August 2018 Issue #20 August 2018 Issue #20 | Page 35

Around town, the ZR1 draws a crowd when parked, unsolicited questions from grocery
store employees retrieving shopping carts, and even more thumbs-up reactions on the
road. It is as over-the-top as they come, as it should be. On the road, the non-ZTK-
equipped ZR1 rides as smoothly as every other C7 Corvette I’ve ever driven. The ZTK
is harsher, like the RS versions of the Porsche 911 GT2/GT3 are. The 2019 Chevrolet
Corvette ZR1 has variously succeeded and failed in setting performance records, how-
ever. It is indeed the quickest to 60 mph and fastest quarter-miler Corvette we’ve ever
tested on the dragstrip, edging out a Z06/Z07, also with an eight-speed automatic. It
stopped from 60 mph 2 feet shorter than the previous best Corvettes did (a handful of
Grand Sports and Z06s). It lapped Willow Springs faster than any previous Corvette,
yet it failed to set an outright record there, on our skidpad, or to top our figure-eight list.
It is true the ZR1 is an awesome achievement, costing a whole trunkload less money
than those above (and many below) it on the Willow Springs lap times list. At the end of
the C7-era, this is indeed as good as it gets for a front-engine Corvette. Unless there’s
a factory “lightweight” version coming or a track-only special, there aren’t any more
tricks up the sleeves of Corvette engineers. Besides, they’re all working on the mid-en-
gine replacement. Indeed, Corvette fans, this is as good as it gets, warts and all, which
means it’s the perfect farewell for the C7.
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