"For the money." Three words that, for decades, have stuck to the Chevrolet Corvette like lampreys on a shark. As in, "The Corvette is a heckuva runner-for the money. But still not up there in the Pantheon with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche."
Ah, but now arrives the all-new 2009 Corvette ZR1. A no-compromises, "Target: Maranello" performance car unlike any GM model before it. In fact, with 638 horses rampaging from its supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8, the ZR1 boasts more power than even the Enzo-engined Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, one of the Italian maker's greatest-ever road cars. Forget "for the money." On paper at least, the ZR1 has the hardware to take on the sublime 599 in a straight fight.
Of course, a mere paper match-up simply won't do...
WE'RE ALIKE, YOU AND I
Though conceived from different nations and technological ideologies, the ZR1 and the 599 could've been separated at birth. Each is a low-slung, rear-drive two-seater with a monstrous engine mounted up front. Under the 599's hood lies that Enzo-derived, 48-valve, 6.0-liter V-12, good for 612 horsepower. The ZR1 parries with an even more potent supercharged V-8-indeed, it's the most powerful production-car engine in GM history. Both ZR1 and 599 sport six-speed transmissions, the Vette a close-ratio manual (vastly improved over the unit in the Z06), the Ferrari an F1 paddle-shift manumatic that snaps off gear changes in a mere 100 milliseconds.
Both cars ride on versions of the same magic carpet, Delphi's variable-stiffness magneto-rheological shocks (which, it should be noted, Ferrari borrowed from the Corvette). Both also offer Brembo calipers clamping down on huge carbon-ceramic discs (they're standard on the Chevy, optional on the 599). Here Corvette borrows from Ferrari: The ZR1's binders are versions of those on the FXX (front) and Enzo (rear).
Inside, the ZR1 and 599 coddle their occupants with standard dual-zone climate control and leather seats; nav and Bose audio are optional on both. It's on pricing, though, that the ZR1 and 599 veer apart like Michael Jackson and reality: The Chevy starts at $106,520, while the base Ferrari commands a chest-clutching $317,595.
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