Brought to you by Rick Corvette Conti, the very first photograph of the engine cover for the Corvette ZR1 confirms the name of the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that makes the ultimate expression of the C7 rumble into life and scare the living daylights out of the driver and passenger. To the point, the S/C V8 is called LT5.
“It’s coming and will be worth the wait,” says the specialist of Pataskala, Ohio-based Coughlin Corvette, adding: “Looking forward to doing business with so many of you with the next piece of Corvette history!” By that, Rick refers to the most powerful road-going Corvette to roll off the assembly line in Bowling Green, and the new Nurburgring lap record for American cars.
A handful of netizens argue that General Motors is actually gunning for the Nurburgring lap record for production cars with the C7 ZR1, which is a tall order considering the $274,390 Lamborghini Huracan LP640-4 Performance pulled off a 6:52 with Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli at the wheel. There’s also the problem of layout (engine at the front versus mid-ship) and traction (rear- versus all-wheel-drive), which plays out in the Huracan’s favor.
It’s frustrating that Chevrolet didn’t release the reveal date for the C7 ZR1, let alone the venue where it’ll make its public debut. Speculation points out to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, which kicks off with three press days on January 14. Coincidence or not, the 2019 Corvette enters production on January 29.
Gifted with plenty of carbon fiber and a huge wing at the rear, the downforce-focused Corvette ZR1 gets wider, more aggressive tires than the C7 Z06 with the Z07 package, carbon ceramic brakes, electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and magnetic ride suspension. An automatic transmission - probably the 8-speeder we all know and love - has been all but confirmed for the ZR1, but it’s not know if the 7-speed manual tranny will also be available.
It would be best to wait until November 20 to find out more about the C7 ZR1, because General Motors will publish the 2019 Corvette order guide on that day. Not the least surprising, that’s when the order books open.