Lots of cars shoot flames out the exhaust, but the new Corvette ZR1 does it at wide-open throttle.
When the first information on the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 hit the internet last month, one of the most interesting aspects of the newest supercharged supercar was that it would shoot flames out of the exhaust. Sure, that doesn’t improve performance any, but having fire pour out of the exhaust after you beat someone in a race adds that little extra bit of “cool factor”.
There were no real details on the fire show from the rear of the new ZR1, but there are lots of performance cars that shoot flames out of the exhaust when they back off of the throttle. When you are running a car like the 755-horsepower Corvette at wide-open-throttle and back off quickly, the extra fuel makes its way into the exhaust where it ignites and creates the fire from the exhaust tips.
The key difference with the 2019 Corvette ZR1 is that it shoots flames under hard throttle – not just when the car is decelerating.
ZR1 Flaming Exhaust Video
The video above was actually posted to the official Chevrolet YouTube channel last month, but it was unlisted, so only recently has it been spreading across the internet. We can’t see much, as the camera is mounted on the rear corner of the car, aimed in towards the exhaust tips, but it shows as much as we need to see.
Right as the video begins, we hear the transmission shift and immediately a white flame bursts from the exhaust of the new Corvette. As the car continues to accelerate, the fire continues to spray from the back of the car with the sweet accompaniment of the LT5 V8’s exhaust tone and as the short clip comes to an end, the flame switches from white to blue.
This means that those people losing a race to the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will get a good look at those flames as the 755-horsepower supercar races off into the distance, and that is just plain awesome. Unless you are the driver of the other car, of course.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
