Saw it on another forum not too long ago. Motor Trend is going to be in some deep doodoo... they jumped the time for revealing it.

well the rotors look to be about the size of pizza pans...I have no doubt that 620 ponies will move it just south of the sound barrier...but it still doesnt look very exotic...to me this car should look just to the right of the C6R...a LeMans fugitive...but thats just me.

The ZR-1s of the past only had minor differences to visually set them apart from the other Vettes. So this to me is to be expected.

looks like its going to be a beast. How much longer until the vette goes AWD? You can only get so much useful power through two wheels.

I'm kinda-sorta in a round-a-bout way starting to see some of the same lines as the Cadillac XLR.

The same time it goes to a mid engine car.

"-- near turbo efficiency with no lag."


ME LIKEY!

The only problem I have with a car like that is...where do you go? I mean, that's the type of car for someone who has a lot of money, and doesn't like to do the work themselves.

Frankly, I'd prefer to spend less, but mod the car myself. A car like that is going to have a good intake and exhaust, it's already got a blower AND intercooler...practically the only thing you could do would be add a turbo to twin-charge it.

That's not the point. The point is the General is finally making a car that takes the fight to the Italians.

USA Today has an article on the ZR1.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-12-20-corvette-zr1_N.htm?csp=34

"Chevrolet hasn't revealed performance figures yet, but the ZR1 will have a top speed in excess of 200 mph and will be able to race from zero to 60 mph in first gear."

why do you spend that much money on the clear coat on the carbon fiber?? just leave it carbon fiber and nobody is really gonna care...

"It took years to develop the clearcoat for the carbon-fiber because sunlight degrades the material over time."

what kind of difference is it between a fiberglass roof and a carbon fiber... like whats the weight difference... i think it would be minimal on something that small

Fiberglass is very light, but very weak. Carbon Fiber is VERY light and VERY VERY strong. In the event of a accedent, that CarbonFiber will be like having a strong metal structure around the driver without the weight.

Hmm...you do have a point, I didn't think of it that way.

However, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the majority of those cars N/A since they have 2-4 more cylinders? So you've still got the problem I mentioned. That engine can't go up much more, seeing as it's already got a blower and intercooler, but since the Lambi's and Ferrari's are N/A, THEY have room to increase power.

That's just how I see it. If I'm wrong, correct me. But it seems to me the V8 will only go so far (with the exception of the McLaren, apparently). It's the Viper that we should be looking at to smash the Italians...

Something else that some of you might find interesting, I hadn't heard that as of Sept. 13 the Bugatti Veyron is no longer the worlds faster production car. It is now an American built supercar called the SSC Aero.

Shelby Supercars
RSportsCars page

And ricers say American cars suck...tell that to the car with almost 1200hp, and a supposed 18 mpg CITY.

Sorry, I hardly see how the Corvette is answering the Italian automakers, who still have a huge leg up on suspension, design, and luxury.

The Corvette is still only best in a straight line. We've had the Viper for awhile before this, too, so it's still a little underwhelming when it takes them this long to go, "OH! I know! Let's put forced induction on the Corvette! Ha ha! Oh ho! I am so brilliant!"

True some are N/A but when you compare prices. The new ZR1 is nearly half of the competition.

The Lamborghini Murcialago has 640 hp with a 6.5L V12

The Lamborghini Gallardo has a 5L V10 producing 520hp

Ferrari F430 has a 4.3L V8 producing 485 hp
Ferrari 599 has a 6L V12 producing 620 hp


The Viper does have an extra 2.4 liters and two extra cylinders.

But given that the ZR1 is S/Cd and I/Cd I'd bet with some tweaking and tuning you can drop that pulley size and cram more power out of it or do like so many GPers are doing and drop the S/C and go twin turbo and make some crazy power.

Lamborghini and all that are also outfitted with some pretty pricey interior options, which makes up for that other half of the price plus the extra cylinders. Kind of not a fair comparison, when you consider price vs what you get.

You get some of that rare wood and suede and leather and all that crap in the Corvette and give it four more cylinders, and I bet it'll be just as expensive.

Of course, since you're just talking performance, yeah, the Corvette comes out on top in that price category, but as an answer to everything else the foreign automakers have on it .. eh. No.

Not to mention Italian cars are prominently touted as luxury cars just as much as performance cars. I don't think I've ever heard the Corvette referred to as a luxury car.

And my point, Herc, is you could s/c or turbo or twin turbo the Italian cars, and they would stomp the Vette.

I'm not a fan of Italian cars. If someone gave me one, I'd sell it and get something slower but that I want. Domestic, all the way. But like Arc, I don't see the Corvette as being nearly an equal (although for slightly different reasons).

Actually aside from the exotic woods and leathers. There is nothing "luxury" about them other then they are hand built and the pricetag that goes along with em.

Want a luxury one I bet Caddilac will get an XLR "V"

As for modding. I'm sure more can be squeezed out of that 6L. Look at NASCAR they are running sub 6Ls and producing well over 800hp NA and on carbs. Wait till Callaway gets ahold of one.

But like I said pound for pound doller for doller GM has taken the fight to the italians

Yes, aside from that, but you can't ignore the material just to try and say that the Corvette can justifiably compete with Italian automakers. It puts a huge hole in your argument to say 'ignore all this other stuff that makes a Lamborghini and Lamborghini'.

Like I said, if they didn't have all that stuff the Corvette doesn't, they'd probably all be in the same price range. But they DO have all that stuff and the Corvette DOESN'T.

It's just not that elite. It's fast for sure, but it's just not on the same level as exotic cars, and that comparison is cracked out.

I wasn't going for the "Exotic" I was going towards "supercar"

I think the new vette is on par interior wise




But remember the Lambo is a low production handbuilt car that only the elite can afford where the Vette is a mass produced more affordable supercar that can take on the "elite"

Not sure you can compare interiors from pictures alone. Sure they both look nice, but it looks like the vette still has a bunch of plastic that will age faster than some of the brushed accents on the lambo.

- What material was used for the interior? There's going to be a HUGE difference there that pictures won't tell you. Pictures aren't good evidence in this case anyway, since you would need to be sitting in them to truly tell the difference.
- The Corvette still isn't a corner carving luxury machine. It has a long way to go on suspension, since you're comparing a corner-eating bullet to a straight-line burner.
- Supercar vs exotic is still a cracked out comparison since they cater to completely different clientele with different wants in a car.
- I just have to comment on how someone can't just ignore what makes the comparison objects what they are and expect to make a valid argument.

What the Vette takes to the European automakers is what could be a potential threat in the future, but definitely isn't one right now. I'm not saying it couldn't be, they're just two very different machines right now.

Vette not a corner carver? Previous models no C6 yes.

Ill post some lap times for you. Same track same driver. Mind you the vette used was the new ZO6. The ZR1 is even better (on paper anyways)

ZO6= 1.22.4

Lambo Murc= 1.23.7

So the ZO6 being RWD was faster by over a second. The lambo is AWD.

Here's my source
http://www.topgear.com/content/tgonbbc2/laptimes/thestig/

by the way Clarkson liked the vette better on the track then the competition but the ZO6s suspension left something to be desired for daily driving. But then again he hates american cars so...

oops wrong thread.

Z06 and the lambo shouldn't really compared in general terms.

When comparing numbers like 0-60, HP, TQ, and 1/4 times, the Z06 is a bargain in comparison to the lambo.

When comparing attention attention to detail and interior quality the lambo wins.

But this is as expected. The Z06 was made to be a high end super fast mass produced car. The lambos are exotic supercars where price doesn't matter. One car is better over the other depending on what you are looking at.

Its like comparing a base corvette to a Z06. You get more power but at a great cost increase. Which is better? (Well, guess the Z06 is :p )

Can't go by pics so much. To me, they look pretty good. I like the Z06's look better.

However, its like looking at a couch made a particle board and pleather vs. one made of real wood with leather from 80 territorial bulls. In the pics they look the same but...