mr-z

ZR1 or ZO6

I would take the ZO6

Shylor

This is a no brainer....Z06 of course.

Jackal2k6

no brainer for me - Z06!

Road machine

Totaly agree with all above. ZR1 is now a bear to get parts for due to mercurys dropping of the project which is what killed it in the first place. Also the car was quite a bit heavier and not as pure a race ready machine as the Z06.

ZZZZZR1

And the last time you tried to get ZR-1 parts was when?

ZR-1 for me.

Mopar Jimmy

And engine parts ARE WAY MORE CHEAPER for the Z06 (try pricing LS5 engines, etc) and stock to stock the Z06 blows away the ZR1 in all performance categories, including a more modern corvette look!!

Don't get me wrong ZR1 is a classic collector very desirable corvette, but comparing it to a z06 for the price a z can be had (almost spit) its a no brainer decision as it is FAR the biggest bang for the $ perf car on the market and modern looking to!

81c3

You shouldnt comment on things you have no idea about. I have read many of your "commentaries" and most are well written and seem to have thought behind them, but if you dont frequent the ZR1 section, then you have no clue about them. I lurk over there quite often simply to learn. I considered purchasing one this year in May when I bought my Z06. I decided I hadnt gathered enough information after about 4-6 months of reading & research.

Once you become part of the ZR1 community, I think parts become readily available. Theres a handfull of people dedicated to the ZR1 & are putting together ways to have parts made amomg other creative methods of keeping thier cars on the road.

LowFlight

I prefered my ZR-1 to my Z06 for the overall Look and History and the beautiful LT-5 and high rev range. However I am too much of a perfectionist and need a car that does not break in some small or large way every few months.

4cefed

I say....why not both? Why do we have to choose between one or another?

MVR 155

Two different animals in my opinion.... The ZR-1 I feel is more of an exotic with a powerplant that was waaaaaaaaay ahead of its time, its high revving big horsepower making 32 valve is just sweet. Obviously the Z edges it out in overall performance but a Z is more of a dime a dozen car.... a very sweet dime a dozen car but its certainly not exotic or rare.

I love the ZR-1 but then again I love my Z

Joy of 6

Easy answer is if you do the math the Z06 if 5 times better than the ZR1

ZR WON

Well:

I have both. THe Z06 now has a head/cam package and is capable of running low 11s at 125+. The ZR-1 is stuck in the low low 12s@118. The ZR-1 is *still* my favorite of the two, and if it came down to it, the Z06 would go.

The Z06 is an incredible machine, make no mistake. But the history surrounding the ZR-1 is what makes its status Legendary. Never again will there be a car like it from GM. The passion of the people who designed and built the LT5 is what made it connect with the souls of ZR-1 owners both when the cars were new, and now 15 years later.

People that only own a Z06 will never experience this bond between man and machine, and that's truly a shame. What's the old saying? "We mock what we do not understand." It definitely holds true in this scenario.

Brian A.
90 ZR-1
12.09@118
01 Z06
not stock

EBMR02Z

There seems to be a lot of ignorance about the ZR1. The C5Z is not 5 times better and Mercury Marine did not kill the project. GM Engineers realized the power potential of the next gen small block which was to be the LS1. This was after the release of the LT1 in '92. They knew they could get LT5 power from the LS motor at a cheaper cost. Lotus advised they could get 450-500hp from the LT5 as early as '92 but it would be hard to meet future emissions. Therefore the decision was to kill the ZR1. Mercury was told to build approximately 500 engines for each year from 93-95. The last engine was built in late '93.

I highly doubt most have owned both and bad mouth the ZR1 in general without hav ing first hand knowledge. I owned a '92 ZR1 and now have an '02Z. The LT5 is a better engine than the LS6 hands down. You could even balance a nickle on the plenum while it idle because it was so smooth. The comment about the LT5 constantly breaking is not true either. It is the most reliable motor GM ever offered. The C5Z platform is superior to the ZR1 platform. It had better since the C4 platform was designed in the late 70's. However, if it weren't for the ZR1 the whole Corvette line would not be what it is today.

As for performance, the ZR1 and the C5Z are so close it would be a drivers race but I would give the edge to the C5Z. Once you get past 120mph then the ZR1 would run away from it. Both are great cars and to slam on the ZR1 is not right just like its not right to slam any vette.

LowFlight

When I said break...I was not refering to the engine....but rather the acessories and the FX3 acuators and the lumbar support etc...etc...the engine is bulletproof (even though mine blew a head gasket)

Road machine

Uhhhh... if you have to "put together ways to have parts made" for your car then parts might be hard to get. I have nothing against the ZR1. I like the way it looks. I think in it's day it was definetly the king of the road. But even then the deal between chevy and Mercury marine was just not good for owners. If you had engine problems the engine had to be pulled by the dealer and shipped to MM. That to me, was unnessesarily burdensome to the owner. Technologicaly the car was awsome. The engine was a work of art. The price was way too high though. The guy that I bought my Z06 from took a ZR1 on for consignment sale and couldn't sell it. It was in perfect shape Red and had 8000 miles on it. The guy he was selling it for wanted 23K. I drove it and thought it was avery nice car but it didn't have the feel of the Z06. That is certainly a personal preference thing but to me the ZR1 felt heavy and under hard acceleration out of control. I know that driving one car doesn't speak for all cars but from what I see the market doesn't think much of it either.

Steve Theodore

We need to respect our elders...in this case the awesome machinery that came before our beloved Z06's. Give credit where credit is due...ZR1's are stellar cars that were WAY ahead of their time.

Many of us prefer the stiffer and lighter chassis of the C5 FRC body, but the LT5 is a monstrous motor that lives for high revs and top end power. Both are truly awesome machines, and don't forget that the ZR1 was the fastest Corvette available until the 2006 Corvette Z06 debuted!

bryanZ06

I'd LOVE to have a ZR-1 in the garage by my Z06.

Z28TOZO6

When I started looking for a vette, I gravitated towards the ZR-1. Then I found out how reasonable the C5's wrere and discovered the Z06. I'm glad I bought the Z but I would love to own a ZR-1 also.

chargedsol

+1 for the z06

Scoob

Oh sweet mother of pearl...what a load of crap that is.

you -------------------- country mile --------------------------> a clue

In the 4 years I owned my ZR1 I never had a problem getting parts, service, or help with anything.

There is nothing like the sound of an LT5 being taken up to 7200 rpm. Nothing. It's beautiful music.

There's no denying that the C5 chassis is light years ahead of the C4 chassis though. Despite that I'll always have a soft spot for the C4 and will likely own a ZR1 again.