This year Chevrolet delivers us the quintessential American sports car in much the same package as last year except for one, very big and very powerful difference – the ZR1, quite possibly the most powerful mass-produced sports car ever. Making its comeback after a 10-year hibernation, the new ZR1 is the answer to every sports car driver’s dreams and pleads for an autobahn to put it through its full strides. Unfortunately it is so good that it leaves the rest of the Corvette series in its dust, but the base Corvette and Z06 are still great in their own right after significant improvements in the last few years.
The base Corvette, which is available as either a coupe or convertible, still carries its 6.2-liter V8 that pumps out 430hp and 424lb-ft of torque and makes 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds – an incredible performance in its own right and hardly deserving of the “base” title. However base it is compared to its big brother the Z06, which is powered by a 7.0-liter V8 producing 505hp and 470lb-ft of torque and getting to 60mph in 3.9 seconds. Now stack that against the outrageously powerful 6.2-liter supercharged ZR1 which spits out 638hp and 604lb-ft of torque and you get some idea of what sheer power looks like. A super-performance enhanced Formula One vehicle reaches 60mph in around 2- 2.5 seconds, and the fully roadworthy ZR1 makes it in 3.4 seconds – is that even legal?
All Corvettes sport 6-speed manual transmission but an optional six-speed automatic with paddle shift is available for the base model. But let’s talk about that ZR1. To keep it fast and deal with the extra weight gain from the intercooler blower system, the ZR1 underwent some serious lightening operations. Carbon fiber makes up the front fenders, hood, roof panel and roof bar and required sealing with a special paint to prevent ultraviolet degradation that includes an additive costing $60,000/gallon. Braking is provided by enormous carbon-ceramic drilled disc brake rotors, and as with the whole Corvette series, handling is absolutely superb with amazing responsiveness and smooth suspension even on uneven surfaces. This is thanks to the Magnetic Selective Ride Control that makes automatic damping adjustments as you drive for smooth acceleration, suspension and cornering. The ZR1 sports 19 inch wheels on the front and 20 inch on the back and Michelin Pilot Sports tires developed specially for the ZR1. Thanks to the power-to-weight ratio, the ZR1 is expected to be the first Corvette to make a top speed of over 200mph.
Most surprisingly, EPA fuel economy of the Corvettes is reasonable, with the base model doing 16/26mpg city/highway for the manual transmission, and the Z06 making 15/24mpg. The ZR1 with all its power still manages 14/16mpg, which is better than a lot of SUVs and a hell of a lot more fun.
2009 Chevrolet Corvette Interior and Features
In the Corvette series performance outranks luxury by a million to one in priorities, and so if you are looking for superior styling and a multitude of gadgets, you had better look towards European models. But what Corvette does, it does well, mixing textured plastic with leather sports seats (standard on the ZR1) and interior in four colours, a Head-up display that shows engine and vehicle speeds and can give readouts of handling details, and Bluetooth capability. Voice activated navigation system is also optional that can work with the audio system. Space is plentiful for the driver and passenger in legroom and headroom, and the trunk is surprisingly spacious. Kids will have to stay home as there is no rear seat, but why would you want to share it with them anyway? The ZR1 features plenty of logos to show off your high performance Corvette, as well as a VIN number that shows the order in the production line. With a maximum production of 2000 per year, that might be something worth bragging about.
2009 Chevrolet Corvette Safety
Despite being a performance vehicle, safety has not been overlooked in the Corvette series, including anti-lock disc brakes, dual front and side airbags and an advanced electronic stability system called “Active Handling”. One concern is the roof pillars that obscure the view at all corners of the Z06 and ZR1 and require extra careful road observation.
Safety features include:
- Dual front airbags and side airbags
- Electronic stability control
- Anti-lock disc brakes
- Traction control
Overall the 2009 Corvette series, dominated by the all-new ZR1, is a testament to American engineering prowess and gives the European sports cars an extremely hard act to follow, especially for a price tag under three figures. In many ways the ZR1 is like the extreme of sports cars – the result of pushing the production sports car to its absolute limit. The result is an unsurpassed level of driving excellence that blows all other competition out of the stratosphere.