The C4 ZR-1 Corvette, even some 30 years after its initial year of production, carries indisputable performance merit, the likes of which few can deny. In fact, the ZR-1 is often cited as the car which helped fend off threats, both foreign and domestic in origin, to the Corvette's elite performance car status. However, after only 6,939 ZR-1 Corvettes were built, and 6 years of production had passed, the program was terminated, falling victim to decisions regarding pricing.
JoinedNovember 1, 2019
Articles122
Josh Boyd is an ASE certified, career automotive technician with an intense passion for all things mechanical in nature. He resides with his wife and children in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the home of the Corvette. His research-heavy posts have tons of detail. Whenever Josh does not have a wrench in his hand, he can be found in the woods or on the water enjoying the great outdoors.
Offered for only two years (1982, 1984), the L83 featured GM’s newly designed Cross-Fire Fuel Injection system and is often referred to by critics as being one of the most unworthy engines to ever find its way under the Corvette’s hood. However, this begs the question of whether or not the L83 was truly deserving of this mockery.
Various upgrade packages were offered by Motion Industries, for the Chevrolet models included within the Baldwin Corvette partnership. The most prominent of these packages included the SS (425 HP) and Phase III (500+ HP) offerings. These cars not only came with a performance promise, but a guarantee to back it up. All Phase III cars came with a personal guarantee.
The Corvette’s history of putting power to the pavement is indeed a lengthy one. With more than 65 years and eight generations behind it, America’s sports car continues to push the performance envelope, setting milestones and breaking barriers along the way. The Corvette’s success can be directly attributed to the...
On March 1-2 1990 a unique group of people using a Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, reset The 24-hour World Speed Record. That achievement proved unequivocally that the car is indeed...King of the Hill. "The 24" had stood for 50 years. Last set at Bonneville in 1940 by AP Jenkins driving the "Mormon Meteor Ill", a purpose-built. single-seat race car with an aircraft engine. The objectives: set the 24 as well as 5000 kilometer and the 5000 mile marks with a ZR-1 while using an L98-powered Corvette to set the six-hour record and other shorter distance marks.
Designed mid-1956 for Harlet Earl’s son Jerry, the SR-2 was put into racing duty in 1957. The car debuted at Daytona Beach in 1957 with a high-speed canopy, fender skirts and bullet-shaped frond headlights. Driven by Betty Skelton and Buck Baker, the car won the modified class with an average speed of 93.074 mph. The SR-2 also finished second in class for the flying mile with a top speed of 152.886 mph.
Throughout the years, there have been a number of legendary powerplants to call the Corvette’s engine bay home. Of these, few have been as iconic, or well-received, as the LS platform. Through its many renditions and technological advances, the LS series of engines have been touted far and wide as...
The CERV II was entirely Zora’s car. The CERV II was conceived early in 1962 and developed over the next year, after the GS program was squashed. The car was built under Zora's direction between 1963-'64. Zora had it in mind to develop a separate line of racing Corvettes but the idea got terminated by management.
The “CERV-1” (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) was developed as a research tool for that company’s continuous investigations into automotive ride and handling phenomena under the most realistic conditions. The car was built at the Chevrolet Engineering Center at Warren, Michigan in a special project headed by Mr. Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chevrolet Staff Engineer.
Throughout the years, GM has produced nearly as many iconic engines, as the Corvettes that they have placed them in. GM has developed, and subsequently put into production, some of the most illustrious small-block V8 engines to ever be engineered. Two such famed engines are the LT1 and LS1. If...
With nearly 70 years’ worth of production under its belt, the Corvette is no stranger to innovation. In the GM design team’s continual bid for perfection, subsequent generations of the Corvette have been host to many unique features and functions, the likes of which have made the iconic American sports...
In today’s media-rich society, we are never further away from entertaining and informative content relating to topics of personal interest, than a quick search on our phone or laptop’s Internet browser. We are afforded endless opportunities to delve headlong into topics that we are passionate about, and resources pertaining to...
Much like interior stylings in a home, the characteristics of vehicle interiors have changed throughout the years, serving as a reflection of the times. Just as shag carpet and rugs do not foster the same admiration that they once did, particular vehicle stylings have also fallen from favor, and new...
With the passing of successive generations, a nearly endless number of vehicle designs and concepts have been pitched to execs across the automotive industry. Many of these designs die in the very meeting in which they are pitched. Reasons for this stem from a lack of creative originality, or a...
Throughout the years, certain aspects of American culture have become indelibly ingrained into the very fabric of our nation’s heritage. Few can argue that the Chevrolet Corvette is not worthy of its rightful spot among such notable representations of pure American ingenuity. Photo: airspacemag.com Chevrolet has sought to embrace this...
The C3 Corvette rolled off of the assembly line and into the hearts of sports car and performance enthusiasts alike, just in time for the 1968 production year. A car that had been in design since the halfway mark of its C2 predecessor’s run, the C3 Corvette endured some of...
Quarter-mile Times for Every Corvette Model Year When an apples to apples comparison of vehicle performance is the talk of the day, a car’s given time in the 1/4 mile often becomes the metric with which superiority is measured. Whether launching from the line simultaneously upon the beckoning of the...
Corvette Steering Wheels and Dashboards For All Generations It is no secret that the Corvette has undergone an abundant number of design changes, both mechanically and cosmetically, since its inception in 1953. These changes have been wide-sweeping and often drastic in their reach, leaving not a single square inch of...
The Ultimate List of The Greatest Corvettes Ever Made During Corvette’s nearly 70-year long illustrious run, the number of groundbreaking achievements that have been made and iconic cars that have been produced are nearly too numerous to count. Like every brand of performance vehicle, the Corvette has had its share...
Some of the iconic American sports car’s earliest forays into racing were snuffed out before they ever truly began. The 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, a Zora Arkus-Duntov designed rendition, of the C2 was staged for track domination, both at home and abroad.
Designed and built under the personal supervision of Bill Mitchell, the wild-looking XP-700 used many regular Corvette components (frame, chassis parts and engine). Bill Mitchell had a lot of “customs” built for himself. This XP-700 previewed the new tail of the upcoming 1961 Corvette.
Want to Know Which Vintage Corvette Will Be the Most Reliable? We Got You Covered. When the vast majority of individuals think of the Corvette, performance is often the first thought that comes to mind, and rightfully so. However, if your classic Corvette is intended for daily use, reliability is...
The Models To Buy If You’re Buying Your First Collector Corvette. You Can’t Go Wrong With These Classics. Collecting Corvettes is undoubtedly one of the most addicting hobbies that one can have. As soon as one Vette is purchased, your mind has already begun to ponder your next addition. With...
The Best Engines Chevy Has Dared to Stuff Under the Hood of a Corvette Over the Decades Behind every iconic performance car, is an equally iconic engine that breathes life into every ounce of the engineering marvel in which it is housed. Not to disappoint, the Corvette has seen its...
Even the Greatest of Us Have an Off Year… After nearly 70 years in the limelight, the Corvette has seen immense changes of literally every facet and nuance of its design. This level of change has been a necessity to remain competitive in the sports car market as it is...
By the time that the C7 Stingray was revealed on January 13, 2013, at the Detroit Auto Show, an extensive buzz had surrounded the launch of the latest rendition of the Corvette for some time. In design since 2006, the C7 had been a car destined for greatness from the...
After a yearlong hiatus leading to a non-existent 1983 production run, the completely redeveloped fourth-generation Corvette emerged onto the scene in time to hit the showroom floor the following year. The C4 served not only as the next chapter within the Corvette’s already rich history but rather a complete redesign,...
The time spanning from 1963 to 1967, was an era of much change and growth for the Corvette. These second-generation Corvettes exhibited ever-continual growth in the performance department, while also showcasing a level of styling that had previously been inconceivable in the automotive world. The C2 generation of Corvettes was...
C1 Corvette Modding Guide In the years following World War II, the American automotive scene was in search of something fresh and exciting. The call for a newer, lightweight, performance vehicle, similar to those already available in foreign markets, rang out from those craving more than the mundane offerings that...
Within the National Corvette Museum's Skydome sits the only remaining 1983 Corvette; a car best characterized as a survivor, in every sense of the word. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a survivor is, "someone or something that still exists after every other member of a group has died or been destroyed." This as it may, the 1983 Corvette lives up to this title.
































