For a small fraction of the car-buying public, price is irrelevant. These people simply see something they want and buy it, regardless of cost. Forget for a moment that the ZR1 costs more than any other new Corvette. In supercar terms, this is pennies; a Ferrari 458 is more than twice as expensive, a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, over 10 times as much. Why, you ask, would the 1 percenters want something that plays at the bottom of the scale? Why bother with the cheap seats, even if that term is relative?Consider the alternatives. That 458? The chassis is flawless to the point of being distant, and you always get the feeling that the car hates you. Porsches? Almost universally lovely, but not as raw and toothsome as they once were. The Bugatti? A technological wonder and one of the fastest cars on earth, but it’s doing way more work than you are; a blindfolded Lindsay Lohan could break lap records with that thing, and she drives like a dead moose. There are Paganis and McLarens and Shelby SSCs and such, and they are all well and good, but they all come with caveats. Most are fiendishly impractical, emotionally dull, or both.
The ZR1 is the biggest, baddest ‘Vette in Chevrolet’s arsenal. The supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 under the car’s carbon-fiber hood produces 638 hp and a massive 604 pound-feet of torque. Computer-controlled magnetorheological shocks — made by Delphi, and the same technology found on the Ferrari 599 GTB — are standard, as is a great deal of carbon-fiber bodywork, an aluminum frame shared with the base Corvette, and carbon-ceramic brakes. As on lesser Corvettes, a two-mode exhaust system keeps noise to a minimum unless you boot the throttle. Curb weight is a respectable 3,353 pounds, or roughly as heavy as a BMW 1-Series M Coupe, which makes about 300 fewer horsepower.
There are few changes for 2012, save the addition of a $1,495 “High Performance Package” (kind of a redundant name, no?) that includes Michelin Pilot Sport Cup run-flat tires. For the uninitiated, this is what enthusiasts call an “R-compound” tire, DOT-certified street rubber that resembles a racing slick but is legal for road use. It offers more grip than the ZR1′s base tire, which is both ludicrous and awesome. The only penalty is a homicidal lack of grip when wet or cold. This is not an exaggeration. Want to die cold and fast? Drive a Sport-Cup-equipped ZR1 on a wintry mountain road, in the rain, with stability control off. If you live, pat yourself on the back and start buying lottery tickets.
There are two inexcusable drawbacks. One, the ZR1′s seats are ferociously unsupportive, with no lateral restraint in corners and weird bracing that can make long trips painful. And two, interior quality, even with the optional 3ZR Premium Equipment Group ($10,000, leather-wrapped dash, navigation, et cetera), needs help. The average $40,000 Audi feels more finely crafted than this.
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