New ZR1 Corvette breaks 200 mph

[Alak]

PAPENBURG, Germany — Close on the heels of announcing its official 638-horsepower rating, GM released a video of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 making a certified 205-mph top-speed run in Papenburg, Germany.

Luke Sewell, a powertrain engineer on the Corvette platform team, told Inside Line that Patrick Herrmann, a European engineer, was behind the wheel during the top-speed run. Sewell says Herrmann isn't part of the Corvette team, but that he's certified to drive the ATP Papenburg course.

Sewell said he himself spent time in the 2009 ZR1's right seat during the testing, and that the vehicle used was an "integration" vehicle, a mule, that was different from a production car only in that it was equipped with a roll cage and instrumentation for monitoring speed, cooling temps and such.

The Corvette team performed at least nine runs, testing various small changes in terms of coolant "content." The 205 number is an average of runs in both directions (to cancel out the effect of wind). As if 205 mph isn't enough to set your hair on fire, Sewell says the ZR1 topped out at 208 mph with a tailwind. After close scrutiny of the video, we're confident the readout hits at least 207 mph around the 1:30 mark. Unfortunately, the certification process uses the average of multiple runs, so 208 is not the final quotable figure.

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Chevy first performed Corvette ZR1 top-speed testing at its proving grounds in Milford, Michigan but the track there was not long enough, and there wasn't enough banking in the turns to maintain a high enough speed. GM also top-speeded the Z06 at Papenburg before it was introduced.

As for occasional traffic on the Papenburg circuit, Sewell says the track is rented to whoever wants it, which is why you see another car and a semitruck on the track at different times during the 1-minute, 54-second video that was shot in early April.

"Things are a little different in Europe. Here we'd close down the whole thing for a top-speed run," says Sewell.

How was it to see that semi looming in the distance, we ask? "Definitely interesting," says Sewell.

What this means to you: They had us at 205. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit and Kelly Toepke, News Editor

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[Alak]

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 638 Freakin' Horsepower



DETROIT — The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which will go on sale this fall for around $100,000, will pack 638 horsepower.

That makes the ZR1 easily the most powerful vehicle General Motors has ever produced and puts the king of Corvettes into a mighty exclusive club. The ZR1 essentially matches the output of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and trails the extra-extreme limited-edition Ferrari Enzo by only a smidge. Perhaps, just as important to Chevrolet, is that the ZR1 brings 38 hp more to the American-car smackdown than the new Dodge Viper.

And at an estimated weight of 3,350 pounds, each of the ZR1's horses will have only 5.25 pounds of Vette to carry around. That weight-to-power ratio is closer to the Enzo (5 pounds) than the Viper (5.75 pounds). The Murcielago LP640 saddles each of its horses with almost 6.5 pounds. The ZR1's hp peak comes at 6,500 rpm. Its torque peak of 604 pound-feet comes at a low 3,800 rpm. Passing should not present a problem in the ZR1.

When it was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, General Motors estimated that the supercharged, 6.2-liter LS9 V8 would make at least 620 hp. The company has learned a thing or two about under-promising and over-delivering. The LS9 is a strengthened version of the tried-and-true small-block pushrod design, with an Eaton TVS (four-lobe) Roots-type supercharger and twin intercooler unit crammed in the V. Maximum boost is set at 10.5 psi and all of the engine's internals have been upgraded to more robust and/or lightweight parts, including a forged steel crank, titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons. It's fitted with a dry sump oil system and is mated to a stout six-speed manual through a twin-disc clutch.

In the most curious press release line we've read in some time, Chevrolet claims the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-hp car on the market today. Um, OK. Guess those upcoming CAFE standards have GM really spooked. In related news: My great grandmother won the national nursing home ultimate fighting championship.

Notably absent from the press release was any boasting about the ZR1 being able to take the production-car lap record at the Nürburgring — something GM had earlier claimed.

What this means to you: With the Viper on the chopping block and the Ford GT but a memory, the Corvette ZR1 will be the undisputed king of American sports cars. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit

[rs2000mk2]

for an american car not actually bad looking

[Rs0n1sT]

i want that whip