Corvette ZR1: You’ve hit the MOTHER LODE!

I’m not going to lie: sometimes being me has some distinct advantages, as I am one of the few people that gets to do what they really love–I get to play with cars. Case in point–last week I received a phone call from a good buddy of mine asking me if I was available for a 2-day quickie road trip to Bowling Green, KY to help drive his new brand 2009 Corvette ZR1 1100 miles home to Long Island, NY. Um, yeah… I’m available for that!

Until a few years ago, when one thought of a super-car, names like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bugatti would generally come to mind. Rarely, however, have super-car and Chevrolet gone together in the same sentence–that is, until now. The Chevrolet Corvette has always been America’s sports car. Every 3-5 years it gets redesigned and updated for enhanced performance, but it never really got to the point of posing a threat to the offerings from across the pond.

Some quick numbers to think about: 638HP / 604TQ, 0-60 in 3.3 sec, 209 MPH Top Speed, 60-0 stopping in 97 feet.

Think about those numbers for a second because what they represent is America’s first real entrance into the consumer super-car market. Instantly recognizable as a Corvette, most people will simply dismiss it as such, which is both good and bad. Good, because you don’t have all the Ferrari or Lamborghini flash and bad for the same reason. I suppose it will depend on the tastes of the driver. The ZR1’s interior is standard Corvette with a few nice upgrades added for the ZR1 package. Two-tone leather, a carbon fiber console and leather-wrapped dash are nicely done but in no way over the top. The dash panel is standard Corvette as well, with the only change being the replacement of the amp gauge with a boost monitor for the LS9’s supercharger.

Exterior cues are a bit more visceral, with the most obvious being the clear panel on the ZR1’s carbon fiber hood. The roof, sail panels, front spoiler and side ground effects are carbon fiber as well. Taking a closer look reveals massive 15.5″ carbon-ceramic rotors up front with equally impressive 15″ rotors out back - if this doesn’t scream “SUPER CAR,” then I don’t know what does.

Driving the ZR1 provides something that I was simply amazed at: comfort. Seriously, this thing is comfortable. Gone are the ox-cart leaf springs of the Z06 and in place is GMs all new magnetic selective ride control suspension. We cruised 1100 miles and were constantly amazed by  how compliant the ZR1 was over all kinds of road surfaces. No jarring bumps, no drama, no nothing, just a great ride. Interior noise was minimal as well. The exhaust is very quiet until you get into the throttle and open up those butterflies and supercharger whine is almost nonexistent. The nice part is that if you want to get serious, you can just turn the knob on the center console from “touring” to “sport”. Steering and suspension feel is now more prevalent through the steering. The gear ratios in the ZR1 are also much better suited to around-town and highway cruising than those of the Z06.

The words above may make you think that the ZR1 is a bit soft. Yes, it’s very comfortable, it has loads of storage room and even gets respectable mileage–until you decide to go fast. Simply put, the ZR1 accelerates like it has a Saturn V rocket strapped to the roof. Plant your foot and you will find yourself gripping the wheel with both hands and laughing out loud. Your grin will widen until you hit the maximum degree of stretchiness that your face will allow and you will feel every hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. The needle blazes past legal speeds in less than 5 seconds and continues until you get well into full-felony territory. Problem with this is, you just don’t care–this car makes you want to speed. Acceleration is there in every gear, hell, you can just slap this thing in 4th gear and drive around all day long if you want.

A great moment came while cruising on Rte. 95N towards NYC when we came upon a group of STi’s and Evo’s - probably 5 or 6 cars in total. As we rolled up all heads turned towards the ZR1, yet no downshifts from the import contingent ensued. We gave them a look, a nod and a wave goodbye and continued on with no drama. What that said to me was that everyone in that group understood what the Corvette ZR1 was and more importantly, what it is capable of. Some may read this and disagree with my view of this car being a true super-car. You may say it must have an Italian or German pedigree to be counted. However, if you fall into this category I would strongly urge you to reconsider. Because, between the US-built Ultimate Aero busting the Veyron’s production speed record, and all-American Chevrolet offering a Corvette with true super-car chops that’s nonetheless still attainable to a wide segment of the performance-car market, America has been setting some precedents lately that will truly make all of Europe’s finest take a second look at their drawing boards.

By the way, you may have noticed the license plate on this particular ZR1 reads: “MTHRLODE”. The reason: it’s the official pace car of The Mother Lode Rally which is set to take place from May 15th-May 22nd, 2009. This car is poised to accomplish some pretty cool stuff in the coming months, so keep it tuned to the blog for further information.