• top gear

    Top Gear Reviews Dodge Challenger, Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V...And They Like Them!

    When pictures of the Top Gear team coming stateside hit the internet this summer, we were pretty sure we were in for something epic. Well, the episode just aired today, and yes, it was. From Hammond having to buy a Challenger (silly Chrysler PR team!), the boys not being allowed to be "entertaining," some kid wearing a Western Michigan t-shirt and Clarkson mistaking the ZR1 for a "muscle car" — it's a hoot. In the process, they came to the same conclusions we did in our reviews of the three newest 'merican muscular offerings on the market. Want to see the segment yourself? Hit the jump, friends.

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  • 2009 corvette zr1

    Corvette ZR1 Shaves Four Seconds Off Nürburgring Lap Time

    With GM hotshoe Jan Magnussen in the cockpit of Zee Really fast One, the General's hypercar trimmed a staggering four seconds off its previous record-breaking lap time, bringing in a 7:22.4 lap around the 13-mile circuit. Although blisteringly quick, the ZR1's new time still falls short of the Viper ACR's best time of 7:22.1. We don't expect this glorious arms race to end anytime soon — not that we'd ever want these warriors of the raceway to quit duking it out. Guess it depends on whomever ends up owning the Viper brand.

    [MotorGears]
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    Popular Mechanics Puts Its Own Numbers To The Corvette ZR1

    We knew the 2009 Corvette ZR1 was fast, but until now, we didn’t know how fast it could be in the hands of anyone other than GM’s official test drivers. It appears Popular Mechanics has strapped its own timing gear to the ZR1 and hit the go pedal. We’re kind of relieved they pulled times slightly slower than those officially quoted by GM. Despite the ridiculously accessible nature of its performance, the ZR1 is a real driver’s car that actually requires some driving. It’s nice to see that variations in driver skill, surface and other variables actually have an effect on it, rather than relying on electronics capable of completely removing humans from the equation. Hit the jump for the results. More »
  • jeremy clarkson

    Jeremy Clarkson Loves The ZR1, But Says It Began "To Disintegrate” After Three Days

    Writing in his weekly column in the ever-so-slightly left-of-center Sunday Times, Jeremy Clarkson expressed his love for the 2009 Corvette ZR1 before claiming “after three days the damn thing was beginning to disintegrate.” He may have just been "doing it wrong." Of course, this being Clarkson, the rest of the column was about the Chrysler Sebring, the War of Independence and his own insecurities that arise from him being a balding, fat idiot from a backwater nation who’s made a career on the tenuous appeal of his jackassery, so we don’t know if he was talking about the overall build quality (which we found to be peerless) or the interior (which we agree is unfittingly cheap for a $103,300 car). The rest of what Clarkson had to say and more of our analysis after the jump. More »
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    Rumor Busted: Corvette ZR1 Production NOT Canceled

    UPDATE: Rumor busted! Chevy PR tells us ZR1 production has NOT been canceled. DigitalCorvettes was, as we'd claimed most likely the case, wrong on this story.

    DigitalCorvettes is reporting a rumor that production on the Corvette ZR1, Chevy's new super car we just drove a month or so ago, has been halted at the Bowling Green Corvette plant. We knew the Corvette plant was on shutdown this week, but we fully expected the plant to resume production next week. Digital Corvettes is now reporting that's now not the case. We've got no evidence to substantiate this rumor other than what the Corvette-lovers over at DigitalCorvettes are reporting. To be fair, we can't believe this is true, and we've put in a call to Chevy PR to confirm or deny the rumor. We expect to hear back from them by the morning at the latest. Full rumor report below the jump: More »
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    GM Hates The UK, Sets Corvette ZR1 Pricing At Over $200,000

    GM has released UK pricing for the Corvette ZR1 at £109,000 — roughly equivalent to $200,167, or about OMG,WTFBBQ,NFW,ROFLCOPTER!!1! in internet dollars. If you aren't a very good forex trader, or one of the eleven remaining hedge fund managers with a job, there's no reason for you to read this if you live in Britain, unless of course you're one of those creepy self-flagellating monks from the Da Vinci Code. In any of the above cases, it sucks to be you, and us 'mericans will happily keep our 638 HP mega-Vette all to ourselves. [Carscoop]
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    2010 Camaro SS, 2009 Corvette ZR1 Play Together On Track In An Orgy Of Horsepower

    This is the first time we've seen both the 2010 Camaro SS and the 2009 Corvette ZR1 sharing track time, though the video leaves us a bit confused. Yes, the two look great together, and the V8 soundtrack isn't too bad either...except we only get to hear each of the cars sing solo. We were expecting to hear a roaring duet of muscle, but the audio has suspiciously been cut from those scenes. And, is it just us, or have some portions of the video been blatantly sped up? [via CamaroZ28]
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    Top Gear Reviews 2009 Corvette ZR1, America's Reputation At Stake

    Hopefully we'll all have the chance to see a full Top Gear top test of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 by Jeremy Clarkson, complete with big powerslides, loud proclamations of "Powwah!" and a power lap by the Stig. However, for the moment you'll have to be happy with Top Gear Magazine's Paul Horrell, who recently spent time behind the wheel of the new super-Vette. So does Horrell confirm our sentiments on the ZR1? Not quite. Horrell reckons "the dynamics are better than an Aston DBS, but you don't get the delicious precision of a (Ferrari) 599." Fair enough, but it's a good start for the ZR1 across the pond. Especially considering whether or not the rest of the European press agree with his overall positive assessment will likely play a big role in not just the success of the ZR1, but the European perception of American cars in general. The ZR1, in many ways, is our ambassador. And a hell of an ambassador it is.

    [Top Gear]
  • 2009 corvette zr1

    Corvette ZR1 Blitzes Europe With 190 MPH Autobahn Run

    Not counting the cars brought over to test on the Nurburgring, this is the first Corvette ZR1 in Europe. So what would you do with a 205 MPH car and a stretch of Autobahn with no speed limit? Exactly. Sure, they only hit about 192 MPH, but for an impromptu run with a fair amount of traffic on the road, that's stupid fast. Video below the jump. More »
  • 2009 Dodge Viper ACR

    2009 Dodge Viper ACR Steals Nürburgring Record From Corvette ZR1, Laps In 7:22

    A 2009 Dodge Viper ACR has claimed the fastest time ever for a production car around the Nürburgring. The lap of 7:22 is just a few ticks quicker than the 7:26.4 lap set by the 2009 Corvette ZR1. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, since the ACR is the most brutal version of the already-unforgiving Viper, whereas the ZR1 actually drives well on the road. Nonetheless, the Viper ACR is the new unofficial king of the 'Ring. More »