Bought Bose, selling Klipschorns & La Scalas (Southern California)

[Jay481985]

ah a zr-1. does it have the white stripe down the car???

becareful not to oversteer out of the corners!

[oldbuckster]

ah a zr-1. does it have the white stripe down the car???

becareful not to oversteer out of the corners!

That's a Gran Sport model with two red stripes on driver side fender..................awesome model.................

[J M O N]

Oldbuckster: I guess your forum name fits you well (LOL) [] As it would fit me also! Jay on the otherhand doesn't qualify as "older folk". Sounds like you have a Vette -- what kind? I haven't had much time behind the wheel, but in what time I have had, you can tell it's no ordinary car. Although there does seem to be a heavy concentration of these in CA, it's very rare to see any. They seem to be less common on the road than Vipers. Until I started shopping for one, I think I had only seen about three in my life. The first time I ever saw one was in Switzerland. You don't forget the first time you see one, at least I didn't. I also considered getting a Grand Sport. In fact, it was what I started out looking for, but then decided on the ZR-1 after further research. I also thought about the Z06 (C5 version), but they are everywhere and I wanted something a bit more unique so a Grand Sport came to mind (only 1000 made).

For those interested, more info on the Z can be found at: http://www.zr1netregistry.com/

Info on the Grand Sport can be found here: http://www.grandsportregistry.com/index.php

[Jay481985]

Oldbuckster: I guess your forum name fits you well (LOL) [] As it would fit me also! Jay on the otherhand doesn't qualify as "older folk".

i'm old in some aspects and a child in others. I hit 21 so technically I am a full adult (can gamble and drink)

[wuzzzer]

That's awesome JMON! I went to a private Corvette museum in Indiana a couple of years ago. The owner has the largest collection of ZR-1s on the planet. There were at least 8 there if I remember correctly, and a couple of them only had between 50 and 500 miles on them.

He had some Pace Cars, a split window, many rare colors, several rare engine options too.

Racking my brain, isn't the ZR-1 a completely different body than the regular Vette? Something like 5 inches wider and the same amount longer? I'm trying to remember about the engine, isn't it derived from a Mercury marine engine?

You'll have to post some pics!

[J M O N]

Thanks Wuzzer. The ZR-1 does have a different body, but only from the doors back. It is 3 inches wider than a regular Corvette, although it probably appears to be more than that. It is the same length as a regular C4 though. The engine, which is of course the main feature of the ZR-1, was designed by Lotus (along with GM). At that time Lotus was owned by GM (I don't know if it still is). The engine was then fabricated by Mercury Marine as it is an all aluminum engine and they had the expertise. What resulted was a marine-grade engine that was so durable it broke the world endurance record for a production car. A ZR-1 right off the assembly line averaged over 175 mph for 24 hours straight. The engine, known as the LT-5, was a $30k option. Of course this was the entire ZR-1 package, but the engine again was the main portion of that package and was where the majority of the cost came from. There are other ZR-1 unique parts, such as the transmission and body-panels as mentioned before. Even the windshield is unique, strangely enough. The tires were also the largest ever put on a Corvette giving it a very aggressive look but was mainly intended to keep all that power on the road. Only the new C6 Z06 has tires as large (same in front but actually 1cm wider in the rear).

Here is a photo of one from the back. It's not mine but it's a cool photo:

http://i7.tinypic.com/20t03ye.jpg'>

[oldbuckster]

JMON, Yes I did own a Corvette, I had a 76, wanted a 64-67, but price killed me, Black on Black, tough color, but cleaned and waxed, damn man. Stock looking, except for wheels, cam, Edelbrock manifold and carb, Headers(non-leaking) into 2 1/2" Flowmaster 40's, I do so miss the Flowmaster sound, KYB shocks, fibreglass rear spring, you know the story, stock 76 Vette not fast enough. After owning her for 9 years, one day a man knocks on my door, wants my car, so Good Bye, end of car habit...........................Think Not.............My son and I took a ride one day and Lo and Behold saw this 79 Porsche 911, took it for a ride, and the rest my friend is History, it's mine. A true Sportscar, it's a speeding ticket waiting to happen.........a Silver Bullet that gets great gas mileage................

[jacksonbart]

here's a cheap shot JB [] Seems like Aston Martin's DB9 are kicking the Corvette in Le Mans GT2 races.

This season they changed the rules to make it more competitive by reducing the amount of HP that the Corvettes can develope to give other manufacturers a chance. In that case its basically Ford vs Chevy.

[Jay481985]

sorry I meant GT1

But yeah, I heard they had more restricter plates or so... And yes the aston martin v12 is based on two duratec v6 engines (ford taurus)

I wonder where Dodge went when they used to own the GT1 class with their vipers and then corvette gave them a challenge and now they are gone.....Where are the good old days of supercars GT1 cars like the Lotus Elise GT1, Porsche 911 GT1, Nissan R390, McLaren GT1, Toyota GT1, etc....... too many damn rule changes every year to make it more competative.

[oldbuckster]

JAY, It's because Corvette Rules, looks funny a V8 mopping up those V10's....................Vipers are nice looking,but trash the V10 and put in a big Hemi, now we're talking...........