C6: Z06 vs. ZR1
VERSUS
Granted, I’m only 20 years old, but I’ve been a Corvette fan for a long time. I remember when the C5 first came out in ‘97. I saw them in magazines and on tv and I instantly liked them. It turns out that my dad’s boss (and my future boss) bought a silver automatic coupe in the first part of ‘98. It was the first one I had seen in person. I was in awe of it. It was so low, so streamlined. It probably scared me at the time; kind of like the feeling you get as you board a roller coaster for the first time right before you decide that you love it. Before then, I was……*gasp*……a Viper fan. I remember a big poster I had taped up on the wall in my bedroom. It was of a first gen Viper; blue with white stripes. It was pictured on a 2 lane black top with mountains in the background. The wheels were blurred so I always tried to guess how fast it was going when the picture was taken. It was probably going pretty slow, to take the picture and all, but it was fun to let my imagination run wild. The poster had all the specs of the car listed in red towards the bottom left of the poster. At the time, I hardly knew what any of it meant, but I did notice there were rather large numbers listed. That was enough for me. That is, until I saw that Corvette. After that, I started reading popular car magazines. As long as there was a Corvette somewhere in the issue, I’d read it all. I was hooked.
Fast forward to 2005 when the C6 came out. I still loved Corvettes. I had replaced my Viper memorabilia with Corvette stuff. I also knew what all those pesky specs meant and how they translated into the real world. It was amazing. I never understood the whole “exposed headlamps = blasphemy” beef the majority of the automotive world had with the new design. I guess that’s because I was comparatively new to the Corvette fanbase and had only really “known” one generation with the hidden lamps. I digress…. I had stayed on top of the news regarding the new Vette, thanks to the internet. I was becoming a true enthusiast by then.
Now, as exciting as the C6 release was, the C6 Z06 was eons more. The base C6 to me was simply a new Corvette. Granted, that should be extremely intriguing for any enthusiast, and it was. However, the new Z06 was a new Corvette that absolutely obliterated all American competition and ran with the best of Europe’s cars costing 2-3 times as much. It was, in a word, impressive. In two words, it was amazingly impressive. Those of you in the know will remember the rampant excitement of the world at the time. Literally every automotive media outlet fell in love with it. It was an animal. An animal, that is, with a bargain basement/thrift store price tag. It was, in my opinion, the ultimate car. It was such a pure Vette that left so little to be desired. It weighed 47 pounds less than the base model car, and had 105 more horsepower. It had a top speed of almost 200 mph at an advertised 198mph. (Although, several cars have been rumored to break the 200mph barrier.) 0-60 came in 3.6 seconds, according to Car and Driver. 11.8 seconds and you could travel a quarter mile. Those are not numbers of a $70,000 car at all. Compare those to what was available from Porsche and Ferrari at the time and you’ll see what I mean. It was an exciting time for an exciting car.
When the ZR1 was introduced, of course, my interest was peaked. I understood where Chevrolet was going with the car: supercar territory. However, I didn’t and still haven’t felt the same lust for it that I had for the Z06. Don’t get me wrong, I love the car. I just find it a little unfaithful as a follow-up to my beloved Z06. You know how you felt in high school when your girlfriend dumped you for the stuck up quarterback? Kinda like that. Styling-wise, I see it as a busy Z06 with more scoops on the fenders and a body kit. It is impressive, but in my opinion, it doesn’t share the Z06’s sleak lines and overall lean sexiness. It just looks heavy. I loved the idea of the window in the hood to show off the engine. I did not, however, like the painted piece if injection molded plastic they put under it which completely killed the novelty of the feature. Now, my (I fight to say the word “dislike” here, as that’s not at all how I feel) dissatisfaction with the ZR1 continues to the running gear. Yes, 638 horsepower with 6.2 liters. It’s an awesome engineering feat. However, that’s only 133 more than the Z06. A cam swap, bolt-ons, and a PCM tune on a Z06 would net you that much or more. (I’m aware that’s not a great argument, but hang on with me for a minute….) The car weighs 3,352 pounds which is 220 more than the Z06. I know that supercharger, intercooler, and other bits add to that weight and are “necessary,” but maybe they should have left the cute little body kit off and just lowered the car instead. I know you all are thinking I’m being over-critical of an awesome car. You’re more than likely right. However, I wouldn’t be so picky if the car wasn’t selling for the price of two Z06’s. Comparatively speaking (to the exotics of the world, that is), it’s still a bargain, though. Heck, GM could have charged ZR1 prices for the Z06 and it would have still been a bargain. Compared to GM’s lineage, though, my argument stands. It beats the Z06 to 60mph by .3 seconds and through the quarter mile by .5 seconds. (according to tests done by reputable auto magazines) The ZR1 also bests the Z06 on the skidpad by only .13g. Top speed isn’t much more, either, at 205 mph. The only area where the ZR1 has a somewhat profound advantage over the Z06 is in braking. It stops from 60 mph in 97 feet compared to the Z06’s 108 feet. Seems like a negative cost/benefit ratio to me. Now, some of you might say, “But it’s a supercar and so fancy and eltist.” I would agree with you on that. I’d point out, though, that this is and has never been the point of the Corvette. The Corvette has always been about performance and value. Throughout it’s history, it has been a car the normal working man could lust after and eventually attain if he put his mind to it and worked hard enough. I think even the Z06 falls under this category. The ZR1 is ballparks away from that. It’s just……..not a true Vette, in my opinion. I love the car. I just don’t love it as a Corvette. I almost wish they would have just given it different styling and a different name so it could be branched off from the other Vettes; not unlike Ford’s GT. *gasp*
So, my point is that I love all C6’s (including the new Grand Sport). I just happen to think that the ZR1 isn’t true to the name and heritage. I’d rather have 2 Z06’s than 1 ZR1 for almost the same price. Actually, I’d rather have just a SINGLE Z06. Call me crazy.
Z06
ZR1
