With the mid-engined Corvette looming on the horizon, the days of wine and roses for the seventh-generation Corvette are slowly but surely coming to an end. It’s crystal clear, then, that Chevy has something cooking as a farewell present to C7 fans.
The name of that particular present is the ZR1, and in the newest spy video of the ultra ‘Vette, the ultimate variant of the C7 dominates the Nurburgring Nordschleife. And just every car that happens to be on the track at a given moment. One of the reasons the ZR1 is so quick on a circuit is aero.
An even more aggressive take on the Corvette Z06 with the Z07 Performance Package, the ZR1 needs the supplementary aero wizardry to keep the rear axle under control during cornering. A second reason comes in the form of V8 power. Lots of it, in fact, considering that the Z06 develops 650 ponies and 650 pound-feet of torque from its LT4 supercharged mill. Based on audible evidence and what the rumor mill is saying, the ZR1 is expected to pack an uprated version of the small-block engine, with 700 hp or so to its name.
And boy, this thing is loud even with the bosozoku-style exhaust pipes. Speaking of which, the curious-looking things are there to actually limit the aural display of what lurks underneath the long, bulging hood. The pictured prototype also exhibits super-sticky rubber and humongous brake rotors.
The blue-painted calipers, meanwhile, are a direct reference to the sixth-generation Corvette ZR1. A beast of a car that earned the nickname Blue Devil, the preceding ZR1 packs a blown V8 and supercar-killing performance. Bearing in mind the C6 ZR1 retailed from $103,300 back when it was new, it’s safe to argue that Chevrolet’s new halo model will tread in the same ballpark.
As for a debut date, the consensus is sometime in August 2017.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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