I don't know about the personal experience, but torque converter automatics can be made to shift however quick and hard you like. No, they don't generally come that way OEM. Manufacturers do have some minimum comfort level they want to achieve in their products. But the qualities we dislike are not intrinsically inherent just because they have a torque converter. The unit AMG uses in their C63S and E63S, for example, is wonderful. Feels and functions almost like a DCT.

 

Rob.
My favorite line.

"it can and wants to kill you in a flaming wreckage."

Haha. Love it.

I always feel like when I get into my friends ZR1 that Chevy basically just threw a $hitload of extra power at a Grandport and Z06 and said "Go for it." "But tell your family not to call us when you're dead."

Randy Pobst said it's hella fast but the most demanding to drive all of it at the limit. I paraphrased a little bit you get my point.

That torque and exhaust note are what dares you on those on ramps for sure. No red blooded man can resist the throttle pedal at that moment in time.

Great write up Rob!

 

Actually, from the GM engineers in the Corvette program (we run some events together, and we chat often). The auto has 755hp in all gears, the manual has torque limitations in 1st and 2nd gear (which my c7-z06 had too).

I would not buy a slushbox sport car for track use, that's horrid. DCT yes, PDK yes, manual yes, slush-Nope (2020-Supra is an appearance package shortened BMW appliance sedan). It just happens that local available inventory ZR1s are all autos, and that a driver showed up with another auto and asked for guidance around the track.

I was more curious about improvements on the driving dynamics, and they are there, it transfers power down better (e-diff and e-shocks calibration), it is less laggy in Touring, it still suffers from on/off throttle behavior in Race mode, it still makes interior rattling noises, the normal stuff in a C7.

The e-diff and e-shocks calibration is available via GM Performance for the $50k GS and Z06. I like the ZR1 as the pinnacle of Corvette, but its $130k price cannot be justified given the existence of the GS/Z06 and soon the C8-Z51. When GM builds a $60k Z06 that has pretty much the same hardware sans little things (spoilers, radiators and a blower) as the ZR1, they set the ZR1 owners on a depreciation slope. In the C6, the Z06 and ZR1 are different animals, the C7 ones are too close, except on asking prices. ZR1s are patiently waiting for buyers around U.S., and they built plenty.

No doubt the manual is the way to go. Resident NCM pro-driver and super nice guy Andy Pilgrim has a video on a manual ZR1 around the full course. The car ran a super fast lap 2:07 on the stock MPSC-2 (factory shaved) tires. Andy has two videos posted with a 991.2 GT3PDK and a 991.2 GT3 Manual, both cars lapped in 2:11s. (on similar tires the GT3s should drop another second). It is fast, but its price plays against it, and lets not talk actual weight on the scales (my RS weighed 3,025 lbs on low fuel a few months ago, Cayman/Boxster weight with aero and extra torque).

570S feels more special, but I would not track it (I got one in limp mode already, more info in the McLaren forum embeded into the Value Threads forum). Camaro ZL1-1LE is a monster dependable car with low consumables, awesome lap times (with minor adjustments this car eats my 991.2 GT3RS on a racetrack) and nice entry price. C7-GS is the easy button, slower than the ZL1-1LE but prettier. Viper ACR and Cayman GT4CS are the two track cars that I would consider on a $130k budget (and some 2014 991.1 Mezger GT3Cups too). For street driving, the McLaren 570S is awesome. The Italian stuff is overpriced, Audi/MB/BMW don't make anything special anymore, the British stuff for street use relies on slush boxes and MB powerplants now (read not special anymore).

The true enthusiast cars aside from the Porsche GT cars (street and motorsports) are the Corvette/Camaro team, Ford (Shelby and GT), and McLaren. Too bad people didn't support the Viper. All others build Limp-Mode appliances or rolling laptops with pretty styling and questionable repeatable performance.

 

Thanks Marcus! This car will hurt you. But it is so much fun. GM definitely made a lot of improvements and took the Z06 to its ultimate conclusion.

 

>> The e-diff and e-shocks calibration is available via GM Performance for the $50k GS and Z06. I like the ZR1 as the pinnacle of Corvette, but its $130k price cannot be justified given the existence of the GS/Z06 and soon the C8-Z51. When GM builds a $60k Z06 that has pretty much the same hardware sans little things (spoilers, radiators and a blower) as the ZR1, they set the ZR1 owners on a depreciation slope. In the C6, the Z06 and ZR1 are different animals, the C7 ones are too close, except on asking prices. ZR1s are patiently waiting for buyers around U.S., and they built plenty.

I didn’t buy my ZR1 as an investment, and i will put a lot of miles on it. But i would never consider a modded/upgraded GS or Z06 to be more desirable than the last and best C7 Corvette. The ZR1 has a completely new front end in carbon fiber. I think that most of the back is also cf, not to mention a new engine (LT5), better ceramic brakes (with new coatings), better cooling, better aero, better suspension calibration, and more. You literally cannot turn a GS or Z06 into a ZR1. And all of this was tweaked and tuned by GM to be the ultimate C7 sendoff, for one year only, with 900 manuals built. There are only 12 left for sale, and the best specs are long gone. The newest C7 Z06 is $100k plus, and the C8 Z06, when released in a year or two, is sure to be in the C7 ZR1 price range. And GM will churn a bunch of them out for 4 or 5 years.

The ZR1 will always be the last and best of the front engine Corvettes. Will they appreciate? I don’t know, but mine won’t! I am going to drive it.

 

Correction. There are only 4 new manual ZR1s for sale.

 

Went with a buddy to High Plains Raceway yesterday as his nephew was doing a one day lesson with a pro driver for his 21st birthday. The instructor, who also runs a racing school shows up with a ZR1. His thoughts were that for around $150k no new car in the world can touch it. One of his pupils (who is also a champion) had a sweet 997 Cup car out testing (it was just those two), and he was running 1:48 with the Cup car. The ZR1 (bone stock) was running 1:51. The guy with the 997 Cup car was pretty surprised that a bone stock ZR1 Corvette was running those times. Here are some pics...

 

Can you imagine once they get the C8 ZRx rolling?

 

The ZR1 is damm fast but remember the Cup can run that time all day long. Two different missions.

 

It will be insane. I was just a little turned off with the turbo rumors. If Porsche can't build a lag-free turbo engine...

GM did testing for 24 hours straight at VIR, only stopping to change tires and refuel. They had no issues, and actually beat the Ford GT lap record in the process. This car does not suffer from overheating that had plagued the early Z06s. But cup cars are...cup cars! This is a street car vs track only.

 

GM says a lot of things that don't turn out to be exactly true... Highly doubt a car that heavy and generating that much heat is running at a decent pace for anywhere near 24 hours.

 

I guess the ZR1 was on the factory cup tires? If so, even more impressive.

I see where you said bone stock, so should be the same tires.

 

I don't believe it was 24 hours straight. IIRC, it was 24 hours "total."

 

Makes more sense. GM was intentionally vague in how they worded it.

 

That’s very fast for a street car at HPR!

Probably only a handful of other street cars that can do that (all more expensive).