Was the ZR-1 really worth the price of 2 corvettes?
 

Now before I start this is no way disrespecting the ZR-1 now that that's over

I was reading some old magazines my father has in the garage of when the LT1 came out in '92 and they were comparing its performance to ZR-1 and a lot of them basically said "why spend $33,000 on 75 rarely used HP no one will really use in the real world" they had similar 0-60, and 1/4 mile I always thought the C4 ZR-1 was the be all end all but now thinking about it I can see why it's sales started to decline in '92. I know that after the 1/4 mile the LT5 basically has the legs over the LT1 but with speed limits who is going to take these cars to the limit. So yes the ZR-1 is the more special car mostly due to the astonishing LT5. But is it worth twice the car? I don't think so

This is an interesting point of discussion. Tough call. I would have waited for the c5 to come out.

While the subject could be (and has been) debated to no end, I think that you already answered your own question. :thumbs:

Ahhhhh shit.... here we go again! :beatdeadhorse::beatdeadhorse:

:lol: Might as well jump down the rabbit hole:rock:

Boris thinks differently and would bite you.

Yes, To own a King of the Hill. Than If you waited for about 10 years you could get 2 for the same price as one new one. :thumbs:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...108d1b42d9.jpg

When the LT5 came out, it was a huge upgrade over the L98. The LT1 and LT4, less so. The power difference was still big, but the weight difference was too.

I suspect to the people who had the money for the ZR1, it wasn't a question, it was definitely worth it.

I was going to make a comment about how I'd have a hard time justifying it over a 911 Turbo at the time. Then I realized that the ZR1 was ~60k, whereas the 911 Turbo was $105k! In the very early 90s!

its not about a hp difference thats easy to overcome and you still dont have a ZR1

I think in real world terms, no a ZR-1 is not worth twice the price.... but the LT5 is a very neat piece of engineering add to that the 'wide body' and the ZR-1 is a really special car.

So although is real world terms it may not be worth it. In terms of cool factor I think it is worth the price. IMHO

A ZR-1 worth double (then and even now)?
Some thoughts from the perspective of having had both a base (95) and a now the Z (90):

HELL YES!!!!:thumbs:

Is the ZR-1 worth it? Some points:

- I love how people point to the 75HP difference that existed only in 1992 as a reason to think the ZR-1 is not worth the cost bump. Put another way, it is a 25% HP bump - AT WORST.
1990 - 125HP - 50% HP jump
1991 - 125HP - 50% HP jumpt
1992 - 75HP - 25% HP jump
1993 - 105HP - 35% HP jump
1994 - 105HP - 35% HP jump
1995 - 105HP - 35% HP jump

Any other vehicle back then or today that would have that percentage of HP bump over a base model would EASILY drive a $30K price tag increase

Other factors:
- The LT5 is easily the best looking Corvette engine ever made (and I also have 67 435HP couple). Open up the hood of the ZR-1 to show the LT5 is almost guaranteed to bring more onlookers than any other Corvette - even the C2s.
- The ZR-1 with the wider read end and more aggressive tires looks meaner than the base LT1 ( which has something of a squeezed look when you place the two side by side - but that is just personal opinion)
- The ZR-1 is by one measure still the fastest production car ever made
- The LT5 engine durability far exceeds anything from its time (including the SBC which had quality issues that the LT5 never experienced)
- Most every guide to the most significant Corvettes ever made includes the ZR-1 - and usually in second place after the 63 SWC.
- The sound and feel of the LT5 at 7000 is almost worth the price of admission by itself. By comparison, the L98 and even the LT1 run out of breath way to soon.
- The ZR-1 re-introduced the motoring world to a true high performance no compromises sports car with the Corvette nameplate (last seen in 1971 with the solid lifter big block LS6). It is the basis for the wonderful set of follow on high performance Corvettes like the C5 Z06, the C6 Z06 and ZR1, the C7 Z06 and the upcoming the C7 ZR1. The C4 ZR-1 laid that groundwork and deserves its place as a significant historical Corvette - something the L98 or LT1 C4s could never lay claim to.
- The real world performance potential is not realized for most vehicles on the road today - but the thrill of that long onramp with the LT5 is one that when experienced will want to be repeated over and over. In other words, there are plenty of real world opportunities to use what the LT5 has to offer.

There are plenty of ways to rationalize not wanting to buy a ZR-1. But do not pretend that the objective and subjective differences of the ZR-1 to the LT1 or L98 cars is not significant enough to justify both its price differential and its place in Corvette history.

Boris is the best part of the thread.

Toodles is of the Ford persuasion. She likes Mach 1’s and Lincolns.

the paw and claw marks on my cars would drive me nuts.

Interesting point... the ZR1 was the fastest Corvette until the C6Z06 came out, about 15 years later. It's still every bit as fast as a base C6 or C7 on the street. For $20k, it's hard or impossible) to beat it in terms of performance.

Good kitty taking a dump on those Fords!! :D

Top speed wise, yes, by 3 mph. The C5Z06 had a top speed of 178. The C5Z06 is faster in the 1/4 mile, 0-60 and superior in pretty much every other way. (As the prior owner of both, I still somehow liked my ZR-1 better)

What quality issues did the SBC have?

Oh I don’t know. That old Mach 1 put a hurting on a couple C3’s a long time ago. :yesnod:

Im just kidding... I had a 72 Mach 1 back in 84... Someone had removed the boss but the regular 302 was pretty fun at any rate. That car would spin a 360* circle at the drop of a hat.... no weight in the ass end.