The rumormill is a funny thing, and sometimes it can run amok. This appears to be one of those times. The DigitalCorvettes.com forum posted a note earlier this evening saying that Corvette ZR1 production has been halted (Bowling Green is shut down this week, so no Vettes are being built at the moment) and suggesting that the ZR1 may be cancelled. A post on dealer Rick "Corvette" Conti's blog, linked in the referenced DigitalCorvettes thread, added to the intrigue.
Autoblog has contacted GM's Terry Rhadigan, who handles global communications for the Chevrolet brand. We presented the DigitalCorvettes link and asked for an official response. His was very clear:
The Corvette ZR1 is the fastest, most ridiculously cool production Corvette ever produced. After taking the ZR1 for several hot laps of the Lutzring in Milford, we'd go as far as to say it's one of the fastest vehicles we've ever driven. Journalists aren't the only ones who have driven the ZR1 either, as a select few General Motors employees get to drive the 638-hp supercar as their daily driver. One GM worker by the name of Karen took the ZR1 to an autocross event in Ohio and put the supercharged LS9 Corvette through the cone gauntlet. Hit the jump to see and hear the ZR1 zip through the course. Unfortunately, the camera operator didn't zoom in on the Vette or follow it very well, but it's worth your :58 to watch if only to listen to the ZR1 come off the line. Thanks for the tip, Mark!
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Corvette ZR1
The car that Top Gear liked to drive, if not exactly to look at, has a price they definitely won't want to pay. At an on-the-road price of £109,000, the ZR1 costs nearly £48,000 pounds more than a Z06 in the UK. As if that weren't problematic enough, that price puts the left-hand-drive-only ZR1 £8,000 past the 911 Turbo and a colossal £55,000 beyond the GT-R Premium Edition. True, that's still the base GT-R, but Nissan has a whole lot of room to play with when it prices the V-Spec.
True as well, the price of the ZR1 also includes a driver training course and a 3-year / 60,000-mile warranty, which should count for something. Perhaps not £55,000, though. Luckily for Chevrolet UK, it will only have to sell two of them this year, and single digits in the years to come. You can read the full press release after the jump, and then decide if you'd rather have one lump of incredible American metal or a GT-R and a Swiss bank account.
It always happens this way. Shortly after a new performance car is released to the public, it will find its way to a dyno shortly thereafter. When that new vehicle is the new performance king of the automotive world, aka the 2009 Corvette ZR1, our collective interest is piqued. So, how does it fare on the rollers? Two separate 'Vettes were tested, and the average output was about 535 horsepower at the rear wheels. After factoring in the normal 15-percent drivetrain losses for a rear-wheel drive car, that's pretty darn close to the claimed 638. After a bit of tinkering the team got that number up near 570, saying it's running a bit rich from the factory. Click here for the full graph.
Until the V-Spec GT-R is unveiled the ZR1's most natural competitor might be the normal Nissan GT-R; despite the pricing disparity between the two, they are the two most amazing performance bargains currently on the market. For what it's worth, the GT-R seems to be averaging about 420 horsepower at the wheels. Apples to oranges? Sure, but it's always fun to throw a little more fuel on the fire. If we didn't do it, you know it would come up in the comments. And so it will, have fun.
Not long after we learned that the famous Top Gear trio was in the U.S., a fan managed to snap some shots of Clarkson, Hammond and Mays testing their favorite examples of American muscle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The hosts made their way to salt flats by way of Reno, Nevada where they had a few modifications done to each vehicle in the name of high speed safety, namely driveshaft loops and fire extinguishers. If you saw our previous post on the subject, you already know that Clarkson is driving a Corvette ZR1, Hamster a Challenger SRT8 and May the super-fast but still luxurious Cadillac CTS-V, a car that shares much of its supercharged V8 architecture with the new force-fed mill in the 'Vette. We can already surmise that the ZR1 easily took top honors at Bonneville thanks to its slippery shape and abundance of power. Now, which car wins the comparison test? We look forward to next season to find out. Check out the gallery below for more pics of the action going down, or click here and follow the photostream. Thanks for the tips, AkulaX1 and Andi!
Click above for a gallery of the Top Gear crew in the U.S.
The blokes from the real Top Gear are back in the States to test what us 'Mericans do best – big V8s, rear-wheel-drive and powerslides. Clarkson, Hammond and May flew into San Francisco on Wednesday and then made a B-line for Reno before heading south, reportedly to test the out a trio of American muscle at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
If you're just as obsessed as us, you don't have to look at the photos in the gallery to know who snatched the keys to a Corvette ZR1, Dodge Challenger and Cadillac CTS-V. But we'll spoil the (lack of) surprise for you anyway. Clarkson grabbed the 'Vette, Hammond is getting his retro kicks in the Challenger and May – the consummate stately sedan man – is piloting the CTS-V. Top Gear is rumored to be back on the air towards the end of October, and we're hoping this segment kicks off the next season. Thanks for the tip, Ben!
Video clips of the Corvette ZR1 strutting its stuff on track can be found virtually anywhere on the internet. But that doesn't mean we're tired of seeing the beast in action, particularly if the video happens to feature another new staple of GM's sporty lineup. The latest internet discovery is a grainy, sometimes barely audible, clip of the Chevrolet Camaro SS tackling the twisties with a guest appearance by a jet black ZR1. The video begins with the new muscle making a go on the course all alone. Then later, it appears trailing behind the infamous supercharged 'Vette.
From what we can see, the Camaro's chassis seems to be nicely tuned. The body roll is not substantial and the pony car takes a seat quickly when entering a turn with no floaty oscillations. Hopefully the short but sweet video tease is a direct indication of the production setup. Follow the jump to view things for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Xeyad!
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Corvette ZR1
Let's not beat around any shrubbery with this: Top Gear magazine has reviewed the Corvette ZR1, and the quotes you need to know are, "The dynamics are better than an Aston DBS...," and "...[M]ake no mistake. What we have here is one of the truly great supercars."
Of course, there are caveats: it looks like a Corvette, the interior doesn't match those of its supercar rivals and the steering could use more feel. The latter quip is why you get other critiques like "...you don't get the precision of a 599." To have a UK magazine critique a Corvette against a 599 is probably the opposite of the insult it might appear to be on the surface. But don't take our word for it, follow the link and read for yourself how the ZR1 has "the performance and the chassis to match an SLR 722." It's not a bad way to start the week...
We recently brought you video of the Corvette ZR1 being manhandled around General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds by our own Sam Abuelsamid. House rules that day made the car a 4-on-the-floor, since invitees weren't allowed to explore any gear beyond fourth. Car junkies over in Europe, however, recently got a chance to ride in the first pre-production ZR1 on The Continent while it was shaken down and then flogged on the Autobahn before heading to Nardo. If you believe the speedometer, the yellow scorcher runs to 315 kph (195.73 mph) before it ran out of clear highway, not out of speed. Looks like we'll have to change the phrase from "blue" to "Fast as yellow blazes..." Follow the jump to check out the full video. Thanks for the tip, Thomas!
A couple months back, the bone-stock Corvette ZR1 put supercars everywhere on notice when it took on the famed Nurburgring and ran a Nissan GT-R-beating 7:26. The track-ready, fire breathing Viper ACR bested the Corvette's amazing effort by posting an incredible 7:22 lap time. Despite a four second difference in total track time, blogger Andi Baritchi slapped both track videos together (after 30 seconds of annoying scrolling text) to verify that the Viper ACR came out on top. Hit the jump to view the two fastest American-made, street legal, 600+ hp beasts as they tangle in a 'Ring battle for the ages. The video proves what we already knew, but it's still fun to see how two very different, yet very similar vehicles, handle the twists and turns of the Nurburgring. Check out the vid after the jump.Thanks for the tip, Jordan!
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z caught undisguised
GM on Corvette ZR1 cancellation rumor: "Not true."
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
