The Chevrolet Corvette has been an American icon, and the face of American sports cars, since it was first introduced in 1953. And while a number of impressive American sports and muscle cars have gone the way of the Dodo’s since, the Corvette is very much alive and well. In fact, the latest limited-edition ZR1, introduced at the North American International Auto Show last year, is powered by the most powerful engine ever made by General Motors – also making it fastest Corvette every produced.



The ZR1 has a hand built 6.2 liter V8 that produces an extremely impressive 103bhp per liter – bringing its total power output up to a staggering 647bhp and 604lb/ft of torque. And while the engine retains the Corvette’s 2 valve per cylinder / pushrod layout, it is extremely sophisticated and uses materials such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium to reduce weight, not to mention supercharging to boost output – all of which ensures a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.6 seconds, and a top speed of 330km/h. The racecar-like space-frame chassis also makes use of magnesium to save weight, while a number of body panels are made of carbon fibre to serve the same purpose. Plus, the front engine / rear transmission layout ensure near perfect weight distribution, while the carbon-ceramic brakes guarantee that the ZR1 stops just as well as it goes.

The limited edition ZR1 can be had for a comparatively frugal $110,000 USD (Rs. 53 lakhs), which is very much in keeping with the American idiom of ‘bang for your buck.’ The Corvette ZR1 is demonstrative of just what GM can do if they put their mind to it. And it’s certainly a car worth saving.