Youtuber gets factory-approved bolt-on upgrade for his 2019 ZR1.
The automotive enthusiast community runs on a variety of fuel sources. Passion is one of them. A sense of family is another. Actual gas is, of course, also on the list. The same goes for rubber. The concept of “extra” is another thing that powers the gearhead world. Take the new Corvette ZR1 as proof.
Chevrolet has spent more than half a century finding ways to make its powerful Corvette even more potent on the street and faster at the track. When it debuted the C7 Stingray, everyone knew it was just a matter of time until a more powerful variant came out. Eventually Chevy rolled out the 650-horsepower Z06. A few months ago, the bow tie crew brought America’s sports car to a new plateau of performance: the 2019 ZR1. Its 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque make it the most powerful factory Corvette ever.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be more powerful, though. It can have extra. There’s always someone out there who wants that extra, too. Just take a look at the above Street Speed 717 video on Youtube. The host, Mike, has a ZR1 (as well as a McLaren), but isn’t stopping there in his pursuit of automotive excitement. He unboxes something he sees as a sort of GM version of the Demon crate that Dodge offers for the over-the-top Demon. The white box with the Jake face on it doesn’t contain skinny tires or a new ECM, but it does have something that will give the ZR1 the extra Mike is looking for.
Mike pulls out a cold air intake with a dry filter in it. It’s designed not only to allow the LT5 to breathe in denser air, but GM claims it increases the monster engine’s output by a substantial 17 horsepower. In the future, Mike will replace the ZR1’s current X-pipe with the stock setup, add the CAI, and run the ZR1 on a dyno to see if all that extra shows up in the readout.
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.
