ZR1 Owner Thinks Value of Z06 Makes it a Worthy Purchase
Unless you’re on a race track, the Z06 may be the super Corvette to have.
Is the ZR1 just a bit too much car for the road? We hesitate to ask a question like that, but after some real-world performance experiments, it looks like the only place to use a ZR1 is a dedicated race track. Regular roads just don’t seem to have enough grip to exploit the ZR1’s true capabilities.
The Z06, however, doesn’t suffer from this problem, or at least doesn’t suffer as much. The car’s performance is more approachable since it isn’t quite at super-car levels, and arguably there’s more pleasure out of using more of your car without getting in too much trouble with the fuzz. Considering that you can only really use the cars in the same way on the street, that adds a huge value to the Z06.
Setting an example is this video from Corvettes 918. A stock Z06 and a stock ZR1 are performing some roll races, and really the biggest difference in speed comes down to the transmission. In each video, the biggest gaps appear when the black Z06 has to change gear, but the ZR1, being an automatic, loses no time between shifts, and simply adds to its lead.
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Although there’s a lot of changes in bodywork when comparing the two, the horsepower delta is closed quite easily with a supercharger upgrade and a tune if that’s your concern. As well, the on-track performance could arguably come down to the stickier rubber, which can be swapped on fairly easily.
Finally, it comes down to talent to actually extract all of that performance. Remember, many have said that the ZR1 is a lot of car to wrestle, and intimidation factor alone will keep all but the best from getting to this car’s limits.
But then again, the ZR1 is a ZR1, and when it comes to the top dog, that model is currently king of the hill. Till the C8 shows up, that is.
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