ZR1 Horsepower!

What’s better than having plenty of raw power? More Power! Sure, there are speed limits and safety regulations to consider, but there’s just something exhilarating about knowing how fast your vehicle can go, even if you probably shouldn’t use all of the speed available to you. Let us here at McCluskey Automotive, your home for used cars in Cincinnati, Ohio, tell you why we have power on the mind.

The rumor floating around is that there may be as much as 700 horsepower in the next Corvette ZR1. The 2023 Corvette Z06 now delivers an incredible 670 horsepower, some 120 horsepower more than the last-generation Z06, and similar technological advances are being employed on the new ZR1 to ensure it’s as fast as humanly possible. We here at McCluskey Automotive can’t wait to try it out!

The First Z06

2014 saw the redesign of the Corvette Stingray as the hugely publicized kickoff to Corvette’s seventh generation. As much as we love the Stingray, we would be remiss to leave out other amazing trim levels the C7 Corvette offered. Here at McCluskey Automotive, your home for used cars in Cincinnati, Ohio, we make it our business to keep you informed of all of the options available. Of course, if it’s a Stingray you have your heart set on, a Stingray you shall have––we’ll see to that.

For some, though, as zippy as the Stingray and the even zippier supercharged Z06 are, they just don’t quite scratch that itch. In response to a demand for more––more horsepower, more torque, more speed, and more “wow” in general, Corvette unleashed the beast that is the 2019 Corvette ZR1, a mechanical marvel with surprising roots.

Not its First Rodeo

In various places around the web, the 2019 ZR1 was touted as being “new.” While it may have been new to Corvette’s seventh-generation lineup, and arguably one of the most exciting cars the manufacturer has ever released, the ZR1 has been around for quite a while.

1970-1972

Introduced initially as an optional performance package, the ZR1 became available way back in Corvette’s third generation and stuck around only for three model years. Intended to replace the track-only L88, the 1970 ZR1 came equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission and the 370-horsepower LT1 engine, a 350 cubic-inch small-block V8 that was also produced for only three model years. Intended for use on the racetrack, many amenities would be omitted in the first ZR1. Among these omissions were the power windows, air conditioning, power steering, rear-window defogger, and radio. The rationale was that omitting these features would reduce the overall weight of the car and the load on the engine. Interestingly, the ZR1 could still be ordered as a convertible.

In 1971, Corvette expanded its racing package options to include the ZR2. This model, a one-time blip on Corvette’s timeline, offered the 454 cubic-inch LS6 engine and, as with the ZR1, none of the creature comforts that were available on cars without these performance packages. A whopping twelve cars were ordered with the ZR2 package that year, so it was little surprise when it was decided to nix that option in 1972. General Motors gave the ZR1 package one more year to redeem itself in 1972 before returning those prints to its R&D team with a big red “Needs Improvement” stamp.

1990-1995

The Corvette’s fourth generation began in 1984, and in the same year, Lloyd Ruess was appointed the Vice President of General Motors. Against the better judgment of his colleagues, Reuss insisted that engineers develop a new C4 ZR-1 as its own model instead of an optional performance package. He knew the market needed something extraordinary from the U.S. if there would be any hope of staying in the race against Europe and Asia.

Imagine being the new Vice President of a corporate giant like General Motors. It’s kind of a big deal. Now imagine your big plan to “save the day” involves reinvigorating a sports car model that, just under twenty years earlier, flopped so spectacularly that it was taken off the market after only three years. There are more poignant, less politically correct terms for this, but for the sake of keeping things G-rated, let’s just say this move took guts. Two heads are better than one, even if they end up rolling in tandem directly out the door of General Motors, but Corvette Chief Engineer Dave McClellan hopped aboard Reuss’ crazy train, and together they chugged full-steam ahead toward one of the biggest “make it or break it” moments in Corvette history. All they needed was a new motor. Easy peasy.

General Motors appeared to also get onboard, but set forth a list of guidelines to the new engine that made its “okay” sound more like, “Sure, you can have your ZR-1, but only if you can lick your own elbow.” Among those guidelines were the following:

• The acceleration of this vehicle must be second to none while also maintaining superior drivability at all speeds.
• Must include electronically controlled ignition, fuel delivery, and throttle actuation to aid in optimal drivability while maintaining or exceeding the fuel economy of the existing L98 engine
• At least 50% greater power and torque gains over those of the existing L98 engine, which must come from four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank
• Must meet all U.S. emissions requirements
• Must be adaptable to the existing body and chassis of current Corvette models
• Must have an attractive look about it under the hood

The engineering team, comprised of some of the most brilliant and innovative minds in the industry, responded to this challenge with what we now know as the LT5, a mechanical marvel for its time. The 32-valve 5.7-liter fuel-injected V8 engine had an aluminum block and heads and boasted a maximum of 380 horsepower at 6200 RPM. Capable of going from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a max speed of 175 mph, the team had knocked it out of the park. Oh, it also looked perfectly pretty under the requisite existing hood design. Coupled with the LT5 engine was a 6-speed manual transmission capable of withstanding 425 lb-ft of torque and utilizing GM’s Computer-Aided Gear Selection (CAGS)––an effective method of improving fuel economy.

Knowing this model would need to stand out against lesser Corvette models, Reuss and McClellan put a little junk in the trunk, giving the rear end an additional three inches of width to accommodate a massive set of Goodyear Eagle tires. With a final wave of their wands, the team added and updated all of the bells and whistles that had been so unceremoniously stripped from previous ZR-1 models, and the ZR-1 roared into existence from 1990 to 1995 with almost 7,000 units produced.

2009-2013

One would think that releasing the most expensive Corvette model to date while in the midst of an economic crisis might be a bad idea, but the origin story of this model began well before any burst bubbles or bailouts. As the story goes, it happened during a meeting between then Corvette Chief Engineer Dave Hill and General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner to discuss the impending release of the 2006 Z06. Obviously impressed by what he saw, Wagoner is said to have asked Hill, “If you can do this for about $60,000, what could you do for $100,000?” Hill’s response doesn’t appear on record anywhere, but given the quality of the machine he proceeded to design, it could only have been, “Hold my beer and watch this.”

With a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine (the LS9) capable of 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque, the ZR1 was, once again, a beast. With a 6-speed manual transmission and even bigger wheels than its fourth-generation predecessor, this car was built for speed and drivability. Chevy had never produced a car which, fresh off the assembly line, could exceed 200 mph. That all changed with the 2009 ZR1. However, the ZR1 was retired yet again after 2013 with just south of 4,700 sixth-generation units produced.

2019

It was predicted in 1962, by none other than Hanna-Barbera via the animated adventures of the Jetson family, that we would have flying cars by 2062. It was meant to be an impossibly far-fetched idea and so futuristic as to be laughably ridiculous. Inconceivable concepts like this appeared alongside other absurd and unrealistic gizmos like smartwatches, flat-screen televisions, digital newspapers, drones, talking alarm clocks, and 3D-printed food. While we still aren’t exactly whistling around highways in the sky on our daily commutes, cars like the 2019 Corvette ZR1 certainly offer the impression that those days aren’t far away.

With a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter knew a thing or two about aerodynamics and speed. While, ideally, the 2019 ZR1 will never actually become airborne, this masterpiece, the most powerful production Corvette ever, certainly offers its driver the feeling that it could.

Beneath a massive carbon fiber “halo” hood, designed to optimize aerodynamics and drivetrain cooling, there sits the supercharged LT5, a 6.2-liter V8 engine capable of producing an astounding 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. With a new intercooled supercharger and GM’s first-ever duel-fuel-injection system to offer more efficient fuel delivery, this monster’s “supercar” status is well-earned. Additional exterior features such as the rear wing (available in either a high or low configuration) and the downforce-enhancing front splitter assist in achieving a jaw-dropping top speed of 212 mph.

On the interior, the 2019 ZR1 is similar to other models in its generation and provides ample room for the comfort of the driver and passenger alike. Wrapped in leather and loaded with features such as touchscreen infotainment, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, onboard Wi-Fi, and a head-up display, the cockpit offers plenty of ways to further enjoy what is bound to be an already exhilarating ride.

Final Thoughts, Finally

The evolution of the ZR1 has undoubtedly been one of ups, downs, twists, and turns, wrought with setbacks and obstacles that might have resulted in the retirement of the model altogether were it not for the determination of a succession of brilliant engineers with visions of grandeur. Since the release of the 2019 ZR1, the Corvette has evolved yet again, introducing the mid-engine eighth generation in 2020. It’s hard to imagine exactly what a future release of the ZR1 will look like or be capable of. We’re still a couple of decades shy of the Jetson’s predictions, but it’s safe to say that whether by land or air, the present and future ZR1 will indeed fly.