Hello. My name is Earl.

I am in Orange County CA. My love of cars started when I "Ferris Beuller'd" my dad's '64 Avanti, which porompted me to re-engined my (previously my mom's) old straight-6 '66 Mustang, and through some coincidences later in life led to my becoming a BMW owner with a 2003 E39 M5, and later a E86 Z4 M Coupe (since heavily modified and tracked). I still have all my cars, and my '97 F-150. And I do not plan to sell any for the foreseable future. The M5 is my go-to-grave car, it is the perfect automobile.

I have been tracking since I bought the M5, mostly in the Z4. But I've driven quite a few BMWs (including someone else's 600rwhp blown/stroked E90 M3 on PS2s, lol) - and even tracked my wife's X3 once when my Z4 sprung an oil leak the night before the event. My most surprisingly enjoyable experience was in a 3-gen-old Miata which I tracked after driving a Gallardo Balboni edition - LOVED the Miata, so playful and communicative. The Lambo was just fast but numb, like the newest BMWs. There is always a faster car, so as I get older I care much more about the feel of driving than the paper statistics. Oddly I've never tracked a Porche or a Ferrari - it's just not been a high priority for some reason.

My unobtainable dream car would be a MacLaren F1 short tail...

HOWEVER...that may not matter as much any more. I just found out yesterday that at a certain dealership I was the first to put my name down for a ZR1 allocation. So what I thought was perhaps a distant concept has suddenly morphed into serious consideration. I will move on to the C7 section with my specific questions. Here I will explain why I have a sudden urge to own this particular Corvette.

I have never wanted a Corvette (except maybe a '67 L71 convertible), but always respected the designs. The few (C5 and C6) I have driven or ridden in at the track did not seem particularly well tuned to driver involvment and I didn't think much of the factory suspension. But things change. The mag (real word is too damn long and hard to pronounce!) shocks are a game-changer. GM's choice to target the E46-gen M3 for it's last CTS and ATS dynamics is exactly the mentality I want to see in a performance car division. And from what I've read that level of detail has been applied to the C7 as well. But the primary impetus for my potential puchase came from C&D - yeah you know the article. In it congealed several aspects that separated resonated with me.
- A shaker hood that is illegal in EU because the French can't drive safely and ruined car shapes for everyone. 'MERICA! Seriously. I really dig that a company would set a performance goal ahead of sales numbers.
- The last (check me on this) car EVER MADE that will be front mid-engined, V8, and manual (meaning the clutch). Which is exactly how I want my ideal fun/fast car to be laid out. (Another dream car for me is a Cobra Daytona Coupe for this reason)
- 755hp. My Z4 is lighter than the ZR1, and now puts out 500hp with a supercharger and some other mods. It's fast, damn fast. But I could have fun with more. And there is a distinct appeal to owning a vehicle SO powerful and balanced that it slightly exceeds my own driving ambitions. No more modding, wife will be happier, less stress...just get in a drive.
- Pushrods. Even though the in-block can has been technically obsolete for decades Chevy still manages to coax efficiency out of it. Props for that. I also appreciate the significant packaging benefit of an in-block cam and how this is used in the Corvette.
- It looks GOOD, really good. I have had some issues with styling details on the last three generations of Corvette (I'm an artist and can't help noticing imbalances and details). But many cars can suddenly look great with just one or two changes. Late-model Mustangs are this way to a remarkable degree. While I will say that the Z06 looks much better in person than in pics, there is a still an oddness to the rear proportioning that I don't care for in certain colors. The ZTK package transforms the look of the car, past the point where it is acceptable to the point where I think it is a beautiful balance of angles and shape weight.
- American! After buying German cars that suited my American tastes for practicality and freedom to communicate with the road there is finally an American car with the same/similar goal and quality.
- The C8. I do not want a mid-engined Corvette - ever! Build it to compete with Ferrari in the HP wars, sure, but call it something else! Respect the history of America's only surviving sports car!

If front engine/RWD and direct driver involvement go away I want to hold on to what's important even if no one else cares. And the ZR1 seems like the pinnacle of this idea in automotive history.

 

Everyone has their own opinions on the pros/cons of each Corvette generation. I like them all - they do well for the time in which they were built.

Good luck if you do decide to pull the string on a new ZR1 - it should be one heck of a car. And welcome to the forum.

 

Good luck with your decision. Welcome aboard!

 

Welcome to the forum, Earl!
You'll find lots of good information in the C7 section.
Please post some pics once you make your purchase.

 

Welcome to the forum Earl!

 

Welcome to the CF!

 

Hello Earl and welcome to the forum!

 

Thanks guys!

We are one step closer. Last night's discussion concluded with my wife stating that she is not explicitly against the purchase. She worries about my stress level and more toys = more potential headaches. Which is true, and a good point. I will have to cull activities elsewhere I think, not the ZR1.

 

Welcome aboard Earl!!!

Have fun with your search!!!

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I am now all set! ZR1 is ordered and awaiting the 2000 mark.

My "thank you" thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597041228