For the nearly 55 geezerhood that Chevrolet has been build the Corvette , it has stood out as an American icon : a sportscarthat can vie with luxuriously - priced signification at a fraction of their cost . Throughout their history , Corvette coupe and roadsters have push the limits of automotive engineering and institution . The Corvette was one of the first production cars to utilize a lightweight fiberglass body and four - wheeldisc pasture brake . There are six generations of the Corvette , and each one has meant a leap forward in exterior design and performance technology . But with the 2009 Corvette ZR1 , which is set to go on sales agreement in fall 2008 , the Corvette may have made its biggest jump yet . The ZR1 has been develop not just to compete with other sports cars , but to take on supercars made by Ferrari , Lamborghiniand Porsche .
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The ZR1 is join an telling family . The sixth - genesis Corvette , or C6 , is currently on the market , and the base model produces 430horsepowerand 400 foot - pound of torsion . The C6 is also available as a Z06 functioning model , which generates 505 horsepower and 470 substructure - pounds of torque . While those are telling numbers , the ZR1 needs to do even better to lure buyers out of import dealerships .
So , the question is n’t just how well the ZR1 will stack up against the good that Italy and Germany have to bid , but how it ’s run short to tempt buyers off from those motorcar . General Motors , Chevrolet ’s parent company , is bet that the technology under the ZR1 ’s strong-armer – as well as what ’s under its pigment – will beget enough naked as a jaybird power to overcome import prestige . Keep take to learn how the Ferrari - chasing engineering science in the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 works .
ZR1 Development and Supercharger
The development of the ZR1 started when General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner looked at the $ 60,000 Corvette Z06 and wondered what the Corvette team could develop if it was shooting for a $ 100,000 ' Vette . The outcome was a hush-hush GM project labeled " Blue Devil " ( after Wagoner ’s college mascot at Duke University ) that take four year to become the most expensive Chevrolet ever build .
Along the elbow room , the development team tested the bounds of automotive engineering . An experimentation with aturbochargedengineshowed hope – until the run car burn to the ground at GM ’s test path . Still , the team pushed on and produce acarthat is gestate to appeal to the kind of buyer who normally denounce at high - end Italian car dealerships . Corvette Vehicle Line Executive Tom Wallace got more specific , telling Motor Trend cartridge clip that he expected the ZR1 to compete with theFerrari 599 , Lamborghini Murciélago and " any Porsche " [ root : Motor Trend ] . Keep read to learn what the ZR1 has that allows it to compete with the best cars in the world .
Supercharger
What couch the ZR1 on the same playacting field as other supercars is the engine ’s power . When the turbocharging experiments fail , the Corvette team turned tosupercharging . Asupercharger , also promise a blower , is a gadget that shoots contract melody into an locomotive engine by force it through rotating chamber . The more air an engine has , the more ability it create . A swath on the engine turn the supercharger , allow it to suck outside aura into the locomotive engine . The ZR1 uses a Roots - type supercharger , which has four lobes that lock together like gear . Most superchargers have only three lobe . The lobes on the ZR1 ’s supercharger also rotate 160 arcdegree – lobe in most superchargers splay only 60 degree . The four - lobe intent and extra rotation increase thermal efficiency and has near the same mogul efficiency as a turbocharger . With every rotation , the ZR1 ’s cetacean forces 2.3 liters of pressurized gentle wind into the engine . To avoid the monumental protuberance on the hood that ’s usually tie in with superchargers , the ZR1 ’s blower is mounted low in the fivesome of the V8 engine and uses side - ride intercoolers and heat exchangers .
ZR1 Engine and Transmission
Though thesuperchargeron the ZR1 is one of its standout characteristic , its LS9 engine is no slouch , either . Theengineshares its basic 6.2 - cubic decimetre excogitation with other Corvettes but features some redundant high - end materials and parting that are lighter and inviolable than formal engine contribution – like a shape steel crankshaft , steel main armorial bearing cap , atomic number 22 connecting rods , forged aluminum plunger and roto - cast piston chamber heads that have a more consistent compactness than other promontory . There ’s more atomic number 22 on the intake valve ( to save weight without lose force ) , and the stems on the exhaust fumes valves are hollow . Even the engine ’s flywheel has been modify for supercar duty . The flywheel on base and Z06 Corvettes is attached to the crankshaft with six screws , while the ZR1 ’s is attach with nine .
Transmission
send off the engine ’s big businessman to the wheels is a six - speed Tremec TR6060 transmittance with a close - proportion gear set . On the ZR1 , thegearingis 16 percent longer than that of the Corvette Z06 , which think the ZR1 can get to over 60 miles per hour without pass on first gear . For high gears , the spread on the ZR1 is 26 percent shortsighted than the Z06 . Though this makes for a lower redline in fifth and sixth , it also means the ZR1 well scoots to over 200 mph . To further handle the engine ’s torque output , the gear , shaft geartrain and shaft materials were fortify , and a twin - plate clutches was used to improve shift look .
The ZR1 ’s chassis is similar to the Corvette Z06 . It use the same aluminum structure but has some carbon fibre components to offset the engine ’s excess free weight ( hey , superchargers can be heavy ) . The ZR1 also has GM ’s Magnetic Selective Ride Control System , which appropriate drivers to select the type ofsuspensionresponses they prefer . On the ZR1 , the system uses Magneto - Rheologial jar , which line up mechanically based on ride conditions for optimum ride and control . The ZR1 also has tighten and larger anti - roll streak . All together , the suspension arrangement is designed to make the ZR1 a well-situated route automobile that can provide blistering track times .
Of naturally , a car like the ZR1 take maximal fillet big businessman . Its frontbrakesare 15.5 - inch carbon - ceramic rotor , and the back rotors are 15 inches . Both are radially and laterally air discs ( to avoid too much hotness ) and were originally design for the Ferrari FXX and Enzo . The calipers are Brembo monoblocs with six pistons in front and four in the back .
link the ZR1 to the road are largertiresthan on other Corvettes . The ZR1 has Custom Michelin Pilot Sport 2 run - flat tires on the front . They sit on 10 - column inch , one - piece 20 - spoke rims from Speedline and value 285/30R-19 . In the rear , the tires measure 335/25R-20 and sit on 12 - inch Speedlines .
ZR1 Style and Performance
The ZR1 take most of its styling cues from the eternal rest of the C6 line , but to reduce weight , GM used a turn of carbon - fiber panels . The buffer , hood , chin - spoiler , rocker panels and cap are all made of the lightweight but strong textile , and some of the slice have been leave unpainted , so you could actually see the carbon vulcanized fiber , which is an industriousness first . ordinarily , carbon - fiber yellows and crevice when exposed to ultraviolet light , but Chevrolet uses a special software ( that reportedly costs $ 60,000 a congius ) to protect the carbon paper - fiber on the ZR1 .
The ZR1 also has a few specialized exterior tucket . The more powerfulbrakingsystem requires front and back brake vent-hole that are larger than on other Corvettes . The brake vents are n’t all about public-service corporation , though : The front vents sport horizontal lamella , in an homage to the 1963 Corvette . The ZR1 ’s hood also has a slight bulge in it ( to contain theengine ) , which features a window that look down on the engine . An melody breathing in at the front of the hood facilitate bring zephyr into the locomotive , and a larger chin spoiler help oneself the ZR1 ’s nose stay planted . A full - breadth spoiler does the same for the tail end .
For a $ 100,000 auto , the ZR1 ’s interior can be amazingly canonical . That ’s because Chevrolet want to appeal to buyers looking for a stripped - down trackcar , as well as those looking for lavishness . While the interior design is n’t changed much from a base Corvette ’s , the ZR1 has a rise caliber and ZR1 logos on the headrests and tachometers . A leather - wrapped inside is available .
With all of that hardware , it ’s not surprising that the ZR1 can produce some truly awful figure .
Of course , there are some downsides to the ZR1 ’s performance – not that anyone with $ 100,000 to drop on a car will notice . The ZR1 is the first Corvette to be subject to the throttle - gulper tax , even though the EPA has n’t released itsestimated fuel economyfor the car . Car and Driver cartridge estimates to fuel economic system to be 14 mpg in metropolis driving and 23 mpg on the highway [ source : gondola and Driver ] . Premium fuel is required , but that ’s a small price to devote for premium performance .
General Motors is hoping to place the ZR1 as a bargain alternative to other supercars . The ZR1 should compete with the Porsche 911 GT2 , Ferrari 599 GTB and theLamborghiniMurciélago . While no head - to - head comparisons have been done , the ZR1 appear to be an able challenger .
On paper , it look like GM ’s bet may pay off : The ZR1 can control its own , at about half the price of other supercars .
To learn more about the Corvette and other athletics car , sail to the radio link that keep abreast .
