Motoring Weekly

Latest Corvette ZR1 is racing ahead in style

July 16 - 22, 2008
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The Corvette ZR1 has a top speed of 330 km/h, making it the fastest Corvette ever produced and ranking it among the global super cars of commensurate performance.

None of those other super cars, however, equals the ZR1's performance-per-dollar ratio, according to the makers.

"The ZR1 is an incredible machine by any measure," said Ed Peper, North American vice-president, Chevrolet.

"There's simply no other vehicle in the world that does a better job of balancing performance, price and fuel economy."

The Corvette ZR1's 0-100 performance is 0.3-second quicker than the already-quick Corvette Z06 and the 0-160-kph performance is nearly a full second quicker - 7 seconds vs. the Z06's 7.9 seconds. It is performance that is equal to or better than many super cars costing substantially more.

"A favourable power-to-weight ratio gives the ZR1 an advantage over the competition and performance that has to be experienced to fully appreciate," said Tom Wallace, Corvette chief engineer.

And the racetrack isn't the only place where the ZR1 trumps its super-car competitors - it beats them at the gas pump, too. According to fueleconomy.gov, the ZR1's EPA-rated 17 city and 12 highway mileage ratings beat 2008 competitors such as the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (21 city/16 highway); the Lamborghini Murcielago (29 city/18 highway) and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage (20 city/12 highway). They're competitive with the Dodge Viper (18 city/11 highway) and the Porsche 911 GT3 (16 city/11 highway).

A new LS9 6.2L supercharged small-block engine powers the ZR1's performance capability. Heavy-duty and lightweight reciprocating components support high-rpm performance, while a new, sixth-generation supercharger (and complementing charge-cooling system) helps the LS9 make big power and torque across the rpm range. The engine is hand-assembled at GM's Performance Build Centre, in Wixom, Michigan. In addition to the LS9 engine, the ZR1 is a technology powerhouse, designed with lightweight and unique components that reinforce its performance with a confidant feel on either a highway or road course. In the Middle East, Chevrolet has a strong heritage stretching back more than eight decades.

Chevrolet boasts the widest range of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the Middle East, from the cost effective entry-level Spark, Aveo, Optra and Epica models to the iconic Corvette, and the full-size Caprice and Lumina sedans. Chevrolet also offers exciting and capable SUVs from the compact Captiva and mid-size TrailBlazer, to the fullsize Tahoe and Suburban, the Avalanche and Silverado pickups, the Uplander van, as well as chassis for commercial applications.







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