Corvette ZR1 Nurburgring 7:26.4

I know many people have been very interested in how fast the ZR1 would be at the Ring...

Most car enthusiasts are quite familiar with the Nürburgring. Built in the 1920's near Cologne, Germany, "the Ring" is considered to be the toughest and most challenging race track in the world.

Over the last two weeks, we have been doing our final tuning and testing there before we start ZR1 production cars. This morning (Friday June 27), General Motors development engineer Jim Mero drove the Corvette ZR1 around the Nürburgring in a time of 7:26.4.

Jim commented after the lap that conditions were good except for a strong headwind down the main straight and that the lap was solid, but he felt there were a few places he could have gone faster.

The car was bone stock with the exception of the communications and safety equipment. The tires were production Michelin Pilot Sport 2's. These tires have been developed specifically for the ZR1 and will have impressive wet traction and wear (tread wear rating = 220), in addition to excellent dry road holding. Chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs. Likewise, the engine calibrations were absolutely stock, emissions compliant and the car ran on pump (not racing) fuel. The vehicle was exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky and sold around the world later this summer.

Despite posting one of the fastest times ever run by a production car, Nürburgring lap times were not an over-riding priority in the development of the ZR1. The truth is, if the only priority was speed at the ring, the car would not be very pleasant to drive on American roads. The ZR1 is an incredibly capable track machine, but unlike most ultra-high performance cars, it is very easy to live with on a daily basis.

The timed lap was run with a rolling start, a departure from our previous practice of standing starts. This is more aligned with current industry practice. The lap was electronically timed and confirmed with two hand-held stopwatches. .

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Corvette
• ZR1
• Nurburgring
• Chevrolet
• GM

[jfiegel1]

The Zr1 Still seems alittle sketchy around the track , but pob so exciting ....

[ViviLiberoOMuori]

my buddy did this track in 8:35 in a '76 Porsche RSR. twin plug 3.6l, i believe. He's got the newspaper and video to back it up as well as the car he brought home.

[texas9ish]

umm... is it bad if i know every corner of the track and how fast to take it from pgr3

[Boutdumonde1]

@Nick718BkLyN 7:14 for the Lexus LFA. Japanese Cars rule!!!

[thebestdrummer51]

@deadpool242

You make our country look stupid with your lack of proper spelling and grammar. Here's a tip for you, before you try to make an intelligent argument, make sure that you're actually intelligent first before you start speaking.

[dbdalton1]

@theannoyingdogpoo

F1 Cars vs. Production cars - that point alone cracks me up.

But then your selectiveness when it comes to technology cracks me up too.

AWD - Not in F1

Varaible Valve Timing - Not in F1

etc...

I look back and LOL at all the GTR fanboys who were convinced the V-Spec would decimate everything...

Now BOTH the ZR1 AND the Z06 are faster than the GTR around the Ring... lets see Nissan shave 14s off the ring time with a tire swap like GM did by offering DOT tires...

[ZKichiro]

@Nick718BkLyN I´m sorry, but the corvette is not considered a muscle car by the american muscle car association because it is way too expensive for regular people to buy, besides it´s a car created before the term was first used with the pontiac gto, therefore it´s purpose has never been to be a muscle car, making it something else, like the viper or the ford gt.

[ZKichiro]

I love how people think they are important by telling others are ignorant, every single person in this world is ignorant, we just all ignore different things.

[04YJGTO]

@deadpool242 What the hell is a COUNTRY? 

[mtneer98]

@deadpool242

Good lord. You're (contraction for You Are) contributing to the stereotype that you're talking about.

... other "raises"???

..."feel superior 'then'"???

..."United Stats feel superior 'then' other 'country's'" ???

Plus, ZERO punctuation throughout.........

I always hated english class myself, but DAMN!!