There's no denying the fact that Chevy's Corvette has been a crowd favorite within American car culture ever since it made its debut in 1953. Over the decades, many celebrities have owned this incredible ride, including astronauts, politicians, TV personalities, and even middle-aged men with white New Balance sneakers. The Corvette is in no short supply of supporters.
However, despite the almost universal love for this sports car range, things are not all butterflies and rainbows for the Corvette crowd.
"Why?" you ask? Well, the reason for this discord is the fact that Chevrolet decided that the Corvette had to change in order to better match its rivals. Specifically, these changes came in the form of swapping from a front-mounted engine to a mid-engine layout.
As you can imagine, some auto enthusiasts think this act is a complete travesty for the Corvette design, while others are happily embracing its new "Ferrari-esque" facelift. No matter what side of the fence you're on, we can probably all agree that this alteration is more than likely a permanent one. Sadly, even the mighty Corvette is no match for the power of progress.
While the incoming Corvette is truly something to behold, let's not forget about its predecessor, the C7. Specifically, let's focus on the C7 ZR1. Sure, it may not have an engine sitting where the back seats would normally be, but that doesn't necessarily make it any less special. On the contrary, the very notion of a front-engined sports car that is able to keep up with the big dogs from Europe might actually be more impressive than any mid-mounted engine could ever be.
So with that, let's lace up our whitest New Balances and look at what makes this supercar so special.
The Coolest Feature Of The C7 ZR1 Has To Be Its Engine
The key ingredient that actually earns this car the title of 'supercar' is its engine. As mentioned, this is the last Corvette model to feature a front-mounted motor and what a motor it is. What you'll find underneath that large sweeping bonnet is a monstrously powerful supercharged 6.2-liter V8 nuclear bomb.
Specifically, the power plant is capable of sending a pavement shredding 755 hp to the rear wheels. Further, this power unit is able to propel the car to 60 mph from a complete standstill in an eye-watering 3.0 seconds flat!
As of August 2021, it is definitely and without question the most powerful crate engine ever offered by General Motors. And that fact alone is by far our favorite feature of the Corvette C7 ZR1. However, with that being said, there's even more going for this exceptional supercar.
It's Pretty Cheap When You Think About It
Believe it or not, with a price tag of $122,095 (according to Kelley Blue Book), the Corvette C7 ZR1 is actually considered quite the bargain by most accounts. You may find that statement hard to fathom, as you could get a decent home in the countryside for a similar amount of cash. However, we'd argue that this seemingly ridiculous offer is actually an incredible bargain, particularly when you look at some of the ZR1's exotic competition.
When Chevrolet designed the ZR1, it wasn't the lowly base model Mustangs and Challengers that they were aiming for. Instead, it was a much fiercer and more expensive set of competitors, which includes the likes of the $191,000 McLaren 570S and the $207,000 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Just to be clear, the Corvette is actually able to best these vehicles on a racetrack, which sure seems to suggest that the price of the Corvette isn't actually all that bad.
The Chevrolet Corvette C7 ZR1 Is A Supercar That You Can Actually Live With
When designing a supercar, engineers typically get wrapped up in the desire to make the fastest track car that they possibly can. While this obviously sounds invigorating and could leave you wanting to purchase the car that much more, the fact is that this model of design is inherently flawed. "How could that be?" you might wonder. Well, because track-oriented vehicles use something called racing suspension, which tends to be pretty uncomfortable on pot-hole-laden streets.
Luckily, however, the people at Chevrolet put plenty of thought into this problem and came up with a solution: Touring mode. At just the turn of a dial, the ZR1's suspension can become relatively plush and even absorb the shock of small-ish bumps. Additionally, the driving mode dampens the sound of the exhaust and lightens the steering. So, you can now actually have a Corvette as your daily driver and keep yourself safe as well (what a time to be alive!).
This Corvette Can Certainly Handle A Corner
One of the more common tropes regarding American cars is the idea that we can't make a vehicle that can go around a corner. However, anybody who still holds this archaic belief should just take a quick look at the Corvette C7 ZR1. Not only can it go around a corner, but it can flat-out dominate pretty much any track.
According to CNET, these capabilities stem from a number of key factors. This includes the likes of big Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, racing suspension, fender vents, front fascia air dams, sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and of course that massive spoiler at the back, which produces 950 lbs of downforce. All of this works together in harmony to allow the ZR1 to pull a neck-straining 1.18 g's worth of lateral grip and ultimately get around a circuit in record time. Ultimately, this is one hell of a ride.