The Chevrolet Corvette enjoys legendary status in South Africa although it hasn’t been officially sold here for some time. In fact the name evokes sincere appreciation for true American muscle cars. The latest Corvette ZR1 is set to make America’s favourite supercar an international superstar!
The 6.2 litre supercharged V8 engine lets loose a shuttering 470 kW and over 800Nm of torque harnessed through a dynamic six speed manual gearbox. The gearbox uses a double plate clutch to cope with the gruesome power of the ZR1. Several other drivetrain components were also toughened to cope with the power such as the connecting rods which are now titanium and the heavy duty steel crankshaft which is fitted with a nine bolt flange instead of the regular six bolt arrangement on other corvettes.
GM Powertrain Chief Engineer, Sam Winegarden says the ZR1’s performance is impressive by any standards, “The relentless surge of power throughout the powerband from the supercharged 6.2 Litre is simply amazing” he added. The ZR1 is much more powerful than the 7.0 litre ZO6 which is capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in less than four seconds. One can only imagine just how fast the ZR1 is!
Standard magnetic ride control, slightly softer suspension and wider tyre tracks mean incredible stability at high speeds, which are eminent in the ZR1. It’s not all about speed though as the ZR1’s untamed styling combines beauty and power to provide a universally appealing package.
