Quick evaluation of the new ZR1 at Lime Rock Park reveals some interesting truths about the ultimate Corvette.
Like chicken wing flavors, the types of Corvettes that Chevrolet offers go from mild to wild. Consider the base Corvette the beginning of that spectrum. The Grand Sport kicks things up a notch. Then there’s the Z06, which adds even more heat (and horsepower). At the other end of the spectrum is the 2019 ZR1, the wildest Corvette around.
Road & Track‘s Travis Okulski and Sam Smith took one out to Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park for what the magazine calls a “Three Lap Review.” It’s pretty much what it sounds like. Over the course of three laps around the 1.5-mile course, Okulski and Smith point out interesting facts about the ZR1 and what they like about it.
What their analysis reveals is the dichotomy between the ZR1’s appearance, stats, and positioning, and the machine that it truly is. Despite its multitude of air intakes and vents, giant front splitter, bulging hood, and park bench-like rear wing, the ZR1 is not a difficult or terrifying car to drive. If it starts to lose grip, it doesn’t snap its rear end out and fly into a tree. It communicates its limits calmly and gently. Even though it’s the most focused Corvette ever, it doesn’t concentrate on performance at the expense of interior quality. Its racy looks don’t compromise its outward visibility, either.
Okulski even goes so far as to say that the ZR1, which has a starting price of $121,000 and can get into the $143,000 range like his test car, is a bargain, citing the prices of European supercars that are double what the ZR1 costs.
In many ways, the ZR1 is as wild as Chevy goes with America’s sports car, but at its core, it has some of the liveable and useful qualities of a more mild machine. That’s what makes it so appealing. It’s not a quirky, hyper-expensive exotic. It’s a Corvette.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
