Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Conquers Nurburgring, Almost

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 improved its lap time that Nurburgring by initially clocking in at 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds topping Nissan GT-R by 3 seconds.

Porche and Nissan was in a middle of a dispute over their lap times when the Corvette ZR-1 conquers the Nurburgring a second time by improving 4 seconds and clocking in at 7 minutes 22.4 seconds. This lap placed the American-born Corvette on top of the list besting Zonda, Ferrari, and Maserati.

The lap time of the Corvette ZR-1 though did not last enough to bring the title home from Nurburgring. The Dodge Viper ACR claimed the best lap with 7 minutes 22.1 seconds.

The new ZR-1 for 2009 is the most powerful Corvette car manufactured and comes with the most expensive price tag. The power plant under the hood outputs 620 horsepower at 6500 rpm. It has a torque of 595 pound-feet at 4000 rpm.

The car runs on a 6.2L engine coupled with a six speed manual gearbox utilizing a high-capacity clutch.

Other technical details of the ZR-1 have not been disclosed by the car manufacturer but it is said to have a top speed of 200 mph with a 3 second barrier to reach 60 mph. It outruns the Z06, its predecessor, in terms of speed and acceleration.

The ZR-1 is capable of cornering with a 1g grip made possible by its ultra-wide tire working with independent front and rear suspensions. The chassis of the Z06 worked as its starting point for design.