Chevy Will Build as Many Corvette ZR1s as People Want to Buy
The new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 offers supercar levels of performance, and while it’s significantly more expensive than the standard car, it undercuts some of its most prominent competition by a large margin. Chevy also recently said it would not limit production numbers for the car, noting that it would build as many as the market demands.
Though they won’t be limited, ZR1 production numbers will be smaller than other Corvette variants because of the price and imposing performance specs. Executives at the company believe the car will help drive interest to other models in the line, including the E-Ray, Stingray, and Z06. The last-generation ZR1 was limited to fewer than 3,000 units and some buyers were still on the waiting list when production ended, so the new car will offer a much easier path to ownership, assuming dealers don’t slap a huge markup on before selling.
The ZR1 offers staggering numbers that should draw plenty of attention on their own. Its twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter flat-plan crank V8 makes 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque, the most ever in a factory Corvette. GM quotes a 215-mph+ top speed and a sub-ten-second quarter mile time. An available carbon fiber aerodynamics package brings more than 1,200 pounds of additional downforce, and Magnetic Ride dampers keep the car in check during cornering.
That said, all that power has to hit the ground via the rear wheels only, which is a big job for any car. Its 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels come wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, which, along with the car’s downforce, should help with power delivery.
[Images: Chevrolet/GM]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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