Corvette's ZR1 embodies the best and the worst of America. It's brutally powerful but not always under control. It dazzles with performance, aggression and confidence, yet it could be considered a little vulgar and excessively plastic if you put it in a room full of Europeans. But there's no question, it's a hell of a lot of fun.
In Dubai over the weekend, Chevrolet unveiled the much-anticipated 2019 model of the top dog in the Corvette family. The fastest and most powerful Corvette ever made, the new ZR1 looks like an absolute beast.
![2019 Corvette ZR1: the fastest, most powerful corvette ever](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/590e410/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1620x1080+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2F2019-corvette-zr1-2.jpg)
The engine, a gas-guzzling LT5 6.2-liter V8, uses an intercooled supercharger that pushes 52 percent more air than the one on the Z06 to smash out a brutal 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque (563 kW / 969 Nm). To get the power figures up, the design team has used GM's first ever dual fuel injection system. The carbon cover of the supercharger pokes through a "halo" hole in the hood to establish dominance over the rest of the Corvette line, and with four more radiators than the previous model, there's now a whopping 13 heat exchangers in the engine bay.
Naturally, as a ZR1, it comes with a 7-speed manual gearbox, a nice one with Active Rev Match for downshifting. But in response to a growing segment of customers who've got no idea how to drive stick, as well as the fact that quick-shifting autos are demonstrably better these days for the majority of drivers, the 2019 becomes the first ZR1 that can be optioned with an 8-speed paddle shift automatic.
![2019 Corvette ZR1: upgradeable interior](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/0398247/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1441x1080+0+0/resize/1281x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2F2019-corvette-zr1-12.jpg)
In terms of aerodynamics, it's horses for courses. With the standard low rear wing, the car is capable of more than 210 miles per hour (338 km/h) in a straight line. If you're more about the cornering, you can option the large High Wing package that slows it down a little, but adds significant downforce for hard cornering, as well as maximizing the visual punch in the face kicked off by those signature cannon exhausts.
![2019 Corvette ZR1: unmistakeable backside](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/eff69c5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1620x1080+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2F2019-corvette-zr1-3.jpg)
Aeros have been enhanced elsewhere too, with a front underwing on all models boosting downforce and grip, and if you go for that high wing in the ZTK performance package, you'll get a carbon-tipped front splitter too, as well as racier tires and magnetic ride control tuning for the suspension.
Interior-wise, it's available with the choice of regular leather seats, heated/vented leather seats, or competition sports seats, as well as other options like performance dataloggers and a Bose high-end sound system.
![2019 Corvette ZR1: huge carbon cover on the supercharger pokes through a hole in the hood like a hot rod from the future](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/262917a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1518x1080+0+0/resize/1349x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2F2019-corvette-zr1-10.jpg)
As for the looks, well, these things are always subjective, but from some angles it's got a fair bit of Nissan GT-R, or other high-end Japanese sportscar about it. The front underwing and grille look like they owe a small debt to the Lamborghini Huracan. From other angles, it's apple-pie American.
Is it excessive? Sure. Is it outrageous? Not by any means, in a world where cars like the Hennessey Venom V5 stalk the bitumen. It'll be reasonably priced in the scheme of things; previous models sat around the US$125,000 mark, and if the 2019 ZR1's pricing stays in the ballpark, that's a pretty impressive whack of horsepower for your money.
It's also, in the past, proven itself a half decent daily driver when it's not chewing holes in the road. The 2019 Corvette ZR1 is set to go on sale next spring.
Source: Chevrolet