There are few arguments against the 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1. It’s a performance monster that punches far above its weight class, taking on cars double or even triple its price with ease. The Corvette built its legacy on affordable performance. Yes, the C7 Corvette ZR1 commands six figures; however, it’s starting price of $122,095 is still well below its performance output. It’s one of the reasons Road & Track named the ZR1 its Performance Car of the Year.
“The C7 Corvette ZR1 won because it brought out the wide-eyed enthusiast in all of us—IndyCar pros, club racers, and jaded journalists alike,” writes Road & Track. “Everyone wanted more time in the ZR1. Every aspect of the ZR1, from the rib-cage-vibrating engine note to the adjustable traction control, strikes a chord. The Chevy also happens to exhibit many of the McLaren’s qualities at one-seventh the price.”
The C7 Corvette ZR1 packs a supercharged LT5 6.2-liter V8 engine producing 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is 212 miles per hour while a sprint to 60 mph from a standstill takes just 3.1 seconds. It runs the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 129.1 mph. That’s supercar levels of performance in a relatively affordable package.
The C7 Corvette ZR1 competed against the likes of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Ferrari 488 GTB, and McLaren Senna to win the award. The Ferrari is priced closest to the ZR1—$252,000—but it’s down nearly 100 horsepower. The Porsche GT2 RS makes 700 horsepower, but it starts at almost $300,000. The McLaren Senna is a seven-figure hypercar. Comparing prices along makes it easy to see why the Corvette ZR1 took top honors.
Another C7 Corvette ZR1 perk is its ability to offer a wide range of features. You can order one with a stick shift, sparse interior, and the aero package, or you could opt for a leather-finished interior, subdued wing, and automatic gearbox, as the magazine writes. At six figures, the Corvette ZR1 still gives customers choices while delivering unrivaled performance. That sounds like a win in our book.
For what it’s worth, Motor Trend ranked the C7 Corvette ZR1 far down its list of similar performance vehicles in its Best Driver’s Car competition.
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Comments
Already faster around a track than a Ferrari 488 Pista, did GM really need to reinvent the thing with the engine midship? That development money could have been used elsewhere.
Yes because a car with a mere 500hp/340lb-ft can still get better times around the Nürburgring, embarrassing Jeuchter’s crew so much they failed to post their times from the same session on the same day. Instead the web was given a different story that day, as carried here on GMA, that the Corvette crew were very kind and magnanimous to share the track with Porsche when they didn’t have to, which actually is magnanimous and kind. Still doesn’t change the fact Porsche beat the ZR1 with a car with 2/3rds the grunt.
Er, the magazine that gave this “prize” features Sam Smith as its pride-n-joy feature writer. This is a huge problem for them. Smith is utterly bereft of knowledge about cars, and about his job. R&T has plummeted so far since the days of Paul Frere and Phil Hill (although JR Hildebrand is a shining light from their low depths these days).
Go look up YT clip R&T “The 718 Cayman GTS is Porsche’s Best Kept Secret”. Smith opens up with how the 718 is a twin turbo and Okulski doesn’t even blink. Read Smith’s performance-car-feature on the Citroen 2CV and his 5yo daughter’s laugh. In fact, read any story by Smith to find out about whatever Smith is eating/drinking/TV-watching/hanging-out-with, because what you will never get from him is any facts about the cars he was assigned.
Smith has ruined R&T utterly and completely. It now belongs with Martha Stewart and Oprah magazines. No wonder they pick their PCOTY randomly. Smith probably had his coffee that day in the ZR1 and that’s what won it the prize.
Hmmm …
Sam Smith’s opinion, or Randy Pobst’s testing and analysis. Which one should I read?
LOL at you. Everybody with a comp license knows Randy says and writes whatever he thinks will get him paid. And his pace is garbage nowadays.
Sooooo…..
That 718 twin turbo then, …
“Everybody knows” is classic Dunning Kruger. Get yer lemon juice ready and look it up, Mr Wheeler.
Anytime someone tells me that a super car is faster then the Corvette (Base, Z51, Grand Sport, Z06, ZR1). I ask one question, how much does the car cost!
Enough said