Randy Pobst on the 1064-horsepower C8 Corvette ZR1: Like a big Miata | Articles

How about bravo and applause to Chevy for 1064 horsepower? And all gas, rear-wheel drive.

Now you know I’m not an electric hater–I own one–but there is something so right about this config for the USA’s bad beastie boy. No car of the future here; the Corvette ZR1 is the best of the petroleum-powered tradition of the automobile, and specifically the versions on this side of the pond.

The ZR1 is the latest, greatest version of the Corvette C8 platform, of which I have always approved, and what’s very interesting is that its driving personality is the exact opposite of the twitchy C7’s in some important ways.

While the C7 chassis is very quick, eager and controllable entering a corner, it has a major birth defect when the driver applies throttle: a notorious power oversteer, the kind that snaps sideways and sends the cars into the crowd whilst leaving cars and coffee should a foolhardy show-off switch off the StabiliTrak and attempt a burnout. The C7 is twitchy under power, and the more it has, the worse it gets.

The C8 platform flips this behavior right around. It puts power down so well that even the normal version overachieves zero-to-60 times for 500 horsepower and rear-wheel drive.

But turn the C8 into a corner with its stability nannies off, and it exhibits a snap oversteer on the way in. The ZR1 has a few tricks to help tame this, but oh yes, it’s still there.

Short story: C7, snap oversteer on the way out; C8, over-rotating oversteer on the way in.

Now, in my long and storied racing career of over 700 events and more than 100 wins, I have gained a great appreciation for traction under acceleration. Power down. Exit speed.

What good is power if you cannot convert it into forward motion? Talking to you, Charger and Jag F-type. And Corvette C7 Z06 and ZR1. Well, okay. I admit the smoking burnouts are good for YouTube views.

But the C8 totally turned the tables on traction. The chassis hooks up extremely well, all versions, and the honkin’ ZR1 version really needs it with its “64 horsepower–plus a thousand.” (Thanks, Jason Cammisa.)

So many commenters credit the mid-engine weight distribution, 10% more to the rear. While this is significant, there’s much more to the improvement. I say it’s the geometry, too. It has so much forward bite. The C7 was exceptionally bad for putting power to the ground, and the C8 is impressively good at it. It’s my 1065th favorite thing about the ZR1.

And my 1066th favorite thing? Low- to no-lag linear power delivery. Let’s start with the fact that the flat-plane 5.5-liter LT7 V8 has the largest turbo ever fitted to a production engine. Make that TWO of them.

They push up to 24 pounds of boost. Wow! Sounds like a recipe for dyno-queen lag. I’ve certainly experienced engines like that from wannabe tuner gurus (Evo, cough, cough, GTi, ahem).

NOT the ZR1.

On track, the ZR1 feels like an NA Miata with 10 or 11 liters. THAT’s a fave. While it’s easy to overcome the grip of the two driven DOT tires out back, it’s in a really controllable way–not a snap oversteer, at least if the throttle is approached with a modicum of good sense. Makes the old C7 feel like it’s on ice.

One secret is that the ZR1 turbo systems have electronically controlled wastegates that can close under braking and save some boost for when the driver goes back to the throttle. It works.

On track, I felt no real lag, and this is a great factor in making this outrageously muscular car feel controllable. The torque curve is actually flat from 4K to almost 7K of the 8K redline. A flat 800 lb.-ft. of “oomph,” which is roughly the sound forced from the lungs when flooring the gas.

And have you heard this fun fact? At the power peak, those quad tailpipes actually generate a little thrust. Yup, real jet thrust! Thirty-something pounds, but still pretty cool. Some wag asked, “Hey, if I blow the trans, can I rev it up and get ’er home on that?”

On track, there’s a lot of C8 mid-engine goodness, with the quickness of direction change that can come with the low polar moment, and that rear grip when applying power is highly appreciated with the 800 pounds of muscle.

I still point out that trailing-throttle oversteer will show up and over-rotate the car if you leave the weight on the nose a little too long. It’s less than the original Z51 C8, but Team Corvette is still learning the dynamics and it’s not a 911 GT3 just yet.

It is still my personal opinion that the C8s need so much camber for track work because the Vette team has tried to stabilize that mid-engine with the springs and bars, resulting in too much understeer with a street alignment. I know the real solution, and someday I will make the part it needs. Teaser!

In another testament to the power, those highly stressed rear wheels have a wider bolt pattern for more leverage. This impresses me, too.

And since we brought it up, I am absolutely sure the next Porsche GT2 will have more than just “64 horses–plus a thousand.” And since I said that, you probably know what else was just recently announced: the ZR1X! Add E-Ray to ZR1 and now it’s AWD at 1250 wild ponies, claiming an 8-second quarter! Now, if I were Chevy, I’d have delayed the X and allowed the ZR1 to shine longer before making it old news with the next-level ZR1X.

Incredible. The technology power spiral of today’s cars is just a dizzy thrill to experience. Drive well, Grassrooters!

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