The Birth of a Supercar Killer
April 20, 2018
They were first spotted as early as April of 2017 for track testing. Then, they were officially unveiled that November. Finally, those who had ordered their 2019 Chevrolet ZR1 Corvettes began getting their cars in March of 2018.
Much like the every other Corvette carrying the ZR1 nameplate, the 2019 model competes with cars well out of its price range. It beat two supercars, the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, at the Virginia International Raceway Grand East Course. Both cars retailed at over $100,000 more than the new ZR1.
The ZR1 is powered by the new LT5 motor. Essentially, it is the LT4, which is used in the rest of the current generation corvettes, but it has a larger supercharger. As a result, the new ZR1 outputs 755 horsepower. Previously, the most powerful corvette only made 650 horsepower. The new ZR1 has a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.85 seconds and will run a quarter mile pass in 10.6 seconds at 134 mph. The McLaren 720s starts at $180,000 more, but it only hits 60 mph 15 hundreths of a second faster, and its quarter mile time is 7 tenths of a second quicker.
While the 2019 ZR1’s starting price of $120,000 may sound expensive to most, compared to the competition, it is extremely affordable. It will be interesting to see how the ZR1 stands up to its competitors when GM goes and sets an official time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife track. Once depreciation takes its toll on the ZR1, it will definitely be a tempting car to buy in the future.