Chevrolet has unleashed the Corvette ZR1 – a true supercar boasting the most powerful V8 ever produced in America.
That beast of a powerplant, dubbed the LT7, is a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged DOHC flat-plane crank V8 producing 793kW and 1123Nm. Estimated top speed is a whopping 346km/h. The company hasn’t given a 0-100km/h sprint time but does say that the ZR1 can register a sub-10 second time over the quarter-mile. That should keep every performance enthusiast smiling.
Chevrolet has listed quite a few elements that it says are unique to the monster V8. These include:
- Head castings with unique ports and a larger combustion chamber
- Valve train timing and lift profile optimised for forced induction
- Completely new intake system tuned for twin turbochargers
- CNC machined combustion chamber, exhaust and intake ports specific to the LT7
- Dual, ported shroud, ball bearing, mono-scroll (76 mm) turbochargers integrated with the exhaust manifold to reduce the volume and distance from the exhaust valve to the turbine wheel for quick response with electronic wastegates
- Intelligent anti-lag engine calibration techniques specifically for ZR1
- Added block and head machining to support turbo cooling and oiling
- Counterweight changes to account for a unique piston and unique connecting rod for the crank train
- A secondary port fuel injection system added to deliver additional fuel to support the engine’s output
To support the increase in power from the LT7 engine, Chevrolet says its engineers made numerous changes to the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, including:
- Inner and outer input shaft upgrades
- Increased gear capacity with strength increased via shot peening for all gears
- Oil management to support increased
vehicle longitudinal and lateral capability - Increased control valves to accommodate the higher required clutch clamp load
Aerodynamics are important in performance and the standard ZR1 chassis has a sleeker body with lower drag and a small spoiler, and includes standard carbon-fibre front splitter, rocker mouldings, side intake with integrated brake cooling, and front underwing with stall gurney deflectors. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires wrap 20-inch front, and 21-inch rear wheels.
Braking comes courtesy of ceramic 400mm rotors and six-piston calipers up front and 390mm rotors with four pistons at the rear.
There’s an optional ZTK performance package that offers some extra wallop, and which includes a high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes, and hood Gurney lip – all woven carbon fibre. Suspension tuning incorporates stiffer springs and adds Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres.
The Corvette ZR1 is scheduled to enter production in 2025.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (August 2024)
4 September 2024