August 2018 Issue #20 August 2018 Issue #20 | Page 31

Bolted to that all-American pushrod motor (which prefers to gulp fuel we can’t pump in 91-oc-
tane California) is an optional eight-speed automatic transmission ($1,725). In Track mode,
enter the Performance Traction Management (PTM) program, select Sport 1, press the brake
pedal to the floorboard, whack the throttle similarly, wait for the revs to stabilize (at about
1,400 rpm), then release the brakes. Doing this will produce a wisp of wheelspin that will be
monitored/managed all the way through first gear. The best launch-control results made 0-60
times of 3.2 to 3.3 seconds and steady quarter miles of 11.2 to 11.4 seconds at 130 mph—and
anybody could do that, repeatedly. The launch control is that good. On the other hand, turning
all the electronic aids off and using the “driver’s best effort” to manage wheelspin ekes out a
couple tenths here and few mph there. Surprisingly, it’s easy to launch, considering the engine
produces 715 lb-ft of Michelin-melting torque. The throttle response is unexpectedly linear,
the tires so talkative that finding the just-right progression between runaway wheelspin and
ultimate acceleration only takes a couple attempts to learn. Make no mistake, it can get out of
hand quickly, but there’s a friendly cooperation inherent to this car that’s lacking in, say, a 707-
hp, 650-lb-ft Hellcat that simply cannot put its power to the ground. The ZR1 is remarkable in
this way.
Our best efforts resulted in a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds on the way to a 10.8-second 133.1-mph
quarter mile. Probably owing to our 91- not 93-octane fuel, we were slightly behind GM’s claims
of a 2.9-second 0-60 time and 10.6-second/134-mph quarter mile. Our best results came from
the ZR1 with its optional ZTK Track Performance package ($2,995), which replaces Michelin
Pilot Super Sport ZP (run-flats) with grippier Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZP tires. The ZTK package also
adds stiffer suspension tuning and greater aerodynamic downforce courtesy a flat undercar-
riage, a front splitter with endplates, and the adjustable “high” wing. That aero pack offers 60
percent more downforce than the comparable Z06/Z07 Stage 3 setup. Chevy says it nets 950
pounds at top speed (212 mph). They also say Vmax testing on the autobahn drained all the
fuel tank in 15 minutes. Because of the ZTK’s added downforce/drag, we had anticipated the
“low-wing” car to perform better in a straight line, but instead it came down to initial tire grip.
The high-wing car simply dug in better, maintained grip throughout first gear, and that’s all she
wrote.
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