Chevy once again shows how it's done: Corvette ZR-1

[_KimberlyAnn]

For the men on this thread who seem so concerned with their balls: A Public Service Announcement.

(Notice the placement of the rolls of hay next to the grain silo. Hee Hee.)

KA

[_skippy the dead]

My girlfriend saw me drooling over this, bopped me with a rolled up magazine and yelled "NO! Bad Angus!"

Legend has it a few years ago General motors Chairman Rick Wagoner was so impressed with the then $65,500 Corvette Z06 that he remarked "I wonder what they could do for $100,000..."

Chevy's engineers took him seriously and the Blue Devil project started. Blue Devil became the Corvette ZR-1, powered by the supercharged 6.2 liter (378ci) V8 LS9 engine (basically a performance tuned LS-3), pushing out a rather jaw dropping 638bhp and 604ft-lbs of torque. Improving further over the Z06 they used the same carbon ceramic brakes from the Ferrari FXX on the front and the front brakes of the Ferrari Enzo on the rear, a new active magnetic suspension control system to improve off the line accelleration and cornering, replaced most of the body paneling with carbon fiber panels, a new gear set for the transmission (in the ZR-1 sixth gear isn't an overdrive gear for fuel economy when cruising, it's there for pushing the ZR-1 past 220mph), and 19" front/20" rear Michelin PS2 tires.

Daddy wants, but Daddy is having a real hard time justifying it....

I have just one question. Does it get good gas mileage?

[_Doctor Steuss]

For the men on this thread who seem so concerned with their balls: A Public Service Announcement.

(Notice the placement of the rolls of hay next to the grain silo. Hee Hee.)

KA

Ha!

On a serious note (for those who drive Vespas in order to compensate for our genital shortcomings), are dudes really supposed to do self-junk evaluations for cancer? I didn’t know this, and I’ve never done it before.

[_Angus McAwesome]

I just took the information from the second website that matched my results while looking for the stats. Sorry if they're inacurate. Maybe the ZR-1 has less torque. Or maybe the "autoblog" is wrong (I don't know how "realiable" they are as I'm not into cars that much).

Sounds like typical Chevy underestimating their stats. They're notorious about that. Cor exsample their initial claims for the ZR-1's horse power was only 600bhp and then ASE came back with a confirmed 638bhp. We'll find out come august when people start taking delivery of the ZR-1 and some official track times get set.

And here I thought I was talking about a much heavier car that has had nothing done to it vs. a non-bone-stock-production car. [end sarcasm]

Yeah, because comparing a massively modified car to a bone stock car is well, retarded. Seriously, if you want to play that noise, I've seen guys modify Viper RT/10 with dual turbos that get over 1400bhp and low 7s in the 1/4 mile.

I have no idea how much they spent (it was a joint venture with his dad). I wouldn't be surprised if in the end it was 2-3 times the cost of the car.

So basically you're saying the guy probably spent as much or maybe even more then the cost of Z06 in order to get a Focus to go as fast in the quarter mile as a Z06. Tell your buddy he needs to stop watch 2Fast2Furious.

Really, what’s up with the “buddy” in quotes? I assume you're trying to imply that I'm making stuff up in order to look cool? I gave up trying to appear cool long ago... mostly due to my small testicles.

Sorry, Doc. usually when I hear something that sounds like "I know a guy who..." my bull-o-meter goes off. In this case it probably was a false alarm. Need to get that thing calibrated.

snip image

Seriously, what did this guy put under the hood of that Focus? Because I know for a fact that the best engine Ford put in the Focus was the 2.0 Zetec in the Focus SVT, and there is not way in hell you'd be able to get almost 4hp per cubic out of that engine even with dual turbos and NOS without blowing it up. The block simply can't handle the stress. I've seen people do goofy stuff like African engineer a 351 Windsor into a Focus though... But no way he got that of the stock engine.

[_Angus McAwesome]

I have just one question. Does it get good gas mileage?

Surprisingly enough, for a sports car in that performance class it gets excellent gas milage (14/20mpg or somewhere abouts).

[_Doctor Steuss]

Yeah, because comparing a massively modified car to a bone stock car is well, r******d. Seriously, if you want to play that noise, I've seen guys modify Viper RT/10 with dual turbos that get over 1400bhp and low 7s in the 1/4 mile.

I happen to think it’s funny. There’s something about a Focus dusting a car that normally should annihilate it that makes me giggle. I’m weird like that. I’d get the same giggles watching the Viper you speak of dust someone in a McLaren.

So basically you're saying the guy probably spent as much or maybe even more then the cost of Z06 in order to get a Focus to go as fast in the quarter mile as a Z06. Tell your buddy he needs to stop watch 2Fast2Furious.

As they (he and his dad) own the oldest chassis dyno shop in Vegas , it was a business decision. One that got them a write-up in Turbo as well as other publicity. Creating what has been deemed (by some) as the world’s fastest street Focus can make for good publicity. Since he drives a plain-old Volvo normally (and before the weather turned was driving a motorcycle because of the savings in gas), I’m fairly certain it had nothing to do with a penchant for “2Fast2Furious.”

Sorry, Doc. usually when I hear something that sounds like "I know a guy who..." my bull-o-meter goes off. In this case it probably was a false alarm. Need to get that thing calibrated.

Understood. In the realm of the internet, it’s often best to let the BS meter remain unchecked. If you do a little hunting and discover my in real life name, I’m sure it would take little effort to find a few websites with both his name and mine together (and a few with pictures of us… we make sweet, sweet music together). Or, you can assume I'm making junk up. Either way, doesn't really matter. 'Tis not like our lives depend upon it.

Seriously, what did this guy put under the hood of that Focus? Because I know for a fact that the best engine Ford put in the Focus was the 2.0 Zetec in the Focus SVT, and there is not way in hell you'd be able to get almost 4hp per cubic out of that engine even with dual turbos and NOS without blowing it up. The block simply can't handle the stress. I've seen people do goofy stuff like African engineer a 351 Windsor into a Focus though... But no way he got that of the stock engine.

http://www.turbomagazine.com/features/0704_turp_2000_ford_focus/index.html

I'm pretty sure they've done even more since this was written.

[_Angus McAwesome]

I happen to think it’s funny. There’s something about a Focus dusting a car that normally should annihilate it that makes me giggle. I’m weird like that. I’d get the same giggles watching the Viper you speak of dust someone in a McLaren.

I've seen a dodge minivan smoke Mustang GT before. Sleepers are nice all, but you hear them coming. As far as that Viper vs McLaren, assuming you're talking one of the F-1 varients, 1/4, sure. But anything involving turns and that McLaren got it.

As they (he and his dad) own the oldest chassis dyno shop in Vegas , it was a business decision. One that got them a write-up in Turbo as well as other publicity. Creating what has been deemed (by some) as the world’s fastest street Focus can make for good publicity. Since he drives a plain-old Volvo normally (and before the weather turned was driving a motorcycle because of the savings in gas), I’m fairly certain it had nothing to do with a penchant for “2Fast2Furious.”

Still, waste of money. All they've got is a car that performs well on a 1/4mile track, and really, that don't impress me much. There's doesn't of videos on youtube of people doing ridiculous things with pintos, panels vans, and even go carts to get them to run low tens or even lower times. Like I said about the Viper vs McLaren, those things are only good for straight line acceleration in a 1/4, but not worth a damned for turns or for sheer speed.

Understood. In the realm of the internet, it’s often best to let the BS meter remain unchecked. If you do a little hunting and discover my in real life name, I’m sure it would take little effort to find a few websites with both his name and mine together (and a few with pictures of us… we make sweet, sweet music together). Or, you can assume I'm making junk up. Either way, doesn't really matter. 'Tis not like our lives depend upon it.

Internets r srs business, srsly.

http://www.turbomagazine.com/features/0704_turp_2000_ford_focus/index.html

I'm pretty sure they've done even more since this was written.

That explains it a little, they did use the stock block, but the rebuilt the living crap out of it and ran a low compression set up to keep it from going boom. That would also explain why it takes so long for the engine to rev up.

[_Angus McAwesome]

It's official... ZR-1 just became the fastest stock production car on the 'Ring. 7:24.5 seconds, 3 seconds faster then the Nissan GT-R. Though the GT-R Spec-V has an unofficial time of 7:25, but it's 1. still a prototype and 2. not stock by any means whcih means they run it to beat the ZR-1 then Chevy will just tinker a bit and send Jan Magnussen to drive instead of one of their engineers (yeah, the ZR-1 wasn't being driven by a professional).

[_Doctor Steuss]

It's official... ZR-1 just became the fastest stock production car on the 'Ring. 7:24.5 seconds, 3 seconds faster then the Nissan GT-R. Though the GT-R Spec-V has an unofficial time of 7:25, but it's 1. still a prototype and 2. not stock by any means whcih means they run it to beat the ZR-1 then Chevy will just tinker a bit and send Jan Magnussen to drive instead of one of their engineers (yeah, the ZR-1 wasn't being driven by a professional).

That's bloody nuts.

Isn't the GT-R only going to be a V6? Or am I thinking of another car?

[_Angus McAwesome]

You say "V-6" like that means anything these days. For japanese automobiles, V-6 engines are kind of a standard. The GT-R has a 3.8L dual-turbocharged V-6 pumping out 480bhp and 430ft-lbs of torque. Very well balanced car too from what I understand. Thing is, it also weighs about 3,800lbs.

The ZR-1 is only 3,100lbs.

Now I know you're thinking that the ZR-1 has a little over 150bhp and is 500lbs lighter it should have done better then beat the GT-R by just 4 seconds. Nissan did their run with a professional driver and kept tinkering with the car and redoing laps until they got as fast a time as they could. Chevy send a car off the assembly line and one of their engineers to drive it and did their fastest lap best out of four laps. With a professional driver and perfect track conditions (I hear there was also a nasty headwind on the long straight at the 'Ring when Chevy was driving it), they could possibly get the car to do under 7:10 or even below 6 minutes.