Tested: 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Is an Undercover Supercar

Car and Driver

2 days ago

From the April 1990 issue of Car and Driver.
A word of advice to you cynics in the au­dience: don't even think about brushing off the new ZR-1 as just a Corvette with more horsepower. After two weeks and 2179 miles with a production-line ver­sion, we're here to report that the ZR-1 is something else entirely. Its 375 hp does more than propel it to dizzying speeds­—that massive allotment of power cata­pults the ZR-1 to a completely new plane, the rarefied realm where a car becomes more than just a car.
To a certain cadre of knowledgeable enthusiasts, the ZR-1's reputation has al­ready assumed mythic proportions. After a slew of rave pre-production reviews, this brutal Corvette has become a spiritu­al icon, ready to take its place in the car guy's house of worship next to such awe-­inspiring legends as the Cobra, the Hemi, and the Countach. During our time with the ZR-1, we professional skep­tics turned up ample evidence of its hero­ic status.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
Item: An ad in the Chicago Sun-Times shows a Chicago-area Chevy dealer of­fering a new ZR-1 for $112,500, which is nearly double its list price.
Item: A C/D editor is approached at a local eatery by a trio of college-age youths. "That your Corvette, sir?" one of them asks.
"Yes, it is."
"But it has square taillights."
"Well, yes, it does."
"But only ZR-1s have...square..." At which point the three bolt for an up-close look, leaving behind a unanimous "Wow!" as they charge out the door.
Item: On the test track, the car pic­tured here rips a 176-mph hole through the air as it barrels around the Transpor­tation Research Center of Ohio's 7.5-mile high-speed oval. Among U.S.-speci­fication production cars, only a healthy Ferrari Testarossa would be able to equal that performance.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
It's been nearly twenty years since Chevrolet offered a Corvette with any­thing like this brand of speed (the last of the monster big-block engines was emas­culated at the end of the 1971 model run), so it's not surprising that the faith­ful have been eagerly awaiting the 3000 ZR-1s that Chevrolet will produce this season. As fast as the legendary Cor­vettes were, the ZR-1 has more top end. And with its 4.6-second 0-to-60-mph time and 12.9-second, 111-mph quarter-mile clocking, it's the quickest-accelerat­ing Corvette we've ever tested. It's also the quickest U.S.-legal production car on the market. Not even the Testarossa can stay with it through the gears.
All of this makes the ZR-1 immune to the normal market forces at work on most other automobiles. This is not a car in the conventional sense; it's an object of desire, a toy, a piece of history. At this plateau, the standards of comparison change. Suddenly a lot of things don't matter anymore. It's silly to criticize a Testarossa for its antiquated switch gear or a Countach for its plain upholstery. Likewise, Corvette ZR-1s will be snapped up at premium prices regardless of whether they are exemplary all-around automobiles. But will they be valued for the right reasons?
They will by everyone who buys a ZR-1 for the purpose of exercising it. If our two weeks behind the wheel taught us anything, it's that the ZR-1 is as exotic as any Ferrari or Lamborghini. It's just dif­ferent, with its own special way of deliver­ing its prodigious performance. And as with any exotic, to enjoy it you have to have a taste for the particular way it goes about its business.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
If your taste runs to brutish, you'll love the ZR-1. That's no criticism. A ZR-1 in full song is a dead-serious automobile­ blunt and worthy of respect. Its bellicose engine note will fill your gut with adrena­line, and its raw power will make you think twice before burying your right foot in the carpet. You don't unleash this car casually.
It's the ZR-1's engine, called the LT5, that sets it apart from standard-issue Vettes. Sure, the ZR-1's rear fenders are stretched and stuffed with massive 315/35ZR-17 rubber and its tail-end styling is slightly different, but only the cogno­scenti will notice. The 375-hp, 32-valve, 5.7-liter V-8 is what puts the demon in this car's soul.
The engine's sound alone will make you a believer. Plant your right foot in any gear at any rpm and you hear some­thing wonderful. At 1500 rpm, the LT5 sounds flatulent and full, like a 1950s hot rod with glasspack mufflers. By 2000 rpm, you pick up the distant beat of drums. At 3000 rpm, the drumbeats turn into mulled machine-gun fire. By 4000 rpm, the engine note is loud and hoarse; now the LT5 is deep-breathing in ear­nest. From 4500 rpm to the 7000-rpm redline, the lusty V-8 emits a headstrong, metallic cry, like a giant circular saw ready to slice through anything in its way.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
The sweetly violent soundtrack boom­ing through the cabin is entirely appro­priate considering what's happening out­side. At full throttle in first or even second gear, the ZR-1 rears up like a startled stallion and lunges ahead. If the road is wet, it will spin its wheels all the way to 80 mph, despite its limited-slip differential.
What's even more impressive is how long the thrill of acceleration lasts. Most cars begin to fade at 80 or 90 mph, but the ZR-1 hurtles on as if possessed. Keep the throttle down on a two-lane road and the trees blur into a turbulent tunnel. Bursts of 100 mph or more are possible even on short straightaways.
As fast as the ZR-1 is, there is a practi­cal limit to its performance. Even in the relatively uncrowded Midwest, it's hard to find enough clear, straight highway to wind the ZR-1 beyond 140 mph comfort­ably. Indeed, running a ZR-1 anywhere near its top speed will take cunning and planning. We went to the TRC oval to ensure that we could go nearly three miles a minute in complete safety.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
This car's real worth only emerges when you use it hard, because if you don't, you'll forever wonder what all the fuss is about. If you baby the throttle and shift at 2500 rpm, the ZR-1 is as docile as any regular Corvette. Even an expert would have a hard time detecting that this is the wild-animal version.
There is little to tip you off inside the cabin. From the driver's seat, the ZR-1 looks nearly identical to its less powerful stablemates. Only the 7000-rpm redline on the tach, the removable engine-power key in the dash (it lets you dial the en­gine's horsepower back by about a third to cool the ardor of curious parking va­lets), and the bothersome glare of the "full engine power" light distinguish it from its lesser brethren.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
Easy driving also reveals that the ZR-1 comes standard with all the vices and vir­tues of normal Corvettes. The fiberglass body creaks and groans—our brand-new test car loosened up considerably in the short time we had it—and the big glass hatch flutters annoyingly at high speed. Everyone who drove the car complained about the zoomy, new-for-1990 dash and its hard-to-read instruments. Nor is the interior's fit and finish anywhere near what it ought to be for a car in the 30-grand range, let alone one costing nearly twice that much.
Of course, the ZR-1 also delivers all of the good things we've come to expect from Corvettes. Once again we find our­selves singing a chorus of praise for the Vette's race-car-sharp handling. (Ex­perts will detect more understeer than in the standard car, thanks in part to the ZR-1's wider rear tires, which provide more bite at the back.) The massive, ABS-equipped brakes are superb. The cockpit-adjustable shock-absorber sys­tem works admirably, and the six-speed manual gearbox—the only transmission offered—is a joy to row.
Don Johnston
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Car and Driver
It's the ZR-1's split personality that distinguishes it from the rest of the world's exotic iron. Compared with, say, a Lambo or a Ferrari, the ZR-1 is almost invisible; you don't encounter inquisitive stares every time you roll up to a stop­light. Passers-by never pigeonhole you when you're trying to make a clean get­away. If what you really want is attention, buy something else. Only a few knowl­edgeable enthusiasts will ever recognize a ZR-1 for what it is.
To us, that's all part of the ZR-1's ap­peal. This is a thrilling car for driving; who cares if it's a complete bust at pos­ing? The ZR-1 thumbs its nose at the fa­mous-label exotics and delivers the goods in its own distinctive, cut-to-the­-chase style. Maybe you like that kind of car, maybe you don't.
We know which side of the argument we come down on: the new ZR-1 isn't just another Corvette. It's the Corvette.
Counterpoints
First things first. The ZR-1 is the best Corvette ever built. It easily out­shines the revered L88s, LT-1s, and fuelies of yore. As great as those cars were in their day, none of them comes close to the ZR-1 in performance and handling. (I'd bet that a ZR-1 could even outgun a 427 Cobra on the race­track.) Best of all, the ZR-1 is more comfortable and everyday-usable than a 176-mph car has a right to be.
That said, I doubt that the ZR-1 will win over many Porsche or Ferrari afi­cionados. Despite its princely price, it still suffers the squeaks and rattles that plague regular Vettes. And it shares the same ergonomic short­comings—gauges with needles that move down as temperatures move up, a cheap-looking gray dash littered with tacky orange lettering, and a blazing warning light that lasers into your eyes at night should you have the effrontery to leave the valet key in the "full engine power" position.
None of this dilutes the joy that the ZR-1 brings to confirmed Vette fans. But the infidels will likely remain un­convinced. —Csaba Csere
The Corvette ranked as my favorite car when I was fifteen and TV brought Route 66, wherein a Vette and two studs had their way with America. In the meantime came much experi­ence with many cars. So I've been mortified every time the Vette was voted among our 10Best Cars. It represents a very blunt instrument: big tires and torque, little finesse or quality. Five years ago, our long-term Vette fell apart faster than it had been slapdashed together. It drove and creaked like a rolling hinge. Now the garden-variety Corvette has been surpassed by Nissan's sensational 300ZX Turbo.
The fearsome ZR-1 blows off both but fails to improve on the all-around (sub)standards of the regular Vette. Despite its extra engine technology, the ZR-1 can't damp the coarseness common to all Chevy V-8s. The huge tires give good "g" but jerk you laterally over pavement ruts and seams. Nothing major feels as if it were about to fall off, but I still fear finding the pedals awash in nuts and bolts. If my feet are going to fail me, I'd rather it be my fault. —Larry Griffin
Corvettes have always been like grain alcohol to me: all punch without much taste. I like sleek, fast two-seaters, but for all the potential promised by the regular Corvette—including the arrival of the fine six-speed trans­mission in 1989—its squeaks, shakes, and front-heavy feel prevent the car from being either rewarding or appealing.
The ZR-1 is different. It's easier to drive than any Corvette I've known. Very easy, in fact, for a machine capa­ble of reaching 176 mph and leaping to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Its 375-horsepower V-8 lies tame at idle and answers your commands more smoothly than the overhead-valve base engine. The ZR-1's suspension, switched to the lightest, Touring setting, is controlled and honest: you feel the road, and the feedback is welcome rather than painful.
With some luck, the ZR-1's refine­ments and chassis development will eventually trickle down to the more accessible base car. Which would cer­tainly give the regular Corvette the taste I'm looking for. —Phil Berg
Specifications
Specifications
1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door targa
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $32,479/$59,675
Options: ZR-1 package (consists of LT5 5.7-liter DOHC V-8, 11.0 x 17-in rear wheels, P315/35ZR-17 rear tires, ZR-1 bodywork, Z51 suspension with FX3 adjustable shocks, leather sport seats, 6-way power seats, low-tire-pressure warning system, sound system, and heat-absorbing windshield coating), $27,016; automatic climate-control system, $180.
ENGINE
DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 349 in3, 5727 cm3
Power: 375 hp @ 5800 rpm
Torque: 370 lb-ft @ 5600 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 13.0-in vented disc/12.0-in vented disc
Tires: Goodyear Eagle ZR
F: P275/40AR-17
R: P315/35ZR-17
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 96.2 in
Length: 176.5 in
Width: 74.0 in
Height: 46.7 in
Passenger Volume: 49 ft3
Cargo Volume: 18 ft3
Curb Weight: 3527 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.6 sec
100 mph: 10.6 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.9 sec @ 111 mph
130 mph: 18.7 sec
150 mph: 30.0 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 12.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 12.3 sec
Top Speed: 176 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 162 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.87 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 14 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 16/25 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Reviewed by
Rich Ceppos
Director, Buyer's Guide
Rich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has encompassed 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and Driver totaling 20 years, and thousands of miles logged in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it's worked out. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM's product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata, and he appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered "Okay, Boomer" when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D.