
The wait is over. All the speculations can now end. The King of the Hill has returned! General Motors took the wraps of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.
Some of the highlights of the new super Vette includes new 20″ wheels, huge 15.5″ carbon ceramic brakes, a supercharged 6.2L engine making at least 620HP, a hood with a view window to see the engine and a roof made of carbon fiber. Acceleration time and top speed in unknown for now. However, GM equipped the car with a 220MPH speedometer.
At an estimated price of $100,000, the ZR1 is the most expensive Corvette ever offered. While the price isn’t cheap, it’s still a third of the cost of a Ferrari 599, a car that would surely be looking at Vette taillights if the two ever go head to head.
Now that the President has signed a new energy bill that requires car manufacturers to get 35 mpg fleet average by 2020, this may indeed be the fastest and most powerful Corvette that will ever be made. Expect the new ZR1 to be terrorizing Ferraris and Porsches (and most everything else) when it hits the streets this summer.




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very nice car, i have an older post about this car a while ago, with the 0-60 time under 3.5 which is just amazing for 100k
http://carversation.com/2007/10/31/chevrolet-corvette-zr1-at-laguna-seca/
The new Nissan crushes that. The GT-R has 3.3 for under 100k.
And btw: It will still be some cheap GM Junk in there - you cant compare an american car to a Ferrari or Porsche - thats a crime!
Word. That car is shweet. He’s right though, Ferrari and Porsche =
That car is sexy! But I would be afraid to drive a car that cost $100,000!:mrgreen:
That reminds me, did you ever see the commercial on TV….I forget what they are advertising…but the guy parks his nice car in the furtherest spot from the mall, all by itself so nobody can scratch it. He turns around to look at his car and goes back to touch it. Then he starts walking away and a satellite drops on top of the car, smashing it in. lol
Tell you what, you buy the Vette and I’ll be glad to drive it for you if you’re afraid to.
It’s a deal. Where are we going?
Anywhere where we can drive fast!
oh cool car… But will prefer it in red… LOL
I guess it does come with different colos for your choice.
Very nice! Now I have something to add to my “things i’m working towards” cork board
I doubt the energy legislation will affect Chevrolet’s production of the Corvette. The requirement is a fleet average, and Vette’s make up such a small percentage of their annual production that any impact would be negligible.
The new styling of the Corvette, since I think 2005, is very sharp looking and I prefer it over the old styling.
yea nice car, looking forward to seeing it at the Detroit Auto Show next month
Absolutely stunning vehicle.
Come on John, with what you’re pulling in I’m sure you can buy us a few.
I am a Ford guy but I love that car!
“General Motors took the wraps of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 today at the Detroit Auto Show.”
The NAIAS doesn’t kick off until next month. And you can’t say, “More than you can afford, pal,” in a (Che)vette.
That’s a stupid sized engine.. Burn more fuel… Trash the planet harder..
Go GM..
That’s an ignorant tree-hugger statement
Do you enjoy bicyclists calling your car stupid for simply having one?
Cars like the ZR1 are typically weekend cars and not used for daily driving. The average emissions from a Civic are more likely to greater than those of a ZR1 driver due to levels of use. It also depends on how you drive the vehicle.
But go ahead, piss on the parade of the car enthusiasts who like to take their hot rods out during the summer and those few other times throughout the year.
That i have to agree with leo, not meant for daily driving.
It probably gets better gas mileage , and less overall emissions than the VW bus that you are driving.
Go hug a tree hippie, and leave my enthusiast cars alone. Talk to someone else about the farce that people want you to believe is global warming.
I’d have to agree with Matt. Whats wrong with hydbrids or bio diesel vehicles. People, its all about reducing your carbon imprint and the long term effects on the planet. Its 2007 not 1980
Maybe there some compensation for other shortcomings going on around here!
Matt, not as bad as the Rolls Im looking at getting. That clocks in at 6.7l and really does just eat fuel for brekky, lunch and dinner
so silly engine
I love it°}!
Very cool car except color, it must be red fire red.
That is the sweetest looking Vette Chevy has ever made. I didn’t at all like the, I think it was, first C-6 designs from 05-07, but dang if this one isn’t nice. You gonna have a contest John and give one away? I’m hoping by that time I can get one on my own.
Corvette is a nice car , but on the roads of my country you can kill a car like that very easy.
Sweet looking car… I just can’t decide on what I should get for my next car.
What are they thinking with that rear window?
That’s one of the coolest websites I’ve seen.
What website?
errmm.. cars
OMGEE! SOMETHING NOT ABOUT MAKING MONEY!!11one
Wow, that is a really sweet car… and I’m not really into cars. I’ll take one though! Oh, and maybe $10K in free gas a year.
Edmunds/Inside Line tested the 2009 Nissan GT-R in Japan and did 0-60 in 3.3 seconds - 11.6 @ 120.9 mph in the quarter. All wheel drive, and about $70k MSRP.
In theory this car should be really quick - 3500 lbs with driver - 620 hp - about 132 mph in the quarter , but its still $100k for a Corvette , that still uses leaf springs for suspension.
The GTR also looks as ugly as shit. 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. Sure! Try it six times and enjoy buying that new clutch. The nice thing about testing cars for a magazine is you don’t have to worry about such things. You’ll find very few owners, if any, willing to launch a GTR that way. In a real world race, where the owners actually owns and pays for the cars, a GTR will have enough problems trying to keep up with a Z06, never mind a ZR1.
ZR1?? Who cares! Bugatti Veyron’s the sexiest car alive!
ok i agree the GTR is ugly as hell but its fast. i’d rather have the zr1 anyday. GTR is faster than a z06 john, what are you smokin a 0-60 time of 3.3 a z06 won’t catch up at all, i think the GTR and ZR1 will be same time. Also, the GTR is a 4 seater, so you can have friends while you’re racing, bottom line corvette is nice, GTR looks like crap but is fast and GTR and ZR1 will be good race but GTR is a good deal for price, and a 4 seater.
What I’m saying is no owner will launch the GTR that way in order to get 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. 4500RPM and dump the clutch? Can you say new clutch really soon?
The GTR is really fast up to 100MPH because of its AWD system. After that, the the AWD and 3,800lbs becomes a liability. That’s why its 1/4 speed is only120MPH. A Z06 is doing 126MPH by the 1/4. Also, I’ve seen bone stock Z06 run in the 10’s.
4500 and dump the clutch ? No . 4500 rpms and release the brake . The ECU controls the clutch. DSG transmission. All wheel drive More people are going to be able to get quicker times, in all weather conditions with the GT-R . More power in a RWD car means more wheelspin. More wheelspin in the first 60 feet means slower 1/4 mile times. The MPH can be huge, but the time to cover the distance will be longer. 0.1 seconds in the first 60 feet = 0.2 seconds at the end of the 1/4 mile. As far as ugly , have you seen one in person yet ? I helped to arrange the event with Edmunds/Inside Line and Nissan GT-R owners that went on at Chiat Day in Los Angeles.
OK, so the ECU will dump the clutch. Same thing. Technology can only compensate for the laws physics so much. The bottom line is the GTR is a heavy pig. No matter what fancy tech you’re running, 3800 lbs and 480HP is not going to be faster than 3133 lbs and 505HP. But if your life is to enjoy 3.3 seconds 0-60 then enjoy buying a new clutch every week. That’s only 0.1 seconds faster than the fastest 0-60 Card & Driver recorded for a Z06.
I agree with that. The GTR looks like a frickin’ Transformer. Kids may like it, but it looks like a hideous lump of steel to me. Oh, and I don’t like the interior either.
Sounds like a great car. The supercharged 6.2 with the window looks insane! Haha. I feel that Chevy tried to hard to match the mid-engined glass bays of the R8, F430, and Gallardo. But a valiant effort though. Imho, a bit borderline “rice.”
The Z06 was an awesome value supercar; the 325s in the rear look unreal in reality. I have a certain affinity to vettes; I think I’m going to get a nice used ‘06 C6 in March 2008. Can’t beat 400BHP from a 4.0 LS2 engine for under $40k!
I bet Jeremy Clarkson will have something positive to say about the ZR1…
Now that’s a beautiful machine
The carbon fibre top is nice, and 100k is not a bad price for such a car. This car reminds me of the Mercedes-Benz SL series.
That is a reaaaally sexy car.
I love it, and I need one.
It would be nice to own one.
I like it ,it’s very cool car~~

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Beautiful car
A corvette is just about the only car made by GM that I would ever consider owning.
Comparing this car to a Ferrari is as silly as it gets. It’s like comparing a one-kilogram of BBQ steak to a French delicatessen: sure you get more beef for less price, but it will never match its excellence.
Very very nice design! However this car is not available in Malaysia yet
Hi, thanks for posting the picture of this car and the spec. Very nice design indeed, hope to own one next time
This is a sweet car,
you’ve just givien me my next short term goal. lol