[supra93]

It's here. After months of speculation, spy shots and fleeting public tests captured on video, the 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is finally here. It looks vicious, like the already hot Z06 moonlighting as a GT3-spec Le Mans racer. The rear wing looks large enough for light aircraft duty and the front splitter could help ZR1 owners offer snow-plow service during the winter. The engine is so tall that the 755-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8 literally pokes out of the hood. This is the ne plus ultra of any production car ever badged with a bowtie.

At the heart of every Corvette is a rip-roaring, fire-spitting V8. Anything else would be tantamount to treason, causing marches on Bowling Green calling for blood and the ashes of Zora Arkus-Duntov. The new LT5 might be named in honor of the 1990 ZR-1's (C4 had the hyphen) engine, but eschews that V8's dual-overhead cams. Instead, this pushrod V8 uses an Eaton supercharger that's 52-percent larger than the one on the Z06. The throttle body has a diameter of nearly 4 inches. All in, the LT5 makes 755 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 715 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. That's a 300-horsepower leap over the base Corvette.

In addition to the extra displacement from the blower, the LT5 makes use of both direct and port fuel injection. Not only should this help fuel flow, it should slow the carbon buildup that occurs with direct-injected engines. It uses a more efficient intercooler, too, helping prevent the heat-soak issues that plagued the Z06. The supercharger and intercooler are so large that the hood is open in the middle, raising a big middle finger to pedestrian crash standards. It sits three inches higher than the standard car. The whole front end has been honed and shaped to feed air into the engine and driveline. Four new radiators bring the total to 13.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through either a seven-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. Both are the same as the ones found in the Z06, gear ratios and all. If it follows the Z06's trend, the car might actually be quicker if you let the computer handle the shifting. Still, save the manuals and all that jazz. Tadge Juechter, chief Corvette executive engineer, says that the manual is more robust and the preferred option for track use.

https://www.autoblog.com/2017/11/12/...te-zr1-reveal/