2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

By Benjamin Cyr

The Corvette has always been a performance and technology leader, from the fuel-injected racers pioneered by the likes of Zora Arkus-Duntov and the ground-shaking L88 big-blocks of the late 1960s, to the first ZR-1 supercar that was introduced in 1990 and the track-dominating C5R and C6R racecars. The new ZR1 is the culmination of that legacy, delivering an uncompromising balance of performance and driving comfort that exotics costing two, three or four times as much, cannot match.

The technical information on the ZR1 that was released yesterday has already spawned the inevitable “pushrod versus overhead-cam” debate, with preconceived notions continually perpetuated about the perceived technical sophistication of a cam-in-block design. The Powertrain team’s testing shows the LS9 makes about 300 horsepower by only 3,300 rpm and a significant 320 lb.-ft. of torque at only 1,000 rpm. The engine’s rev range is competitive with many overhead-cam engines, but also got usable torque at every notch on the tachometer. It’s a also a compact, relatively low-mass package, which helps the ZR1 achieve a better power-to-weight ratio than the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and the Lamborghini LP640.