Chevrolet had a lofty goal in the mid-1980s with the Corvette to build the fastest production car in the world. With manufacturers like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche in the background, it was an exceedingly tall order, but thanks to developmental work from Lotus and manufacturing by Mercury Marine, an all-new, aluminum, 32-valve, quad- cam, 5.7L LT5 V-8 engine was produced that was good for 375 HP. Meanwhile, ZF was contracted to develop a new, 6-speed manual transmission. The LT5 showed 10 fewer horsepower than the 12-cylinder Ferrari Testarossa, 75 fewer than the 12-cylinder Lamborghini Countach and 55 more than the Porsche 928. By 1995, the ZR1 was packing 405 HP, the Ferrari 512TR was touting over 420 HP, the Lamborghini Diablo brought 485 HP to the table, the Porsche 928 pushed 345 HP and the Porsche 911 Turbo delivered 355 HP. Needless to say, the supercar wars were indeed on, and Corvette was a part of it. Introduced at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the ZR1 Corvette was available for sale later that year. The press was skeptical and looking for cracks in the armor, but was hard pressed to find them. Early ZR1 tests by Road & Track magazine showed the ZR1 running 0-60 MPH in 4.9 seconds, finishing the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds and topping out at 179 MPH. The figures were on par with the European competitors, but the ZR1 generally cost considerably less. If that wasn’t enough, the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) certified tests in Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1990 where the ZR1 set seven world records during a 24-hour endurance test covering more than 4,000 miles and maintaining speeds of 175 MPH. Later ZR1s proved slightly quicker, taking just 4.4 seconds to find 60 MPH and topping out around 182 MPH. By the time production ended in 1995, fewer than 7,000 ZR1s had been built. This one is No. 1,196 of the 2,044 produced for the 1991 model year. Showing almost 17,000 miles on the odometer, this 1991 Corvette ZR1 is finished in Torch Red and rolls on Nitto tires with alloy wheels. Optioned with dual removable roof panels, the red leather interior boasts power-operated sport bucket seats, air conditioning, the Delco-Bose AM/FM/CD stereo system, power windows, power locks, cruise control, digital and analog instrumentation, and the low tire pressure warning system.
