Snake Skinner C4 ZR-1 Was Built to Be a Dodge Viper Killer

Viper Killer

Back in the late 1980s, Chevrolet was somewhat secretly working on what many called the "Super Vette." This car was already destined to become the hottest Corvette on the planet, but when the Dodge Viper debuted at the 1989 New York Auto Show, it changed the ultimate goal of the Super Vette engineers - now, it was to create a Viper Killer.

Photos: GM

Special Candidate

Engineers had a fairly simple plan to accomplish this goal. They would take an existing ZR-1 Corvette, drop as much weight from it as possible, and add power. Their base would be a white, non-saleable 1989 ZR-1, which is one of 84 production ZR-1s built in Bowling Green for evaluation, testing, media preview, and photography. No 1989 ZR-1s were released for public sale initially, but several have since found their way into private hands.

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Less Is More

The team started out by removing the car's A/C, sound system, spare tire, and tire-pressure warning system. They replaced the stock wheels with magnesium Dymags, and the leather seats were replaced with lighter weight cloth. The roof got a magnesium frame, a standard flywheel replaced the dual-mass wheel, and a magnesium clutch housing replaced the aluminum stock piece. All of these modifications trimmed 250 pounds off the car and resulted in a curb weight of less than 3,000 pounds.

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More Mods

The Snake Skinner, as it was called, was then shipped to the Desert Proving Ground, where another 100 pounds was shaved off and the car received a special LT5 engine from MerCruiser that developed 475 horsepower. The team continued to work on the car, and eventually got the total weight down to just 2,906 pounds. After a final series of modifications in 1993, it posted a best quarter-mile result of 11.88 seconds at 123 miles-per-hour.

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Spawning a Sequel

Many ideas conceived on the Snake Skinner were used in future Corvette development, but the car also spawned a sequel in the Snake Skinner II. That car featured many of the original's visual upgrades, but not all of the performance and weight savings mods. The SS II was never offered to the public, however, and both the SS I and SS II were eventually sold at auction. SS I remains in the private collection of racing team owner and noted Corvette collector Rick Hendrick.

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Living On

Snake Skinner II was purchased by former NCM Board Member Greg Mauzy and his wife Michelle of Midland, Texas. It was just another notable addition to Mauzy's collection of rare and interesting Corvettes, which encompassed around 80 cars of his roughly 150 car collection. Sadly, Mauzy passed away in 2016, but his legacy lives on, as does his collection, thanks to his family.

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Telling a Story

Mauzy's family donated the Super Snake II to the National Corvette Museum recently so that fans of the iconic model can see and enjoy it up close. It's a generous act and one that will certainly be appreciated for years to come. And personally, we think this is a story worth telling over and over again.

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