Finally! After six models years of C7 (if you include 2019), the ZR1 will finally reemerge from The General. It’s also the tenth anniversary of the C6 ZR1 unveiling and thirty years since the C4 example was announced. Time flies, and so apparently, does the C7 ZR1.
Packing a fresh OHV, pushrod-equipped LT5 powerplant (not to be confused with the old DOHC throwback), this boosted GEN-V mill arrives to the party with 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque at the crank. Which is more than enough power to steal the Hellcat’s thunder and nip on the heels of the Dodge Demon.
Of course with a substantially lower curb weight (3560-lbs.), significantly more efficient aerodynamics and greater cooling and other overall performance attributes, it’s probably going to make the Demon look like the outdated Mercedes E-Class that it is. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
What was anticipated to be a turbocharged application is anything but; it turns out that the LT5 still displaces a 6.2L displacement, it utilizes heavy-duty internals, a 52% larger supercharger than the LT4 unit found in the Z06 — that protrudes through the hood (how cool is that?!) — and a revised front fascia.
The great big gaping mouth should (hopefully) help quell some of the reported cooling issues that many C7Z owners have experienced on road courses all over the country.
Aftermarket upgrades are available for those cars, obviously, but we have great hopes that the ZR1 won’t need them. You can chalk it up to a more-efficient intercooler system with a heat extractor hole in its hood, four improved radiators and a total of 13 heat-exchangers — wow!!
Sitting behind the LT5 mill are a pair of available transmissions; a ten-speed automatic and a seven-speed manual. Those who prefer to row their own gears will grab the manual stick, but those who just want to go fast will go for the ten-speed. It’s just a fact.
The top speed is a reported 210 mph, but with all of the improved aero splashed all over the car (a choice of two rear spoilers, massive front splitter, side splitters a rear diffuser and a grill designed to help the cause) we don’t think the car will; have any trouble keeping to the pavement. Massive 335mm-wide rubber helps immensely, too, as does the sophisticated traction control and Magnetic Ride Suspension.
More and more details slowly leak out about this amazing machine, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated as more details develop. Perhaps a road test will also be in the works? In the meantime, if you want the newest King of the Hill, you can queue up in the Spring of ’18!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
