Autoblog

General Motors, Chevrolet and the Corvette team are clearly proud of the power ratings they just announced for the Corvette ZR1. With its LS9 V8 producing 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, you would expect the most powerful Corvette ever to be the fastest as well. And you'd be right. On its GMNext website, GM has revealed that its taken the ZR1 all the way up to 205 mph at its test track in Papenburg, Germany. And they had a video camera on board to capture the moment. The sense of speed is incredible, and even we got excited when the ZR1 climbed the banked oval and made other vehicles track testing that day look like stationary objects. Keep your eye on the digital speedometer in the bottom center of the video and watch as the ZR1 is still pulling strongly above 180 mph.

We remember a time when the Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo were battling for the title of World's Fastest Production Car, and the Diablo narrowly beat out the F40 by claiming a top speed of 204 mph. Now we have a Chevy that can go 205 mph. What a wonderful world.



[Source: GMNext]

From the Mustang to the Viper and Veyron, Hennessey Performance has spread its abilities across the performance car spectrum. And with hi-po vehicles like the IS F, ZR1, and GT-R on their way to buyers' garages, John Hennessey says he is working on packages to make all of those cars even higher-po.

The IS F looks to be the first in line, with the experiment subject arriving at Hennessey's shop next week. The car will be a test bed for "headers, exhaust and air induction systems first. Then maybe a blower." He's also got his eye on the baddest boy Corvette ZR1, for which his website advertises "700+ HP coming soon!" The physics-defying GT-R is in the crosshairs as well, and if he can make it better than it already is, that would be among the best testaments for his services.

Coming down just a notch -- but still up there -- the Cadillac CTS-V and Camaro will get their chances for glory as well. While all of this sounds great, what we really hope is that none of this extra work causes Hennessey not to give us the Venom. That's the package we are truly dying to see.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click either image for a high-res gallery.

Leading up to the official reveal of the Corvette ZR-1, a rare week went by when we didn't see spy shots of the General's new super coupe eating up the Nurburgring. But still images don't tell the whole tale, so InsideLine sent its spies to the North Loop with a video camera to capture an uncloaked ZR-1 making the rounds on the 'Ring. According to the men behind the lens, they were able to clock the 620 hp, supercharged 'Vette running laps "in the low 7:40s," easily within reach of supercars costing substantially more than the ZR-1's estimated $100k price tag. But what about the elephant on the 'Ring in the room? The Nissan GT-R V-Spec.

As reported earlier this week, spies caught the GT-R V-Spec lapping the Nordschleife, and with stopwatches at the ready, they were able to time Godzilla's lightweight (by an estimated 330 pounds), more powerful (70 hp or so) sibling at an unbelievable 7:25 per lap. According to the crew that crudely timed the ZR-1, the track was damp, so that 7:40 time could easily be improved by at least four or five seconds. But that's still a long way off.

Obviously, both lap times should be taken with a grain of salt considering the less-than-accurate way in which they were captured, but that won't stop the smack-talk. Keep it civil folks.




[Source: InsideLine]

Click the image above for more high-res pics of the ZR1

The ZR1 Corvette is one serious piece of American metal, with the athleticism of a track star and the brute power of drag racer. While light weight materials, magnetic damping and 15.5-inch Brembo brakes sounds impressive, the real meat lies under the hood of the fastest ever production Corvette. GM's supercharged 6.2L small block V8 packs at least 620 hp and nearly 600 lb-ft of torque, and its duty is to finally put the Corvette into the supercar club. We were lucky enough to spend some time with Ron Meegan, the assistant chief of GM's small block engine program, and he gave us an engineer's view of the supercharged LS9 engine. Hit the jump to learn why GM didn't use the 7.0L V8 from the Z06, why the Eaton supercharger is so special, and whether or not GM is being modest with the ZR1's projected 620 hp rating.

Bob Lutz has just posted a photochop on his GM Fastlane Blog of what the Corvette ZR1 could look like donning Michigan State Police livery. Bound to be the bane of speeders in the Wolverine state, the Corvette is sporting all the cop car traits necessary to scare the living Hell out of law breakers, including the prerequisite light bar, bumper guard (!) and spotlights. We, however, are particularly partial to the blacked out 20-spoke rollers. Despite lacking nanotechnology and more spoiler blades than a Cuisinart, we think this imaginary ZR1 cop car could give the new sci fi-inspired GT500KR-based KITT car a run for its money.

UPDATE: GM let us know this is not a prototype or anything official that implies a ZR1 cop car would actually be built. Someone sent this photoshopped pic of the ZR1 cop car to Lutz and he liked it enough to throw it up on his blog, much to the surprise of the PR department who didn't know anything about when we called.

[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]

Here's a way to create content long after an auto show has ended, dream up a list of editorial favorite picks. Well, what the hell, we might as well be meta and report on the anti-news. Here we go blithely. AutoWeek handed out its Editors' Choice awards for the North American International Auto Show at its Design Forum on Wednesday. We can debate the relevance, but we'd rather just talk about the cars. The four vehicles that AutoWeek thought were the bee's knees are as follows:

• Most Fun: Audi R8 V12 TDI
• Best Concept: Cadillac CTS Coupe
• Most Significant: 2009 Ford F150
• Best of Show: 2009 Corvette ZR1

As Linda Richman would say: discuss.

[Source: AutoWeek]

click above to watch Ballroom Bob get down and boogie

We've come to know GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz as "Maximum Bob" for his brash style, "Blogger Bob" for his musings on GM Fast Lane, and now we christen a new Lutz: Ballroom Bob. During the GM Style Event just outside GM headquarters, the General had it all going on. The ZR1 was on stage, Kid Rock and Rev Run from Run DMC were kicking it old school, and the crowd of 1,500 was on its feet. While many 75 year-olds would have been overwhelmed by the proceedings, Ballroom Bob was dancing hard with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. You have to see the video, which we've placed after the jump. Mr. Lutz has game, but we would expect nothing less from the man that's righting the ship at GM, flies a MiG and takes a helicopter to work.

click above image to view video

Our reaction to the official press shot of the Corvette ZR1 was a little guarded. The bright blue car that accompanied the lifting of the embargo left us thinking a bit more about Hot Import Nights than we were comfortable with. 0-60 Magazine recently had a photo shoot with another ZR1, and this one dressed nice. All the tungsten instruments around 0-60's ZR1 really play up the surface detailing of the C6 Corvette, and the handsome metallic gray hue made this particular ZR1 a stealth bomber. There's the minor detail of that polycarbonate skylight in the hood, and the humongous brake package peeking from behind equally huge rims is far more striking in person than pictures will ever convey, too. So, even in a subdued color, the ZR1 still manages to announce to the world that it's packing something special. There's nothing of any consequence in the video, it's a few walkarounds of one of the hottest cars extant. It's a nice holiday treat, so stop feasting on goodies for a couple minutes and hit the jump for some eye candy instead.

[Source: 0-60]

If you want to be among the first in the world to get your hands on the highly anticipated Corvette ZR-1 supercar, you'd better start planning a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, around mid January next year as the first car is tipped to be auctioned off there. Though everything remains unofficial, the guys at CorvetteZR1Forum.com are betting the car will be sold through Barret-Jackson auctions just days after its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

As for the specs, most are surmising the car will in fact be labeled the ZR1 and should develop around the 650hp mark thanks to a supercharged version of the new LS9 6.2L V8. Recent spy shots of the car revealed new details such as 20-inch wheels, a hood intake and cooling vents on its flanks.

Considering the substantial performance leap the new ZR1 will have over the 'regular' 505hp Z06, we suspect there'll be an equally substantial price hike. You can bet the car being auctioned at Barret-Jackson, meanwhile, will go easily for more than a hundred large.

Thanks for the tip, Scott!

[Corvette ZR-1 Forum]