Does anybody else keep in mind early 2009? Obama was simply inaugurated, Circuit Metropolis was closing, Bernie Madoff pleaded responsible and I used to be within the sixth grade on the lookout for my first girlfriend. Whereas all that was occurring, although, Normal Motors was on the brink of launch its masterpiece: the C6 Chevy Corvette ZR1. To me, it’s the absolute peak of Corvettes, and now we get an opportunity to relive its early days via the newest MotorWeek Retro Assessment.
Like all MW evaluations, this one begins off with our hero John Davis standing exterior a copper-colored (keep in mind when each automotive was copper?) ZR1 utilizing his outside-voice-all-the-time voice. He lays out the specs and highlights: 638 supercharged horsepower, adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes. Babes, that is “as near a street-legal Corvette race automotive as you may get.” Fortunately, MotorWeek introduced the ZR1 to a race monitor to push it to the boundaries. That’s proper people, they’re at the Roebling Highway Raceway in Bloomingdale, Georgia.
We even get one thing of a proto-Retro Assessment in the Retro Assessment. President Davis talks about the entire different Corvettes they’ve known as one of the best of all time, relationship again to the 1990 Corvette ZR1. He then declares the 2009 ZR1 the “final manufacturing Corvette.”
From there we get into the C6 ZR1’s iconic hood window factor, which everybody thought was cheesy on the time, however I completely love. What a motor that lay beneath it: a 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 V8 that put out 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque all routed via a six-speed guide transmission. Put these issues collectively and also you get a 3.5 second 0-60 time. These numbers are sturdy in the present day, so 15 years in the past they had been just about out of this world. On the time, the ZR1 apparently set the quickest lap document round Roebling Highway ever examined by MotorWeek. It beat out all types of high-end sports activities vehicles, and even the Ferrari Enzo, for the crown. Regardless of all that energy and efficiency, Davis mentioned the ZR1 remains to be the easiest-to-drive high-performance automotive thus far “bar none.” Spectacular stuff.
I’ve at all times liked the C6 usually, however the ZR1 – for apparent causes – has at all times been my very favourite. I’m simply glad to see that THE John Davis agrees.