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First bowing at the Geneva Auto Show in 1989, the Corvette ZR1 will
have a 20th anniversary edition as Chevrolet announced it will
launch a new ZR1 in 2009. Chevrolet said the new ZR1 will establish
new benchmarks for production-based cars in power and performance.
The 2009 ZR1 will feature specialized components
that include extensive use of carbon-fiber paneling and an all-new
LS9 supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that’s expected to produce 620
horsepower and 823 Newton-meter of torque.
Though Chevrolet will release the car’s full
performance specs only later this year, it’s predicted that the
new ZR1 will be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed
of more than 320 kph, making it the the most powerful and fastest
automobile produced by General Motors and giving it the muscle to
challenge esteemed competition like the Porsche 911 GT2, the
Lamborghini LP640.
The 2009 ZR1 will have a six-speed, close-ratio,
race-bred manual transmission, a new high-capacity dual-disc clutch,
Magnetic Selective Ride Control with track-level suspension and
suspension tuning that’s capable of providing more than 1g of
cornering grip. Chevrolet aims to keep the car’s weight down to
1,519 kilograms. A carbon fiber hood would feature a raised,
polycarbonate window where an intercooler could be seen underneath.
The new ZR1 will sit on the same
aluminum-intensive chassis as the Corvette Z06 and has similar
independent SLA front and rear suspensions with aluminum upper and
lower control arms. Stopping the car would depend on carbon-ceramic
brake rotors that are clamped down with six-piston front calipers
and four-piston rear calipers, each painted a ZR1-exclusive blue.
These exotic brakes will be visible through the
new ZR1’s alloy rims that measure 19 inches in front and 20 inches
in the rear. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires
developed specifically for the ZR1 that are sized P285/30ZR19 in
front and P335/25ZR20 in the rear.
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