Jalopnik
We got a release from the folks at the General yesterday, and we were told we could run it at midnight-plus-one, but then we forgot about it. These things happen, you know. We mean, who gets excited about something as fait accompli as the 2009 Corvette ZR1 getting just over 620 HP? Well, if your answer is everyone, you're probably right. And why shouldn't we be excited about Zee new Really fast One from Chevy? Especially since they've now got officially certified power ratings on that beautiful Jakegasmic LS9 engine — 638 HP, nearly 103 horses per liter — and 604 lb-ft of torque, which'll let the new supercharged Corvette ZR1 break that all-important 200 MPH speed barrier. We knew there was a reason we liked this from the moment we first exploded the LS9 for all to see. Next question however is whether Wes will be back in the road test saddle in time for what we're expecting will be a summertime drive of the new ZR1 or whether it'll have to be one of us other Jalops jumping behind the wheel of the supercharged new Corvette. This may be the first time we've ever hoped someone wouldn't get better as quickly as possible. We kid. On the square. Anyway, what we do know is we've got the full press release after the jump.
CHEVROLET ANNOUCES CERTIFIED POWER RATINGS FOR THE NEW CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1: 638 HP FROM THE SUPERCHARGED LS9 V-8PONTIAC, Mich. - When it was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's power was estimated at 100 horsepower for each of its 6.2 liters of displacement. GM Powertrain has completed SAE certification of the ZR1's supercharged LS9 V-8 and the results exceed the estimate: 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).
The LS9's output is nearly 103 horses per liter, or just about 1.7 horses for each of the engine's 376 cubic inches. It is unquestionably the most powerful automotive production engine ever manufactured by General Motors and enables the Corvette ZR1 to achieve a top speed of more than 200 mph (322 km/h).
"One of the most amazing things about the Corvette ZR1 is the level of refinement that our designers and engineers have attained. Even with all that power, this car has road manners that will allow our customers to enjoy it on the streets as a daily driver, and on the track," said Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper.
The Corvette ZR1 goes on sale this summer. Its 638-hp supercharged engine is complemented in the chassis by heavy-duty components not offered in any other model, including a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology that delivers exceptional clamping power and lower inertia, as well as strengthened axle components.
Fuel economy testing has not been completed, but engineers are confident the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market.
The LS9 engine is hand-built by specially trained technicians at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. It is a unique, small-volume engine production facility that also builds the Chevrolet Corvette Z06's LS7 engine and other high-performance GM production engines.
"Developing the LS9 involved more than simply striving for a great horsepower number. Endurance and reliability testing have shown the engine to be robust and low-maintenance, just like other engines in the small-block family," said Sam Winegarden, executive director, engine engineering for GM Powertrain. "That it is distinguished as the most powerful engine ever from General Motors is a source of immense pride among everyone involved with the LS9."
Supercharged aspiration
The key enabler of the LS9's performance is the industry's first production application of a new, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger that has a unique four-lobe rotor design. Its design promotes quieter and more efficient performance, while the large, 2.3-liter displacement ensures adequate air volume at high rpm. Maximum boost pressure is 10.5 psi (0.72 bar). It is teamed with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance."The combination of large displacement and the new, four-rotor design broadens the effective range of the supercharger, allowing the engine to make more power at lower rpm and sustain it throughout the power band," said Winegarden. "The low-end torque is tremendous and the high-rpm charge from the supercharger is simply amazing."
A raised hood provides adequate clearance for the LS9, while a polycarbonate window in the hood provides a view of the engine beneath it.
LS9 details
The LS9 features many unique design and manufacturing details that support its high-performance nature. They include:
Aluminum cylinder block with iron cylinder liners that are finish-bored and honed with a deck plate installed
Forged steel crankshaft with a nine-bolt flange
Titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons
Stronger, rotocast cylinder heads with 2.16-inch (55 mm) titanium intake valves and 1.59-inch (40.4 mm) hollow-stem, sodium-filled exhaust valves
Camshaft with 0.555-inch (14.1 mm) lift for excellent idle and low-speed driving qualities
A dry-sump oiling system with 10.5-quart (9.9 liters) capacity
Integrated oil cooler and piston-cooling oil squirters
Intercooler cover visible through the hood window that features ZR1-unique blue accents and "LS9 SUPERCHARGED" embossed on the left and right sidesGeneral Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
# # #
Specifications
LS9 6.2L SUPERCHARGED V-8
Displacement (cu in / cc):
376 / 6162
Bore & stroke (in / mm):
4.06 x 3.62 / 103.25 x 92
Block material:
cast aluminum
Cylinder head material:
A356-T6 rotocast aluminum
Valvetrain:
overhead valve, 2 valves per cylinder
Fuel delivery:
SFI (sequential fuel injection)
Compression ratio:
9.1:1
Horsepower / kW:
638 / 476 @ 6500 rpm
Torque (lb-ft / Nm):
604 / 819 @ 3800 rpm
Fuel shut-off (rpm):
6600
Recommended fuel:
premium required
Exhaust manifolds:
stainless steel
Main bearing caps:
forged steel
Crankshaft:
forged steel
Camshaft:
hollow steel; 0.555-in (14.1 mm) lift
Connecting rods:
forged titanium
Valves:
intake: titanium
exhaust: hollow steel
Valve lifters:
hydraulic roller
Supercharger:
R2300, four-lobe "Roots" type (2.3L)
Additional features:
piston oil-spray cooling; direct-mount ignition coils; 11-rib accessory drive
Comments
They only use their smartest apes when building the ZR-1
Horsepower per liter numbers for a forced-induction engine are meaningless unless they're adjusted for the boost pressure over atmospheric pressure.
638? Pish posh, I want my dual-supercharged 1200hp Lingenfelter ASAP.
The Ultimate Burnout Machine (Vette people don't use the term "peel out" due to association with oranges)
have the chinese cloned this yet, or just working on cloning maximum bob lutz?
Bad ass performance numbers, to be sure, but I still don't "get" the hood-window-to-show-the-plastic-cover-on-the-engine thing.
I guess, since it's out of my price range, it doesn't matter if I "get" it.
@Chinese Knockoff Bento:
Hey, if you give an ape a typewriter, and enough time, eventually it'll produce a masterpiece
"It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times....stupid monkey"
That's cool, but still not as cool as 430 naturally aspirated horses from the base model.
Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling.
WTFuling? GM has a hidden brand! I heard about this actually. You have to go through the maintenance closet at Saturn dealerships to get to the Wuling showroom. Horra!
@Jeb_Hoge:
Hell yes! A dealership near here was selling 2008 Corvettes for 40k earlier this year. That's quite a performance bargain IMO!
Anyway, this car is awesome. I like the looks of the ZO6 better,but I would definitely drive a ZR1!
Devil with a Blue Dress indeed.
Nice hp figures, but I'm not hot on the looks. The Z06 looks great, all smooth and swoopy. This reminds me of modded Vettes from the 80's, and that's not good.
It looks better in black, but that blue is hideous. Even still, the black doesn't do it for me even. I think it's the hood bulge. Looks like an afterthought, or cheap workaround.
cigars, thongs and white stains extra
I'm gonna go out on a very stout limb and say this setup probably has a lot of tuning potential left. They're not going to push it anywhere near the edge straight outta the gate. Especially given that they were hitting over 500hp naturally aspirated on factory tune, they've probably got a lot more room in there.
Pick me! I'll drive it! I mean, I don't know how incoherent mumbling will translate to a witty and interesting article (even without driving the car, that'd be difficult for me), but I need an excuse to try one out.
Oh, and the Wuling thing...
[www.gmchina.com]
So, yeah, maybe we will get a Chinese knockoff of this...
Here are the Wulings for 2008!
[www.wuling.com.cn]
Wuling the world of Tlansporation!
So I did the calculation, and running at 10.5 psi of boost, a 6.2 liter engine is roughly equivalent to a 10.6 liter naturally aspirate engine, which gives the ZR1 an adjusted HP/L of about 60.
The 1130 hp AMS Evo 8 from a couple days ago has an adjusted displacement of about 9 liters, giving it an adjusted HP/L of about 126.
The ZR1 is awesome, but I am really opposed to hp/L as a relevant statistic.
@smalleyxb122:
I think the window is inspired by Ferrari and others. A common complaint among Z06 owners is that it looks like the standard car.
@dculberson: 500 hp from the 7.0L LS7. 430 hp from the 6.2L LS3 which is the base for this engine.
best.corvette.ever.
@smalleyxb122: Yeah, that's what I thought it was at first, too. It's not: It's part of the supercharger (and not plastic).
Pulley + tune = holy crap your pants.
@Bumblebee: So it's the cover on the water-air intercooler. And I bet the blue part on the intercooler cover is plastic.
@elwood: We all know hp/L is bunk.
HP per lb...thats where it counts and this car has many horses for every pound of car.
@danio3834: I know the ZR1 is awesome, you don't have to tell me that twice (or even once, for that matter). I'll really be interested to see what the people who'll tune theirs will end up with.
But its so ugly!
800hp shouldn't be much of a problem for tuners.
A reflash and pulley swap will probably yield a massive gain. Add an intake and exhaust and it only goes up from there.
@TriShield: You won't be able to swap intake manifolds very easily. The supercharger/intercooler/intake are all one unit that are made together and bolt right into the engine valley.
@elwood: HP/L, at least everything I've read, has long been dismissed as a "ricer" measurement. HP/lb, though... Now that's relevant.
@UNÆVÒL\/ED: I know, but GM sure makes note of it in their press release.
And for comparing two naturally aspirated engines, HP/L can be interesting, but when you include forced induction it gets all wonky (like, the AMS evo would be about 550 HP/L). It gets a reputation as a "ricer" measurement, because it's something a Honda owner could throw back after being beat by a Camaro.
Love the car, hate that stupid plastic engine cover.
@AshMeAboutMyCar: Lemons peel too ya know!
@Hot_Carl: If you think this is ugly and the GT-R and A8 are hot, well, between the two of us I think we're doing our part to keep the universe in balance.
There's nothing I love more than a car with all the subtlety of a lead pipe to the face. This is one BIG lead pipe, and GM's coming out swinging without a care who they hit.
Sure, the car's got plenty of power, and can probably handle great, but man oh man is it tacky looking!!! What's with the ricer clear hood?!?! And the ridiculous looking chrome wheels? And all those little bulges everywhere? Sure, Americans can make powerful cars that can match up to some of the best, but where are the designers in all of this? Looks like GM just tries to stick as many trinkets as possible to make this "look" the part, but it's so nasty! Way too busy and, wait a minute, did I already say tacky??
Don't let Wert kill the clutch if he's the jalopy that gets to drive this behemoth if/when you do!
Dr. Zaius would be proud.
@BMWer: Aside from the window and chromed wheels (both easy enough to fix-to-taste), there's not much else about the car that isn't functional. It's especially silly for you, particularly, to nitpick when you're already on record of hating all American cars on every conceivable count.
Somewhere Zora is giggling like a schoolgirl.
What a stupid, wonderful machine.
Autoblog just posted a vid of the ZR1 doing 205 on a test track in Germany
I'm dying to see this on Top Gear, or REAL times from the 'ring.
@reefer: They're gonna let Wert drive the one with the automatic.
A Ferrari is still better. This thing probably cant go round a corner. Sure it'll dominate in the straights like all American cars do but everything else is pudding.
Gunmetal grey wheels are an option on most Corvettes.
Autoblog has a video of the car doing 205 mph on a test track. :)