The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has dominated everything in its $100,000 price range, and quite a few supercars that double or triple its MSRP. With just about everything with four wheels subservient to the ZR1, MotorTrend decided to forgo cars and trucks for something with a bit more boost.

MotorTrend's Aurthor St. Antoine thought a more credible contender against the ZR1 would be an F/A-18 Hornet from the Blue Angel squad. So it was Blue Devil vs. Blue Angel, with one vehicle doling out 638 hp and able to hit 60 in 3.3 seconds, and the other capable of mach 1.8 and packing 32,000 pounds of thrust. It doesn't exactly sound like a fair fight, but the race is pretty simple: the first to the one-mile mark wins.

Hit the jump to find out who comes out victorious in the battle of the bow tie vs. Navy fighter jet. If you're not into all the hoopla surrounding the ZR1 and the Blue Angel F/A-18 and you just want to see the race, skip to about eight minutes in. We're pretty sure this race was just an excuse for St. Antoine to get in the cockpit of an F-18, but we can't say we blame him.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Last week, General Motors' Bowling Green, KY assembly plant began manufacturing the fastest, most powerful production Corvette in its 55-year history. We got our first official look at the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show in January and, at that time, Chevrolet officials hadn't finalized the numbers. Over the intervening months, GM continued to tease us with bits of information, including the ZR1's 205 mph top speed, 638 horsepower, 605 lb.-ft. of torque, and 7:26.4 lap time at the Nurburgring. Throughout all of this, we've been waiting patiently for one of the most anticipated invitations of 2008: the ZR1 First Drive.

That wait finally ended a few weeks ago when we got the call to arrive at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. All we needed was cooperative weather. As the sun crested the horizon on the appointed day, the darkened skies threatened to put the kibosh on our time with the King. But a few hours later, the clouds dissipated and the fun was officially underway.

UPDATE: Video of Corvette ZR1 on the Lutz Ring added after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above to view video after the jump

This morning General Motors released all the official numbers for the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 including its price ($103,000), 0-60 mph time (3.4 sec), quarter-mile (11.3 sec at 131 mph) and top speed (205 mph). It's the fastest, most powerful and most expensive vehicle GM has ever built. So how does it get built? Why, at the Corvette's Bowling Green production facility in Kentucky. Put together by the same people who lovingly assemble your garden variety Vettes, the ZR1 is nevertheless a very difficult vehicle than the bang-for-the-buck coupe on which it's based. Watch the video after the jump to see a ZR1 go from a frame to full-fledged supercar in about four and a half minutes of time lapsed video interspersed with interviews of the plant workers who have the privilege of assembling this King of Corvettes.


[Source: GM]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Corvette ZR1

General Motors and Chevrolet have just released all their official numbers for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 and... hold on to your butts... its base MSRP (including destination charges) will be $103,300. Add to that a $1,700 Gas guzzler tax, $2,000 for chrome wheels and another $10,000 for the only Option package available that adds upgraded seats, side air bags, Bose audio, a nav system, Bluetooth, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel and leather-wrapped interior, and you're looking at a grand total of $117,000. We believe that may make the Corvette ZR1 the most expensive product ever offered by GM, but consider what you get. The ZR1 is a 638-hp supercar that can reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, run the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at 131 mph (!) and top out at 205 mph, all while returning 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Unfortunately, Chevy didn't hit its target of having the most fuel-efficient supercar on earth with the ZR1, as they admit that the Dodge Viper (13/22) and Porsche GT3 (15/22) are a bit less thirsty. Of course, they're neither as powerful nor as fast, and the Porsche is more expensive. The ZR1 will likely be marked up by dealers far above its $117k asking price, but kudos to General Motors anyway for having the balls to build it.

[Source: Chevy]

click above image for high-res gallery of the 2009 Corvette ZR1

The 2009 Corvette ZR1 has arrived, but speculation surrounding the next-generation C7 model and a possible mid-engine variant continue to persist. Bill Visnic from AutoObserver claims that the idea of a mid-engine Vette, either as a variant of the C7 or a replacement of the current front-engine model, is still being discussed by top engineers involved with developing the next iteration of Chevy's iconic sports car. The main argument against the idea of a mid-engine Vette remains the price tag, as costs would drive up the price to above $100,000. While the ZR1 is priming the public for the concept of a $100,000 Corvette, the current base model remains an affordable performance bargain for John Q. Public. If the Corvette switched to a mid-engine platform, the base price for the car itself would be well above $100,000. The other concern is how much a mid-engine Corvette would alienate the car's fan base, which helps drive sales that far exceed more prestigious sport cars in its class (more than 30,000 units so far this year).

While some have argued that a mid-engine layout for the next-gen model would demonstrate the technological prowess of GM's engineers, we'd argue that the ZR1 proves the current layout affords plenty of opportunity to show off the team's skills. Just read Sam's report on the new ZR1 and its LS9 motor and you'll know what we mean. Does anyone out there want a mid-engine Corvette, or is the Corvette team just bogged down by the thought of what it can do rather than what it should?

[Source: AutoObserver]