Is the legendary Lotus-powered C4 ZR-1 worth the premium, or is the 1996 LT4 Corvette the best performance bargain in the hobby? Compare horsepower, real-world performance, Bring a Trailer market values, and watch both icons go head-to-head before deciding which C4 belongs in your garage.
Race-prepared, Stock 1990 ZR-1 Shatters a 50 Year 24-Hour Speed Record – 2 Video Below! (This story first appeared in the May 2017 issue of...
Car auctions are a lot of fun because you never know how much or how little any given car is going to sell for. Next month at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction, January 5 – 14, a truly rare ZR-1 Corvette will hit the auction block. When the ZR-1 finally came out as a 1990 Corvette is was a very big deal. This was truly an exotic Corvette with its Lotus DOHC all-aluminum engine and wide body.
Mecum’s experts estimate that the car will sell for between $190,000-to-$225,000, but we’ll see. That’s why I’ll be recording the auction and posting it to our Corvette Report YouTube channel.
When the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 hit the streets, it changed everything. Powered by the revolutionary LT5—a 32-valve, dual overhead cam V8 developed with Lotus—it delivered 375 horsepower and performance that rivaled the world’s top sports cars.
By 1991, the ZR-1 refined the formula with improved styling integration and continued dominance as the “King of the Hill.” With advanced engineering, a hand-built engine, and a 6-speed manual, these early ZR-1s proved that the C4 Corvette could compete on a global stage—while still being a car enthusiasts can own today.
The 1970-1/2 – 1972 ZR-1: There have been three distinctive “ZR-1 / ZR1” Corvettes since 1970. The first ZR-1 was actually the last of Duntov’s “Racer Kit” option packages, designed to provide a Corvette customer with the basics needed to go SCCA racing. Offered from 1970-1/2 to 1972, the RPO ZR-1 (and RPO ZR-2) were strictly “under-the-skin” hardware packages. There were no special badges, scoops, vents, limps, bumps, or budges. From the outside, the ZR-1 looked like any other LT-1 or 454 (as with the ZR-2) Corvette. These unique cars were not “marketed” in any way at all. You had to know about them to seek one out, and most of them, likely never saw street use.
Relive the historic 1990 Corvette ZR-1 endurance run where Morrison’s team averaged an astonishing 174.885 mph over 24 hours. Powered by the LT5, the C4 ZR-1 proved it could compete on the world stage, establishing Corvette as a true high-speed performance benchmark and cementing its place in modern Corvette history.
by K. Scott Teeters, Written for Vette Magazine as republished from SuperChevy.com Excerpted from: Trend Setting Part 15: A look back at Chevrolet’s experimental, prototype,...
by K. Scott Teeters as written for Vette Magazine and republished from SuperChevy.com Excerpted from: Trend Setting, Part 15: A look back at Chevrolet’s experimental, prototype,...
