledged the excellence of the GM V8, I must ask, so what?

1. on the street, you can't actually use any of this.

2. if you must have this performance, Lingenfelter and Mallet have already been doing it for a while.

3. if its for the track, cheaper track worthy cars will eat any road car, including the ZR9.

See, this car may have the performance to beat a CGT, but anybody able to afford a CGT will still choose a CGT because they are not just buying performance.

I don't even have the money and I am not impressed because, after all, what is this? its a $45k corvette with a supercharger. It may even have 1000hp, but it will still be a corvette. What it won't be is a Ferrari or whatever.

Its awesome, no doubt, but its not a Ferrari killer, because it takes more than power to kill Ferrari, or porsche for that matter. Thats because a Ferrari or Porsche brings not just what it has. They bring their legends with them. And the Ferrari and Porsche legends are bigger than the corvette legends. and if the legends don't matter, then even the base Vette is all that anyone needs or can use and the uber versions are unnecessary.

I considered the '08 vette before I bought my Lotus, but I doubt I'd consider anything above the base Vette because beyond that, there is too much other good stuff that has all the performance I can USE, plus things the vette won't have.

[Nikhilb2008]

Am just waiting to see Jeremy Clarkson tear the car apart with his words

Of course, this could be one of the few American cars he likes . The only other Corvette he liked was the C6 if I remember correctly.

650bhp for 100k$ is impressive, but can it go around corners half as well as the $30 or Gallardo or 911 ? That remains to be seen.

Originally Posted by Harbir

See, this car may have the performance to beat a CGT, but anybody able to afford a CGT will still choose a CGT because they are not just buying performance.

I don't even have the money and I am not impressed because, after all, what is this? its a $45k corvette with a supercharger. It may even have 1000hp, but it will still be a corvette. What it won't be is a Ferrari or whatever.

Its awesome, no doubt, but its not a Ferrari killer, because it takes more than power to kill Ferrari, or porsche for that matter. Thats because a Ferrari or Porsche brings not just what it has. They bring their legends with them. And the Ferrari and Porsche legends are bigger than the corvette legends. and if the legends don't matter, then even the base Vette is all that anyone needs or can use and the uber versions are unnecessary.

I considered the '08 vette before I bought my Lotus, but I doubt I'd consider anything above the base Vette because beyond that, there is too much other good stuff that has all the performance I can USE, plus things the vette won't have.

What a post !! A man after my own heart.

[islero]

It is amazing value for money, and probably will be very fast, but it looks like some aftermarket-tuned car. And those horrible-looking wheels are the reason why. Whoever buys this car, please change them.

That apart, the supercharging of the LS9 is also a cause for worry. Why couldn't they have just tried optimising the existing NA setup rather than taking the easier way out?

My question is, what are the factors the poor power-to-weight of these big american engines (the viper V10 too) can be attributed to?

How can europeans pull so much power out of NA engines?

[Centro-P]

Originally Posted by nikhilb2008

Am just waiting to see Jeremy Clarkson tear the car apart with his words

He is not a big fan of American cars is he?

Of course, this could be one of the few American cars he likes . The only other Corvette he liked was the C6 if I remember correctly.

650bhp for 100k$ is impressive, but can it go around corners half as well as the $30 or Gallardo or 911 ? That remains to be seen.


Well the Z06 did slaughter a lot of cars around the TG track. The only Lambo that was ahead of it was the LP640 and it costs a zillion times more than the 'Vette. The 'Vette is amazing VFM. I get loads of pleasure when I see cheap cars beating expensive cars .

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by Harbir

Its awesome, no doubt, but its not a Ferrari killer, because it takes more than power to kill Ferrari, or porsche for that matter.

Exactly. It just needs that exotic touch. I believe that could've been satisfactorily provided if only GM had gone back to their previous DOHC setup and maybe, just maybe, a flat-plane crank. Of course, I'm dreaming here.

I'm with you on the MX-5's though. Slap on a BEGi or FM-II and there's absolutely no other car for the money that can go round corners fast AND kick some serious butt.