They say it’s the things you love that come back to hurt you in the end. When it comes to racing, sometimes it seems like all that “hurt” comes from a gang of the No Fun Police barging in and mandating a whole bunch of rules and regulations that require this balls-to-the-wall sport to refrain from indecent exposure,…
Arguably one of the most incredibly things about the 1950s was the insistence that we could absolutely use this potentially deadly technology in the most wholesome ways to create a really cool car.
We just ran a 755-hp/715-lb-ft Corvette ZR1 through the quarter mile in 10.8 seconds at 133.1 mph. That’s darned impressive. Wanna know what’s more impressive? The fact that Chevy almost produced a big-block ’Vette for 1970 that would have tripped the lights several feet ahead of this new ZR1—10.6 seconds at 132 mph. Yes, the Corvette ZL-1’s LT-2 successor might have been America’s Ferrari-slayer: With time-slips like that, even Ferrari’s 488 GTB (10.6 seconds at 135.2 mph) would barely be catching 1970 Corvettes on dragstrips today. Would you believe the man responsible for killing Zora Arkus-Duntov’s acceleration monster was none other than that party animal John Z. DeLorean? But let’s go back to a series of articles in 1968 and 1969 and let Eric Dahlquist tell the story.
In the September ’68 issue, our man Dahlquist got an invite to Bartz Engine Development in Van Nuys, California, for an early look at this all-aluminum hi-po big-block racing engine that was to be homologated with production variants. “There, spread out on newspapers on one of the workbenches, were all the pieces of this latest Chevrolet masterpiece. The block is made from 356 T-6 heat-treated aluminum, using ‘loose-wood’ patterns (like mahogany) that are pieced together. This, as you might guess, is a very limited-production process. The cylinder block is manufactured dimensionally in identical configuration to an L-88 427, except that the walls and main bearing webs are beefed up somewhat.” He went on to note that what he was seeing was a second-gen design, benefiting from revisions to the crank, connecting rods, and L-88-style alloy cylinder heads. He also described the unique dry-sump scavenging arrangement. “The oil pressure pump is located in the aluminum timing cover and was cleverly adapted over from the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission.”
Al Bartz explained how racers would get their ZL-1 engines: “The engine comes from Chevrolet loosely assembled; that is, all the pieces are bolted together so none are lost during shipment. For $3,000 you get one complete powerplant with L-88 aluminum manifold (PN 3886092). Aluminum water pump, all-gear [instead of chain-driven] reverse-rotation cam drive, reverse-rotation camshaft but no flywheel, clutch, and bell housing. A transistorized reverse-rotation distributor [was] included.” The folks at Bartz then handled blueprinting and final assembly. They also tried other camshaft grinds. Al explained that Chevy’s was “the only grind that will go 7,200 rpm without valve float. At this point we’re getting between 590 and 615 hp (530 to 545 lb-ft. of torque), depending on ram tube length with a modified Lucas/Crower injector. The most significant thing about the engine, though, is that it weighs just 460 pounds ready to go. That’s 40 pounds less than the cast iron 327!”
So blown was Dahlquist’s mind when he first drove the ZL-1 that he opened his piece like Rod Serling introducing a Twilight Zone episode: “Button down your mind. Tight. Lock it in place and twist up the safety wire. You’re on a trip to the border of your imagination. The front door of the terminal is the entrance of the nearest Chevrolet Sports Department, and they won’t care if you run.” The next graph was no less hyperbolic: “Sting Ray ZL-1. Say the name over in your mind, amplify it, taste it. It has the same sort of precise tonal delight as Lamborghini Miura or Ferrari 365 GT or Aston Martin DB6, and it is an iron-clad, money-back guarantee that individuality and something called élan, are alive and well in Detroit, at least as long as Zora Duntov is still there.”
“The ZL-1 has Ferrari speed plus Ferrari handling and Ferrari brakes, but without Ferrari fuss and bother so you can enjoy it more. Therefore, even without the super Ferrari leather interior and Ferrari coachwork, it is still better than a Ferrari in its own right because there is no distraction and, everything in perspective—aluminum engine, fiberglass body and all—the ZL-1 is nearer a 2G Chaparral for the street.” It must be noted that the car Dahlquist drove was a bit modified—fenders blistered for 14-inch-wide racing slicks on American Racing mag wheels, and straight pipes sans mufflers. “Duntov’s not trying to kid anyone. He knows damn well that a car like this is going to be mag-wheeled, big-tired and raced the hell out of, so why not just offer it to the performance press in its purest form and forget the footwork? That’s why it’s worth something. As debuted, the ZL-1 Sting Ray was ready for all comers in SCCA’s A Production Class or maybe even Le Mans.”
“The all-aluminum 427 cubic inch engine is pretty much the way you read about in the September ’68 issue of Motor Trend when we broke the story on an unsuspecting world, but there are a few refinements. Because gas flow around the valves wasn’t just right, metal was pared away for a new ‘open-combustion-chamber’ design. Then, in order to get the mixture in and out of the new chamber, it was found that by pinching down a bit on the intake porting where it took its bend into the chamber, a venturi effect could be induced so that the flow would not lose velocity.” The valves and porting were tweaked, the compression raised to 12.5:1, and the cam profiles were massaged. The end result: “a complete 550-horsepower ZL-1 427 weighs 20-25 pounds less than a fully assembled 350-horsepower 350!”
“The ZL-1 doesn’t just accelerate, because the word accelerate is inadequate for this car. It tears its way through the air and across the black pavement like all the modern big-inch racing machines you have ever seen, the engine climbing the rev band in that kind of leaping gate as the tires hunt for traction, find it, lose it again for a millisecond, then find it until they are locked in. From the sharp, banked curve before the start-finish line to the point maybe 1,700 feet down the straightaway, you rocket from 30 to 145 mph at 6,500 rpm. If the car had a higher gear, one of the engineers casually mentions, it will bust 195, possibly 200.”
“Sorting the handling of this machine should be as easy as writing in RPO F-41 on the order blank. Standard on all ZL-1’s RPO-F41 means you get heavy-duty disc brakes, increased spring rates, front and rear shocks with improved valving and larger capacity in back, plus a fatter front stabilizer as well as one on the rear. All you add yourself are the serious tires and hope the computers at the GM Tech Center have picked the brain of the right memory bank. With a 43/57 front to rear weight distribution. The 2,808-pound car is almost neutral with just a shade of understeer that you can overpower at will with the throttle. It is the best handling Corvette ever built.”
Dahlquist ended his love letter to the ZL-1 by noting, “You must pay a price for the ZL-1 excellence and it is quite high. The cost of tooling an all-aluminum engine of this sort is always dear and these will be hand-built and run in before the car ever leaves the factory. Considering that an L-88 Corvette goes for $6,000, a $9,000 ZL-1 tab is a reasonable figure.” The ZL-1 option ended up retailing for $6,000—the price of a second ’Vette. Only two were sold to the public, but there was to be a successor …
Plans were afoot for a stroked, all-aluminum 454 V-8 with most of the ZL-1’s goodies and more. This engine was slipped into a Monaco Orange Corvette for journalists to try out at a press-preview event in the summer of 1969. Motor Trend got to test it a week later, when it was outfitted with a crazy “180-degree” header setup that had two pipes from each bank crossing under the engine to join the other two, so that each collector pipe got a firing pulse every 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation. This produced a ripping flat-plane crank exhaust note, added about 15 hp, and improved fuel economy, but it wreaked havoc on ground clearance. With normal headers the car’s original dyno sheets indicate 588 hp at 6,400 rpm and 542 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm. Spinning through a little Nova torque converter with a 3,000-rpm stall speed, and running wrinkly-sidewall drag slicks, the car was laying down quarter-mile runs of 10.60 seconds at 132 mph. “Which, against a national class record of 10.75 at 128.75, is impressive. The fact that almost anybody who knows how to drive could jump in and duplicate this run after run may be the most shattering aspect of all.” Alas, Chevy was bleeding red ink in those days and John DeLorean was sent in to fix things up. Part of his solution was to de-proliferate the engine catalog. A planned roster of four Corvette Big Blocks was pruned to one—the 390-hp LS-5 454. It cost $289.65 and found 4,473 takers. It slayed no Ferraris.
In the summer of 2014 we had the privilege of strapping our gear onto a recreation of that mid-1969 press-event Corvette created by Dave Miller. Dave started with an original late-build ZL-1 engine, stroked it to 454 cubes, and consulted extensively with the engineers responsible for creating the original Saturday Night Special. Then with the help of Motor Trend archivist Thomas Voehringer, he and the team at Werner Meier’s Masterworks Automotive in suburban Detroit managed to recreate the car to an incredible degree of accuracy. On a dyno, the new engine registered 625 hp at 6,500 rpm and 545 lb-ft at 5,300 rpm. And on its very first outing—with minimal opportunity for tuning—it managed a 10.86-second run at 124.6 mph. That still beats all the Ferraris we’ve tested, except for the LaFerrari, Enzo, and 488. Of course, Fiorano lap times are a different matter…
The post Feature Flashback: OG SuperVette – When MT Drove a 10.6-Second C3 Corvette ZL-1 appeared first on Motor Trend.
This is it. The zenith. The top dog. The 755-horsepower ne plus ultra Chevrolet Corvette C7. The most powerful and likely the last variant of the front-engine Corvette.
While waiting for the arrival of the mid-engine C8 somewhere in the not-distant future, for the 2019 model year, there are now 28 iterations of the seventh-generation Corvette (C7), including coupe/convertible versions of Stingray, Grand Sport, Z06, and now the ZR1. Is this as good as it gets? Is the ZR1 the greatest Corvette ever?
Let’s start with what makes the ZR1 the ZR1, namely its mighty LT5 motor. If you like comparisons, this C7 ZR1’s supercharged V-8 makes more than double the horsepower of the V-8 in the 1990 C3 ZR1 and 117 more horsepower than the C6 ZR1. Based on the venerable LT4 found in the Corvette Z06, Camaro ZL1, and Cadillac CTS-V, the 6.2-liter LT5 features a new 95mm throttle body, both port- and direct-injection fuel delivery, an upgraded crankshaft, a new oiling system, and a new Eaton supercharger. At 2.6 liters, the supercharger is 52 percent larger than the LT4’s, yet cruising at 80 mph, it draws only 1 horsepower while providing virtually no boost. On the other hand, it needs 110 horsepower to spin its roots-type helix rotors up to 15,860 rpm to make peak boost pressure of 13.96 psi near redline. The LT5’s intercooler has roughly double the heat exchange capacity of the LT4’s, and there are four new heat exchangers (13 “radiators” in total) tucked hither and thither. Combining all of this with the new “halo” hood, the ZR1 boasts 41 percent more air flow than the Z06, which is notoriously prone to power-sapping engine-protection mode due to excess heat. Rest assured, Corvette “Jake” fans, the two ZR1s we had showed no problems with heat during our instrumented testing (eight consecutive quarter-mile passes followed by a dozen laps of our figure-eight course). Nor did either lose power with hot laps (two sets of three each) at Willow Springs Raceway, where we’ve previously documented issues.
Bolted to that all-American pushrod motor (which prefers to gulp fuel we can’t pump in 91-octane California) is an optional eight-speed automatic transmission ($1,725). In Track mode, enter the Performance Traction Management (PTM) program, select Sport 1, press the brake pedal to the floorboard, whack the throttle similarly, wait for the revs to stabilize (at about 1,400 rpm), then release the brakes. Doing this will produce a wisp of wheelspin that will be monitored/managed all the way through first gear. The best launch-control results made 0–60 times of 3.2 to 3.3 seconds and steady quarter miles of 11.2 to 11.4 seconds at 130 mph—and anybody could do that, repeatedly. The launch control is that good. On the other hand, turning all the electronic aids off and using the “driver’s best effort” to manage wheelspin ekes out a couple tenths here and few mph there. Surprisingly, it’s easy to launch, considering the engine produces 715 lb-ft of Michelin-melting torque. The throttle response is unexpectedly linear, the tires so talkative that finding the just-right progression between runaway wheelspin and ultimate acceleration only takes a couple attempts to learn. Make no mistake, it can get out of hand quickly, but there’s a friendly cooperation inherent to this car that’s lacking in, say, a 707-hp, 650-lb-ft Hellcat that simply cannot put its power to the ground. The ZR1 is remarkable in this way.
Our best efforts resulted in a 0–60 time of 3.0 seconds on the way to a 10.8-second 133.1-mph quarter mile. Probably owing to our 91- not 93-octane fuel, we were slightly behind GM’s claims of a 2.9-second 0–60 time and 10.6-second/134-mph quarter mile. Our best results came from the ZR1 with its optional ZTK Track Performance package ($2,995), which replaces Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP (run-flats) with grippier Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZP tires. The ZTK package also adds stiffer suspension tuning and greater aerodynamic downforce courtesy a flat undercarriage, a front splitter with endplates, and the adjustable “high” wing. That aero pack offers 60 percent more downforce than the comparable Z06/Z07 Stage 3 setup. Chevy says it nets 950 pounds at top speed (212 mph). They also say Vmax testing on the autobahn drained all the fuel tank in 15 minutes. Because of the ZTK’s added downforce/drag, we had anticipated the “low-wing” car to perform better in a straight line, but instead it came down to initial tire grip. The high-wing car simply dug in better, maintained grip throughout first gear, and that’s all she wrote.
The two quickest Corvettes to lap our figure-eight course (Grand Sport and Z06/Z07) tied at 22.3 seconds. Our editors often say the 2017 Grand Sport was the best-balanced Corvette ever, with the grip of the Z06/Z07 but an ability to put its power to use that the Z06/Z07 lacks. Its impressive lap proves this. We expected a similar lap time from the ZR1 duo. However, in a case of bringing a pair of howitzers to a knife fight, they only managed to circle our racetrack in a bottle in 22.7 and 22.9 seconds. Why? It’s simply too difficult to use all of the power in a parking lot, and there’s twitchiness to it that previous Corvettes didn’t suffer. A mere week after the infamous and unfortunate Detroit Grand Prix pace car wreck, test driver Kim Reynolds said: “Brakes are killer—you can drop the hammer at virtually the last second. Turn-in feels like lateral suction, but after that there’s a bit more understeer than I’d like. Midcorner grip is great, then exiting, the tail walks (using third gear). It steps out in a digital way—just pops out a notch very quickly, and you have to respond very modestly to it to avoid a “tank slapper.” Tremendous power—wow wow wow.” So besides this tendency to “walk the tail,” there wasn’t as much lateral grip on the skidpad portion, either. Where the Z06/Z07 sustained 1.17 g and the Grand Sport 1.18 g, the ZR1 pair managed 1.07 g and 1.11 g. It’s not much difference, but it all adds up.
What the ZR1 was built to do was set records at real racetracks. Luckily, we’ve got “the fastest track in the West” at our disposal, and a tame race car driver, too. Randy Pobst has set and reset the lap record for production cars at Willow Springs, so he knows his way around. Having recently set a production car lap record in a 2019 Corvette ZR1 at Road Atlanta, he knows his Corvettes, too. Did the ZR1 set another record at the “Big” track? Sadly no, but it did outpace the last Z06 he drove there by a significant 1.3 seconds. In order, the top five spots currently belong to a 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS (1:21.08), 2018 McLaren 720S (1:21.75), 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performante (1:22.53), 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder (1:23.54), and 2017 Ford GT (1:23.69). In sixth place by a mere 0.01 second, the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with the ZTK package made a 1:23.70 lap. With Chevrolet on hand to support the effort and three sets of tires sacrificed in the process, it was the best that car could do that day. The “low-wing” car was just 1.15 seconds behind, its 1:24.85 earning 11th place overall.
When asked to compare the ZR1 to the Z06, Pobst said, “The ride is more compliant, especially in the most aggressive mode. Brakes are still strong—as always, world class. The [ZTK] wing does add high-speed stability. Even the ZR1 without the aero package is better-balanced [than the Z06/Z07] in high-speed corners.” However, he followed up with, “While the car has a big bump in power [over the Z06], it’s still twitchy trying to accelerate in the lower gears. And that’s the ’Vette’s great downfall.”
When asked about how the ZR1 handled the duress of making three or four hot laps in succession, Pobst said, “Happily, greatly improved cooling keeps both intake temps—as a result of the larger supercharger and intercoolers—and engine coolant and oil temps to more survivable numbers. I saw stable readings under 220 for water and under 275 for oil. Still rather high, but much better than the pegged readings of the poor Z06.”
Around town, the ZR1 draws a crowd when parked, unsolicited questions from grocery store employees retrieving shopping carts, and even more thumbs-up reactions on the road. It is as over-the-top as they come, as it should be. On the road, the non-ZTK-equipped ZR1 rides as smoothly as every other C7 Corvette I’ve ever driven. The ZTK is harsher, like the RS versions of the Porsche 911 GT2/GT3 are. The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has variously succeeded and failed in setting performance records, however. It is indeed the quickest to 60 mph and fastest quarter-miler Corvette we’ve ever tested on the dragstrip, edging out a Z06/Z07, also with an eight-speed automatic. It stopped from 60 mph 2 feet shorter than the previous best Corvettes did (a handful of Grand Sports and Z06s). It lapped Willow Springs faster than any previous Corvette, yet it failed to set an outright record there, on our skidpad, or to top our figure-eight list. It is true the ZR1 is an awesome achievement, costing a whole trunkload less money than those above (and many below) it on the Willow Springs lap times list. At the end of the C7-era, this is indeed as good as it gets for a front-engine Corvette. Unless there’s a factory “lightweight” version coming or a track-only special, there aren’t any more tricks up the sleeves of Corvette engineers. Besides, they’re all working on the mid-engine replacement. Indeed, Corvette fans, this is as good as it gets, warts and all, which means it’s the perfect farewell for the C7.
| 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 | (3ZR) “Low Wing” | (1ZR w/ZTK) “High Wing” |
| BASE PRICE/TESTED PRICE | $132,095/$135,210 | $122,095/$131,300 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe | Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe |
| ENGINE | 6.2L/755-hp/715-lb-ft* supercharged OHV 16-valve V-8 | 6.2L/755-hp/715-lb-ft* supercharged OHV 16-valve V-8 |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,669 lb (50/50%) | 3,650 lb (51/49%) |
| WHEELBASE | 106.7 in | 106.7 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 179.8 x 77.4 x 48.5 in | 179.8 x 77.4 x 48.5 in |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | ||
| 0-30 | 1.5 sec | 1.4 sec |
| 0-40 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| 0-50 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| 0-60 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| 0-70 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| 0-80 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| 0-90 | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| 0-100 | 6.6 | 6.3 |
| 0-100-0 | 10.4 | 9.7 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| QUARTER MILE | 11.0 sec @ 131.8 mph | 10.8 sec @ 133.1 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 97 ft | 88 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 1.07 g (avg) | 1.11 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 22.9 sec @ 0.95 g (avg) | 22.7 sec @ 0.98 g (avg) |
| 2.4-MI ROAD COURSE LAP | 1:24.85 | 1:23.70 |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 12/20/15 mpg | 12/20/15 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 281/169 kW-hrs/100 miles | 281/169 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 1.33 lb/mile | 1.33 lb/mile |
| *SAE certified | ||
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The GT-R50 celebrates 50 years of GT-R and Italdesign, and it’s something extremely special. But don’t get confused, this has nothing to do with the next generation GT-R that the whole performance motoring world eagerly awaits. Think of this as an R35 without limits; it features a bespoke exterior with performance on par with the world’s best supercars. The […]
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