GM @ NAIAS: 2009 Corvette ZR1 PHOTO SET 3

[Chris_Doane]

2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 photos #31-47

[Chris_Doane]

[Camino LS6]

I love the first pic in this group, it's perfect.

[pow]

The wheels, combined with the awesome gray paint, make it look absolutely gorgeous. The add-ons are not at all uncouth, and the details make it surprisingly elegant and sophisticated, almost European. It's the Corvette Superleggera Stradale!

599 GTB Fiorano - eat your heart out!

Edited December 19, 2007 by empowah

[Robert Hall]

Slick, slick, slick...love the wheels and the gray paint. I like the hood hole.

[Cory Wolfe]

Feel free to berate me... I think it's bordering on cheesy. This is the best they could do? The looks are supposed to match the performance. It's like Corvette rice. Almost as bad as the 80's C3. I like the wheels, the new twin side vent and the gunmetal paint. The rest can be pitched. Maybe it'll grow on me... but as of now, I don't like it, besides the on paper specifications, which are amazing.

Edited December 19, 2007 by blackviper8891

[PurdueGuy]

sooooooo sweet! *drool*

[pow]

Feel free to berate me... I think it's bordering on cheesy. This is the best they could do? The looks are supposed to match the performance. It's like Corvette rice. Almost as bad as the 80's C3. I like the wheels, the new twin side vent and the gunmetal paint. The rest can be pitched. Maybe it'll grow on me... but as of now, I don't like it, besides the on paper specifications, which are amazing.

It's no worse than Lambo's Supperlegeras, Ferrari's Challenge Stradales, Porsche's GT2s, and Aston's DBS. They're all slightly race car cheesy and showy, but still usable, retaining A/C, navigation, airbags, and other luxuries.

[Camino LS6]

Feel free to berate me... I think it's bordering on cheesy. This is the best they could do? The looks are supposed to match the performance. It's like Corvette rice. Almost as bad as the 80's C3. I like the wheels, the new twin side vent and the gunmetal paint. The rest can be pitched. Maybe it'll grow on me... but as of now, I don't like it, besides the on paper specifications, which are amazing.

Consider yourself berated.

[regfootball]

i am really wondering why they didn't put better seats in this thing.

[PurdueGuy]

IMO, it's totally NOT rice when the car's performance makes any pizazz added completely legit. Hood window... if there were nothing sweet underneith, it would be rice. But oooooh so sweet. If the carbon fiber weren't real, or were just placed here & there to look cool - rice. But it's everywhere, and just shown in areas as an accent. Sweeeeet. Cars like this are the real thing that ricers only wish they could come anywhere close to being like.

[Robert Hall]

i am really wondering why they didn't put better seats in this thing.

What's wrong with the seats??

[Northstar]

What's wrong with the seats??

Most reviews complain that they aren't supportive enough, particularly when cornering. If I bought one of these, the first mod I would make is to put in some better seats.

[BrewSwillis]

How wicked is that skull (with corvette flags for eyes) on the air intake??

[Chris_Doane]

How wicked is that skull (with corvette flags for eyes) on the air intake??

That's Jake.

[frogger]

Awesome!

Except the steering wheel.

[Z-06]

At 3350 lbs it is heavy .

I read somewhere earlier (during its development) that they were planning to curb the curb weight to 2900 lbs, I guess that would have driven up to price in a stratospheric territory.

Neverthless, that is my next Corvette. Not that I can afford it now. However, this will bring down the price of Z06 to earth.

Those Carbon Ceramic brakes are are BIGGER than the C6-R (12" R 13" F). SEXAYYYYY!!!! Those babies will push the price up by $14K over Z06.

WE NEED A ZR-1 SMILEY

Edited December 20, 2007 by smallchevy

[BrewSwillis]

That's Jake.

Then...all hail Jake!!

[Chris_Doane]

At 3350 lbs it is heavy .

I read somewhere earlier (during its development) that they were planning to curb the curb weight to 2900 lbs

That was always just speculation.

[Drew Dowdell]

No no! You've all got it wrong! This is the Blue Devil mule!

oh,..... wait..

[ToniCipriani]

Consider yourself berated.

Actually, I agree with him. It's not rice, because all the stuff minus the glass cover is there for performance improvement. But the looks is a bit too vulgar for me. At first when I look at it I thought I'm looking at a modded Corvette from Need For Speed. If only I can stuff the performance of this into a Z06 body, that would be excellent.

Edited December 20, 2007 by ToniCipriani

[§carlet §wordfish]

The hood, spoiler, and side vents look like the only differences from the Z06. The hood window is the only part I think is a little over the top, but the rest is just awesome in my eyes.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Feel free to berate me... I think it's bordering on cheesy. This is the best they could do? The looks are supposed to match the performance. It's like Corvette rice. Almost as bad as the 80's C3. I like the wheels, the new twin side vent and the gunmetal paint. The rest can be pitched. Maybe it'll grow on me... but as of now, I don't like it, besides the on paper specifications, which are amazing.

It's no more 'rice' than the new Aston that is gracing the covers of all the rags this month.

I think it looks excellent!

[Camino LS6]

I am absolutely fine with it - All of it

[Z-06]

I am absolutely fine with it - All of it

I agree. I am thinking this will throw the Ring time for OEM cars in the gutter.

I am amazed that they can achieve the speeds they are claiming without any aerodynamic bulkiness or ugliness. Just subtle and strong makeover compared to the Z06.

Considering the amount of hardware this has, barring the F1 style transmission (which to me is not a sports car stamp), it is just an amazing vehicle given the price will be.

[Cory Wolfe]

It's no more 'rice' than the new Aston that is gracing the covers of all the rags this month.

I think it looks excellent!

And that makes it okay? I don't personally like any race trimmed sports car because I don't like the tacky elements of the design. Per the Corvette, it didn't even have that great of a design in the first place in my eyes, but that could be fixed with minor changes.

[regfootball]

Most reviews complain that they aren't supportive enough, particularly when cornering. If I bought one of these, the first mod I would make is to put in some better seats.

yup. thanks.

re: the rice look....it is bordering on it but at least it doesn't have the 'aircraft aluminum' wing from 'Mills Fleet Farm' tacked on the trunk lid.

Most exotic supercars have a sort of piecemeal look to them, very rice, and this kind of starts to lean that way. The ZED 0 6 was classy. This borders on outrageous. I guess it has to have bling on it for beach strip cruising, in order to sell.

So, with all the focus on green cars, i suppose GM will get hammered for developing a 600hp, 200mph supercar when we all should be driving Yaris. Or something like that. I am waiting for that article.

Edited December 20, 2007 by regfootball

[Turbojett]

Then...all hail Jake!!

OMG its the Punisher!

[Duncan]

From Bad Boy Vettes:

So we meet the Corvette engineers and designers at the GM Design Center and they say, "Follow us - We have something to show you". We're led way down to the basement of the building, traveling through a maze of endless tunnels.

Cool beyond belief although we are really seeing ... nothing.

Then, we abruptly turn a corner and under harsh industrial-grade fluorescent lights - there it is: A glossy, glossy dark grey carbon-fibered, clear hooded, split-coved, bad bad assed ZR1. "Wow! ", we finally manage to say, but it begged the question: "Why us?"

They reply, "We wanted you to see this." ... And with that they open its huge hood, articulated with carbon fiber bracing underneath. We then gaze upon the menacing supercharged 650+ HP LS9 behemoth and something else catches our eye.

- Can we be seeing this?

Embossed on the top of the air intake snorkel ... deep down and almost out of sight ... is an evil looking "Jake" staring up at us, more sinister than ever. The reality of the situation sinks in - the ZR1 is branded with the Corvette Racing skull mascot.

We react with a yelp. We then look up and see them, arms folded, looking at us with confident grins on their big GM faces. We are instructed to say absolutely nothing - until now.

Very sweet. How the hell did those guys get so much clout, anyway? Also, are they getting paid for that?

Oh, and here's my creative contribution for the day:

Feel free to download it from my Flickr page and coat the board with it.

[scharmer05]

yup. thanks.

re: the rice look....it is bordering on it but at least it doesn't have the 'aircraft aluminum' wing from 'Mills Fleet Farm' tacked on the trunk lid.

Most exotic supercars have a sort of piecemeal look to them, very rice, and this kind of starts to lean that way. The ZED 0 6 was classy. This borders on outrageous. I guess it has to have bling on it for beach strip cruising, in order to sell.

So, with all the focus on green cars, i suppose GM will get hammered for developing a 600hp, 200mph supercar when we all should be driving Yaris. Or something like that. I am waiting for that article.

Hardly anyone knows what Mills Fleet Farm is in here and I have never seen a ricer wing there haha.

[Simes]

So, apart from me, who is going to buy one?

All you negative writers, can you afford it?

Brilliant. That engine is a work of art.

:AH-HA_wink:

[hyperv6]

I was lucky to attend a showing this week with the stylist engineer that did the outside of the ZR-1 this weekend.

Sorry I do not recall his name but he did give our group a step by step of why the ZR-1 looks as it does.

The car is as it is not to give it a ricer look but to make it functional. The front splitter is balanced to the rear spoiler to balance the car. It is what it is due to giving the car good aero numbers but remaining fully balanced.

He has said the original concept called for a large wing like the Pratt Miller race cars. Well it produced too much rear down force and too much drag for a street car. It really messed up the balance. HE said the drag went to .51CD.

The side rockers are designed to catch the air and the little mud flap thing right infront of the rear tire is needed to hold the air over the rocker ground FX.

They spent a lot of time on the hood to keep it low so sight lines were not interupted. He said turn in to ta corner was a prime concern.

The hood window was just somting different and to set the car apart from any other Vette.

The side vents are for removing hot under hood air. Between the exhaust and brakes the side engine temps can climb to near 3,000 degrees when the top engine is only 300 degrees. The extrators are to remove the hot air and keep it in check.

The carbon fibre is more to reduce weight of the new hardare while leaving it clear lets people know this is a high tech Vette vs just sheet molded.

The wheels are designed to be much more stronger over 5 spokes with their new raidial spoke design. They are also lighter and 25% stronger than most after market wheels. I think Speed Line made them one of the worlds best racing wheels company.

Anway most of what is on the car was designed by a racer that is also a stylist. He and the Vette team made sure this was a functional cars as much as a good looking car.

The Vette here is far less ricer than some want to believe. This is not some Civc that had some big wing bolted on. This is a collection of working performance part.

While expensive at $100,000 this is one of the worlds best bargins. The lap speeds of this car will be very close to the Pratt and Miller racing Vettes. Many will not believe what this car will do when we see the numbers.

I just spent a lot of time looking at the brakes. this thing could stop a bullet train.

As the Jake mascot stand for "Take No Prisoners"!