Jalopnik: 2009 Corvette ZR-1

Jalopnik Visits Hennesey Performance: Track Addicts, The Corvette ZR1 And Lexus IS-F

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EDT

With the demise of the Viper looming, Hennessey Performance is setting itself up to continue providing tuning services well into the future. Surprisingly, Hennessey will be working on the 2009 Corvette ZR1, a car that the company acknowledged as the Viper's enemy. They're also working on offering a kit for the Lexus IS-F, set to include headers and a modified exhaust system to squeeze more oopmh from the eight-geared oddity. And what about that big chunk of land they're sitting on?

We've already mentioned that the company has a drag strip behind their main building but that's just the start of the Lone Star Motorsports Park racing facility they hope to build. The first phase of the track is set to be approximately 1.75 miles long with a 1.06-mile second phase and two small connections. The combined long track should have a maximum length of 2.54 miles of racing surface. One of the features they're hoping to build into the track is a separate entrance for celebrities (Nicholas Cage, for instance) who own the extreme cars but don't necessarily want to get hassled in the pits by dudes who totally loved National Treasure.

(also see our tour of Hennessey HQ, Hennessey Challegner SRT600 Exclusive First Look and Weird Hennessey Vehicles)

2009 Corvette ZR1 Raptured, Leaves Behind Carefully Labeled Carbon Fiber Clothes

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Here's a pretty slick wall display from Plasan, the supplier of the carbon fiber parts for the 2009 Corvette ZR1. Instead of just stacking their stuff on the floor and making a path for people to walk through, like we do in the home office, they decided to utilize the wonders of vertical storage and even went all the way with a clever labeling scheme. Here we find out the weights of all the carbon fiber bits they supply for the mega-Vette.

The 2009 Corvette ZR1 is Coming! So Sayeth Hennessey, Reveals 678 HP Venom 650R

Ray Wert — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:30:00 EST

Somehow we think maybe the 2009 Corvette ZR1 pre-Detroit Auto Show embargo will be lifting sometime very soon. It's the only explanation we can come up with for why Nissan felt compelled to have an embargo on the 2009 GTR's Z06-beating Edmunds Inside Line 0-60 test lift late last night. OK, maybe that was just a freak scheduling thing — but then, like a bolt out of the blue ~~devil~~, we received a press release just past midnight from Hennessey Performance Engineering calling out the Lutzian devil with the blue highlighted engine. Apparently they weren't quite done with the 2008 Viper SRT10. The boys at Hennessey came up with an additional 78 horsepower to add atop the straight-from-the-shelf 600 found in the fang-toothed serpent, bringing the total horses up to a staggering 678 and a 0-60 time to match that of the 3.3-second GT-R. It's called the 2008 Hennessey Venom 650R, and oh, how they rushed this one to bed — someone check out the gaping hole below the jump in the press release for "fill in original Viper model name here". Yes, somehow methinks these won't be the only high horsepower numbers we'll be comparing by the time we hit the hay tonight.

Hennessey adds 78 horsepower to the 2008 Viper SRT10 to Combat Upcoming 2009 Corvette Blue Devil ZR-1
SEALY, TEXAS (December 20, 2007) - Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) today announced that it is introducing the company's first high-performance performance upgrade system for the new 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10. Known as the Venom 650R, the engine modifications increase by 78 horsepower giving the Viper the ability to accelerate from 0 to 150 mph 1.5 seconds quicker (15.5 sec. versus 17.0 sec.) than the already factory-fast 2008 Viper that offers a stout 600 horsepower.

The Venom 650R package consists of custom fabricated long tube stainless-steel exhaust headers with 1 7/8-inch primary tubes flowing into 5-to-1 merge collectors. From there, the spent exhaust gases flow through aftermarket catalytic converters before traveling through a full 3-inch stainless-steel exhaust system fit with high-flow stainless-steel mufflers. Other performance upgrades include: K&N high-flow air filter element, 2-piece light-weight cross-drilled brake rotors (saving 8 lbs per corner), professional installation, dyno testing, Hennessey Venom Power floor mats and exclusive Hennessey Venom 650R exterior badges. Each Venom 650R has a serial numbered plaque located in the cockpit and under the hood. Rounding out the package, the Venom 650R will carry a full 3 year / 36,000 mile Hennessey warranty that will cover the modifications performed to the vehicle.

HPE plans to build 200 units for the 2008 model year. Many of these cars will be available through an exclusive Hennessey dealer network comprised of high-performance minded Dodge dealers.

The Hennessey Venom 650R upgrade package gives 2008 Viper owners the option to fend off any Corvette Blue Devil ZR-1s that they might encounter in the coming New Year.

2008 Hennessey Venom 650R Specifications Available for all 2008 Viper SRT10 models including Coupe, Convertible and ACR.

Power:
678 hp @ 6,200 rpm; 645 lb-ft torque @ 5,200 rpm

Performance:
0 - 60 mph: 3.3 sec. 0 - 150 mph: 15.5 sec. (stock 2008 Viper = 17.0 sec.) 1/4 mile: 11.3 @ 131 mph (factory Michelin PS2 tires) 1/4 mile: 10.7 @ 132 mph (BFG Drag Radial tires) Top Speed: 211 mph (estimated for the Viper coupe)

Venom 650R includes:
1 7/8-inch stainless-steel long tube exhaust headers • Full 3-inch diameter stainless-steel exhaust system • High-flow catalytic converters • K&N Air filter • Lightweight 2-piece cross-drilled brake rotor upgrade (front & rear) • "Powered by Hennessey" valve cover badges • Hennessey and Venom 650R exterior badges • Hennessey windshield banner • Hennessey Venom Power floor mats • Serial numbered dash plaque and engine compartment plaque • Limited Production (only 200 650R Vipers will be offered for sale for the 2008 Viper model year) • Limited Warranty (3 years / 36,000 miles) • Lifetime headers and exhaust warranty for original owner (available from Hennessey / Dodge dealers or when installed at the HPE facility located at Lonestar Motorsports Park in Sealy, Texas) • Professional installation at HPE includes all necessary gaskets and fluids plus before and after chassis dyno testing plus up to 100 miles of road testing (mail order kit also available).

About Hennessey Performance Engineering:
For more than 17 years Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has specialized in designing, testing, manufacturing and selling high-performance parts and services for Dodge/Chrysler vehicles including the Viper [fill in original Viper model name here] and SRT10, Chrysler 300C SRT8, Dodge Charger/Magnum SRT8, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, as well as other exotic automotive brands such as Bentley, Mercedes AMG and Porsche Turbo. HPE operates at the company's new 30,000 square foot engineering and manufacturing facility located at the company's own Lonestar Motorsports Park located 45 minutes west of Houston, Texas. HPE is the only automotive tuning company in North America that operates its own validation, testing track, and proving grounds.

The Post Where We Offer $1000 for Pictures of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 At Laguna Seca

Ray Wert — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:00:00 EDT

UPDATE:We have a winner — sorta. OK, not really — but we do have video!We're pretty excited about the not-yet-revealed 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 doing some hot laps at the season-ending ALMS race at Laguna Seca this weekend. We'd really like to be there ourselves. Unfortunately none of us can make it due to the Tokyo Auto Show. So here's the deal — we're going to do something no blog's ever done before. Since we still want to see the 650-HP monster-Vette lap the track we're placing a bounty on the head of the pretty "Victory Yellow" 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 just snapped by the very naughty young lads at BadBoyVettes. A one thousand dollar bounty! Seriously! A thousand bucks to the first person who sends us shots of the 'Vette in all of its glory in the paddock and out on the track. There are of course, just a few caveats, for which you'll need to hit the jump.

We'll pay out the cool grand to the first person who e-mails us (tips-at-jalopnik-dot-com) eight clear, high-resolution (defined as 1280 px-wide shots taken with a DSLR camera — no cameraphone, point-and-shoot or iPhone snaps kids!) of the full 2009 Corvette ZR1. We also want to get them before anyone else does — that means before the buff mags, other web sites, enthusiast sites. So, if you want the money, you've got to be quick. Assume you'll have to do it before the race ends. Heck, you may even have to get the shots in before the start of the race; we've no idea how GM will play this one, but we're pretty sure there are some people out there who may be interested in helping us find out.

As an added bonus we'll send a Jalopnik T-shirt out to those who submit even if they're not winners — so you'll get at least something for following all of the above rules. Any other caveats can be found in our standard contest rules and regulations found here. So get your DSLRs up and at the ready — and GO!

2009 Corvette ZR1 WILL Lap Laguna Seca This Weekend!

Ray Wert — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:42:54 EDT

UPDATE: We offer a $1000 cash bounty for spy shots of the Corvette ZR1 this weekend! Bad Boy Vettes has snagged themselves a shot of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 sitting pretty in a trailer and painted in "Velocity Yellow" — well before it's expected Detroit Auto Show unveiling in January. While we too have quite a number of spy shots of the ZR1 already (as evidenced below), what we have now is confirmation to the rumors we'd heard from multiple sources that the new 650 HP super-Corvette WILL be lapping the track at Monterey this weekend for the ALMS season-ending race at Laguna Seca. If that's not enough to floor you, we'll have something very important to announce ourselves in about an hour — so if you'll be in attendance at Monterey this weekend, you may want to stay tuned.
Photo Credit: Bad Boy Vettes

First 2009 Corvette ZR1 To Be Sold At Barrett-Jackson?

Ray Wert — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:00:00 EDT

According to the breathless one, the first 2009 Corvette ZR-1 will be sold at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona mere days after the official reveal at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The annual auction's set to take place January 12-20 2008 — so if Josh is right, and you want to get your hands on the first of these 650 HP super-vettes, you'll apparently need to snag yourself a plane ticket and go raisin' Arizona come January. We'll of course be live in Detroit to show you the official reveal of the devilish 'vette we've seen in test mule shots, spy photos, spy videos and as one of us was coming out of a ~~secured military compound~~ GM facility earlier this week, in person. [via CorvetteZR1Forum]

2009 Corvette ZR-1

Ray Wert — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:15:03 EDT

UPDATE: The 2009 Corvette ZR1 has now been officially revealed!These appear to be the best non-engine bay shots yet of the new-for-2009 up-charged Corvette ZR-1 (or SS, Mako Shark, Blue Devil, or whatever folks want to call it these days). Although one thing we do know is if it's going to be called ZR-1 with that new 6.2L supercharged small-block ~~nuclear reactor~~ powerplant that's expected to be under the hood, then the name probably could stand for "Zee Really fast 1." We're expecting this new 'vette to bow at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Full scoop from spy shooter Brenda Priddy after the jump — more pictures coming momentarily. UPDATE: Full gallery up below.

These are likely the best and maybe the last pictures of what is commonly referred to as the Blue Devil Corvette, before it's makes its official debut in January at the NAIAS in Detroit.
For the last two years the media has called the supercharged Corvette everything from Blue Devil to SS, Z07 and Sting Ray, but Motor Trend recently stated that it will officially be called the ZR-1.

At a quick glance this might look like an 'ordinary' Z06 with a vinyl-clad hood, but this Corvette is anything but ordinary!

Power for this beast will come from GM's new LS9 motor. The LS9 is a 6.2L, supercharged, small-block V8. This powerplant will put out anywhere from 600-650 horsepower. The supercharged V8 will utilize an integrated intake manifold intercooler, and it's expected to run a 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds. The 6.2-liter V8 will be built at GM's Performance Center in Wixom, Michigan. Our photographer reported that the exhaust note coming from this monster was "VERY mean....VERY angry."

The super-hot ZR-1 will weight even less than the Z06, utilizing more carbon fiber in the body (notice A and B pillars, and the roof), as well as polycarbonate "window" in the hood. The rocker panels, as well as other body panels, may be carbon fiber as well.

With speeds reaching, and possibily exceeding, 200mph, a wider, taller, lip spoiler has been added to the back of this Corvette. The spoiler now runs almost the entire length of the car to increase downforce and keep those massive tires glued to the road.

In the past few months, rumors have circulated that GM would be switching from Goodyear tires to Michelin tires for this Super Vette. We can now confirm this as this test car is sporting Michelin Pilot Sport ZP tires. The rear tires appear to be a whopping 335/25Z/20 size! A quick look inside the tires also reveals a huge set of cross-drilled rotors and an equally large set of calipers. We believe it to be a carbon-ceramic brake set-up.

Production of the supercharged Corvette will start in July of 2008 (as a 2009 model). Annual production numbers expected to be in the 1500-1750 range. When the all-new ZR-1 goes to production- expect the price tag to be in the $100,000 range.

The 2009 Corvette ZR1 Is The Corvette SS, Blue Devil, Mako Shark, Z07 Or Whatever

Ray Wert — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:45:00 EDT

Chevrolet's reputed 650-horsepower 2009 Corvette's been called by enthusiasts the "Blue Devil," the "Super Sport," the "Mako Shark," the "Z07" and all sorts of other monikers — but according to Todd Lassa, Motor Trend's Motor City Blogman, the up-powered 2009 Corvette will be officially called "ZR1." It's a badge with a wee bit o' history and according to Todd, it will appear on the car they'll be showing at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in January and on the production version that will go on sale later next year as a 2009 model. Much like the facts provided by the boys at Popular Mechanics, Lassa's also telling us they'll still be using the supercharged version of the new 6.2-liter V8 — the same used in the 2008 Corvette that we've already seen shots of. Lassa's also got the scoop that the price will be "much higher than the 505-horsepower Z06" which Chevy will still continue to build post-launch of the "ZR1." Full gallery of production mule shots of whatever the new Corvette will be called below. [via MotorTrend Blog]

Fact Versus Fiction On The New Hyper-Amazing Corvette SS Or Whatever

Ray Wert — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:30:00 EDT

The boys at Popular Mechanics seem to be fed up with all the rumor-mongering going on out there in the internet chat rooms, the enthusiast forums and the (gasp!) blogosphere about the next-gen super-Corvette. This is the same Corvette Super-Super (or whatever) the General's designed to compete with and blow away the 600 HP Dodge Viper SRT10. To combat and beat down anyone talking any of that false jive, they've put always-on-the-prowl spy photographer Jim Dunne on the case to come up with the top five rumors and then do his due diligence to either bunk or debunk them.

Although we won't spoil it for you — we will say it's pretty much what we've been saying all along. It'll be over $100K and it'll be over 650 horsepower, it'll only be offered as an auto tranny, and oh yes, they'll only build 3000 of them over two years. But Dunne isn't able to figure out what'll happen to the Z06 and whether it will still exist post-"SS." On top of that what Dunne didn't mention is — how did the "SS" do against that Ferrari 599 in Europe a few months back? OK, so maybe we spoiled it for you — but at least we asked a question he didn't.

New Corvette Fact vs. Fiction: Top 5 Rumors Debunked [Popular Mechanics]