Corvette ZR1 - Car of the Year - Jeremy Clarkson

[Funky_Munky]

http://www.motorauthority.com/jeremy-clarkson-picks-corvette-zr1-as-best-car-of-the-year.html

Finally! Some real recognition.

[planetdavo]

Where's Street Tuna?
:hide:

[Martin_D]

Here.....Clarkson cant pick the GTR....it put him in hospital :lol: :lol: :eek: :cool:
There should be a trophy for that :bow:

[planetdavo]

Looks like Paul Gover has found himself a mate hey Tuna!
:lmao:

[Uncle Tone]

Corvette went up against a Golf and a Fiat 500 and won, eh?

Nice work! :D

[TLX]

Corvette went up against a Golf and a Fiat 500 and won, eh?

Nice work! :D


The Blower wins UT:rofl:

[Evman]

Corvette went up against a Golf and a Fiat 500 and won, eh?

Nice work! :D

The GTR lost out to a Golf and Fiat 500? Must really be in a class of it's own :goodjob:

[iloveholden]

Out of all the cars mentioned in the article that were considered the ZR-1 is still the car i'd have :)

[boyley]

droooooooooooool ZR1 LS9:)

[Martin_D]

We decided to settle this once and for all today, got an LPE Vette a GTR, then Borat and Sonny to drive them :cool:
YouTube - NISSAN GT R R35 STAGE 2J U R Y VS CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 LPE 7 4 ROLL ON (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqAVz8fjzgM)
Talk about a crankin set of street racers....how hardcore are those blokes :eek: :bow:

[TAKEITEZ]

were they cracking over 300kph then. i think i saw 305kph on the LCD dash!!!!!!! nice...
the accents and crazy language just set it all off... hehe

[Martin_D]

It gets worse......or better.....depending on whether you are a speed junkie :)
YouTube - NISSAN GT R R35 STAGE 2J U R Y VS DODGE VIPER SRT10 SUPERCHARGED ROLL ON (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcQW1kts8n4)

[TAKEITEZ]

better :) definitely better... thanks for posting the vid's martin...

the GTR sure is a lot of car with a great smack of performance that comes for a very modest (compared to some of the competition) pricetag...

[michaels1v8]

Excuse my ignorance but an LPE is just one of the Z06s with a small cam and tune yeah? I think I read something about them cutting 10.6 quarter miles in this kind of form?

Whats been done to the skyline?

That thing must be a weapon. With the launch ability of AWD and the pull to keep along side a vette in a roll on up to 300 . . . Is this a sub10.6s Street trim monster?????


Nice vids anyway :)

Irrelevant to the subject matter though:jester: The corvette wouldnt have the same amount of torque as a force feed ZR1. . . .

[Holden Man]

I see a dark grey (and occasionally a white one) GTR in Brisbane nearly every morning on the way to work. They look really good in the metal :bow: (very sinister looking).

Noice car

I love the excited accents in the vids. You say it is Borat, I wonder if he cruises around wearing his man-kini.

[Maccas]

there is a new GTR in albury now (game with the crime rate lately lol) thing looks hardcore, the bloke owns a bike shop me and a few of the boys are tempted to see whether he'll let us have a drive if we buy a bike.........hmmmm i think not!!

[steves87]

while we are on Corvettes...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvette_leaf_spring

[Martin_D]

Its a good leaf though :lol:

[sheeks84]

Amazing to think that the ZR1 corners that well with cart springs in the back! Clever engineering, very compact.

[steves87]

i thought it was pretty smart...:)

[Evman]

Naaawwwww.. I think some people are a bit upset that their much loved, technologically packed GTR got trumped by a car with leaf springs on the Ring (originally) as well as in many, many reviews :)

I'd still have either car. I just know that I'd prefer the supercharged V8. It's a passion.

[Martin_D]

Forget the badges for a moment, as the fact that a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 stuffed in a light chassis is lineball in real world performance with a twin turbo 3.8 V6 in a barge is the most interesting part for the technically minded :)

[Evman]

I agree Tuna. I honestly think the two cars are chalk and cheese. Bit like comparing HSVs to Evos and WRXs. 95% of buyers will already know which car they're going to buy and the reasons why. I think very few would actually go out not knowing which one they were going to come home with.

[steves87]

I agree Tuna. I honestly think the two cars are chalk and cheese. Bit like comparing HSVs to Evos and WRXs. 95% of buyers will already know which car they're going to buy and the reasons why. I think very few would actually go out not knowing which one they were going to come home with.

i also agree with that, but having enough money for both (which i unfortunately dont), i would buy both... as they are so different from each other... but the trip to the nearest ZR1 dealer would be the first stop for me personally i think :)

[nang3]

damn I would love either of those cars.. ive seen a GTR up close and it is a horn looking car!! I doubt il ever get to see the ZR1 in Oz though.. I would find it very very hard to choose between the two as well

while those vids are nice they are also somewhat depressing - i have no sound at my desk so cant tell where it is but im guessing it is somewhere that those speeds are legal i.e. autobahn land etc.... that makes me very farken sad and depressed that anytime anyday old Heinrich can trundle whatever car he owns down to the local 'bahn and bury the foot legally to whatever speed he feels comfortable driving at with no fear of getting raped by the constabulary..

best i can do legally is accelerate from 0-115kph on the state highway (after driving 30mins to get there) and even then i have to worry whether my acceleration will qualify for a "testing of the vehicles acceleration" verdict under the nazi-esque HOON laws..

I wont even start on the outrageous prices we pay for cars in this country either.

[Carby]

Forget the badges for a moment, as the fact that a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 stuffed in a light chassis is lineball in real world performance with a twin turbo 3.8 V6 in a barge is the most interesting part for the technically minded :)

Your point is well made, and probably the reason why, from many accounts the GTR is not really considered a great drivers car. It is so damn competent around a racetrack it's AWD system controlled by a pretty sophisticated computer and sensors everywhere makes the GTR a Technical marvel that can even make average drivers look good.

The game the GTR plays is very different to the ZR1 and it really is a showcase on what can be achieved with technology.

[iloveholden]

damn I would love either of those cars.. ive seen a GTR up close and it is a horn looking car!! I doubt il ever get to see the ZR1 in Oz though.. I would find it very very hard to choose between the two as well

while those vids are nice they are also somewhat depressing - i have no sound at my desk so cant tell where it is but im guessing it is somewhere that those speeds are legal i.e. autobahn land etc.... that makes me very farken sad and depressed that anytime anyday old Heinrich can trundle whatever car he owns down to the local 'bahn and bury the foot legally to whatever speed he feels comfortable driving at with no fear of getting raped by the constabulary..

best i can do legally is accelerate from 0-115kph on the state highway (after driving 30mins to get there) and even then i have to worry whether my acceleration will qualify for a "testing of the vehicles acceleration" verdict under the nazi-esque HOON laws..

I wont even start on the outrageous prices we pay for cars in this country either.

hahaha with you there mate....our laws here sometimes make me wanna :bawl:

AND we do pay ridiculous prices for some of our imported cars.

[Alex(AUS)]

It gets worse......or better.....depending on whether you are a speed junkie :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcQW1kts8n4

When you get upset that someone stopped a drag at 300km/h you mean business ... LOL. This is the very definition of "top end".

Alex

[Excellent]

I wish I had both a GTR and ZR1 in my driveway. I wonder which car I'd take out more frequently? Just dreaming!

[WH Captain]

Awesome vids.. Borat dont mess around :)

[Uncle Tone]

Forget the badges for a moment, as the fact that a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 stuffed in a light chassis is lineball in real world performance with a twin turbo 3.8 V6 in a barge is the most interesting part for the technically minded :)

Doesn't the Corvette absolutely trounce the GTR in straight line acceleration?

As in absolutely slaughter it?

I must admit I'm liking the GTR though....so much so I initiated enquiries at the dealer. He offered me a drive of their demo, but when I asked how long I'd have to wait before I get a car, they said over a year!! :doh: :vpo: So I didn't bother persuing it. Whats the point itf they have no cars? :toetap:

[Martin_D]

Doesn't the Corvette absolutely trounce the GTR in straight line acceleration?
As in absolutely slaughter it?


I dont think so....
They both run 0-100km/h in the 3 second zone, and both run mid 11s out the box. There isnt a lot in it, but it would seem the ZR1 has some more steam above 100mph. Weighing 300kg less and having 200hp more should do that. Its amazing there isnt a bigger gap, but I think a lot of that comes down to the massive heatsoak the ZR1 would experience maying it 'lay over' as the speeds rise :teach:
I will get a chance to drive a ZR1 in anger this year, and I must say I am looking forward to it :)

[Uncle Tone]

I dont think so....
They both run 0-100km/h in the 3 second zone, and both run mid 11s out the box. There isnt a lot in it, but it would seem the ZR1 has some more steam above 100mph. Weighing 300kg less and having 200hp more should do that. Its amazing there isnt a bigger gap, but I think a lot of that comes down to the massive heatsoak the ZR1 would experience maying it 'lay over' as the speeds rise :teach:
I will get a chance to drive a ZR1 in anger this year, and I must say I am looking forward to it :)

Imagine what the ZR1 would do if it was 4WD like the Datsun......or if the Datsun had an LS9 conversion :bow:

[Martin_D]

Hektik....
Some old Landcruisers and Ancient Patrols were leaf sprung and four wheel drive....maybe GM can use the old GU Patrol four wheel drive leaf spring chassis as their Corvette upgrade development bed :bow:

[Uncle Tone]

Hektik....
Some old Landcruisers and Ancient Patrols were leaf sprung and four wheel drive....maybe GM can use the old GU Patrol four wheel drive leaf spring chassis as their Corvette upgrade development bed :bow:


.....and they'd still beat Datsun round the 'ring :lol:

[Martin_D]

Thats probably what they have to do now in an attempt to play catch up :)
Could use the 4.2 Diesel as well, very nice old jigger :bow:

[planetdavo]

I see Mr Tuna has managed to turn this thread into yet another GTR vs ZR1 thread, with EXACTLY the same input.
Congratulations.
:closed:

[Uncle Tone]

I see Mr Tuna has managed to turn this thread into yet another GTR vs ZR1 thread, with EXACTLY the same input.
Congratulations.
:closed:

Well why not? Datsuns are good cars! :bow:

[HazzaHSV]

Nice fishing guys. I would call 128mph vs 118mph over the quarter a bit of a shalacking!!

Over the standing mile its easy to see the Vette's superior power/weight. Sorry but I call that as Tone would say an "absolute trounce". Fair enough its 20 grand US more, and far less sophisticated, but I would suspect its more exciting too.

YouTube - ZR1 Smokes GT-R: Chevy Corvette ZR1 vs. Nissan GT-R (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-PQca6FJU)
YouTube - ZR1 Drag Race King - Spanks GTR, 599, and GT2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlGMX8G3B4&NR=1)

I would have either as they both do exactly what they were designed to do.

[Uncle Tone]

Nice fishing guys. I would call 128mph vs 118mph over the quarter a bit of a shalacking!!

Over the standing mile its easy to see the Vette's superior power/weight. Sorry but I call that as Tone would say an "absolute trounce". Fair enough its 20 grand US more, and far less sophisticated, but I would suspect its more exciting too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC-PQca6FJU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlGMX8G3B4&NR=1



Dearie me. Poor Datto. :bawl:

Oh well.....what do you expect when your mum is a 120Y, your dad is a 200B, and your uncle and auntie are Stanzas :lol: :lmao: :stick:

[Martin_D]

The real test where numbrs count for nothing :)
YouTube - ZR1 vs GTR at the 'Ring - Garage419 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ-CNFpPCnk)


I see Mr Tuna has managed to turn this thread into yet another GTR vs ZR1 thread, with EXACTLY the same input.
Congratulations.
:closed:

Point taken and sorry Davo. However I thought you might have been too busy plotting and planning GM and Holdens corporate financial strategy. Obama needs it from you in the next 30 days, so off the forums and into it! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :diddy:

[Evman]

How do numbers count for nothing in a timed race Tuna?

Maybe you're lost. Here you go.
http://www.nissanforums.com

[Martin_D]

How do numbers count for nothing in a timed race Tuna?

Cmon dont be like that Ev. You bring your ZR1 out, and I will race you in my R35. Lets see who has the best numbers. Hows does that sound then? :cool:

[Evman]

Cmon dont be like that Ev. You bring your ZR1 out, and I will race you in my R35. Lets see who has the best numbers. Hows does that sound then? :cool:

Naaawwwww hit a soft spot Tuna? It's no wonder that so many people respect you but don't like you. This is a Holden forum. Holden has ties to GM. Most of us have a passion for V8's. Get the fk over it.

[Martin_D]

Most of us have a passion for V8's. Get the fk over it.

Yep, and Ive owned more GM High Performance V8s than you, and I dont mean a MAF tune and catback. Its a forum, get on here and have some fun thats what makes the world a good place :)

Imagine if one of the forum 'money men' stumped out for a ZR1 and put one in the garage. I would be so damned happy for them and excited to see the results even though its not a Corvette forum. Problem is, no one thats in a position to buy ZR1 seems genuinely excited enough by it. Forget talking about Nissans, thats the real shame here as by all accounts its a good car :(

Less dreaming and more doing would be good to see :bow:

[Evman]

Sorry Tuna, I didn't realise this was a d!ck measuring contest. But you win, you are by far the biggest one on the forum.

[Martin_D]

Sorry to upset you Evman, but cmon :lol:
Its a forum, its a dickHEAD contest, get it right...and everyones got to win something I suppose :)

Now back to the ZR1, you like it? you buying it? Intending to drive one ever? Just like the look? Tell us what you think. Personally I wouldnt stump out the readies over here at the initial pricing indicators from importers, but look at the US domestic market for a minute. You can pick up an MY09 ZR1 for around $90,000 USD if you shop. Thats around $120,000 Aussie in the current monies. Now getting it here is the trick - you would need -

A RAWS approved workshop to apply for an import approval for compliance, then with worst case scenarios
- Shipping and charges around $13,000
- Government fees closer to $20,000
- Conversion, and this is the killer, but its got to be a goer at $60,000 as a one off at most (depends on how handy you are)
- Compliancing and engineering costs/testing (Ford labs/Orbital etc) $15,000
- Factor in it would take around 12 months, but the car could be driven in this time as its a proper ADR test car :)

So, for anyone with the interest and the balls to do the job and spend the time, it would indeed be possible to have your own ZR1 on the road here for close to $240,000-$260,000 or so, which makes it not such bad buying compared to the $400,000 prices that were initially being bandied around :cool:
There, some actual useful real world information added to the ZR1 thread by the Datto king :bow:

[Evman]

As opposed to the crap you usually bring :goodjob: Need I remind you though (my bad, obviously I do) that there is no Nissan in the forum title? Nor is there any remote link to Nissan. There is a strong link to Corvette.

Off you go http://www.nissanforums.com

[Martin_D]

Isnt it Last In First Out.....I been here longer than you :)
Variety is the spice of life. If there were no opposing makes and views in this forum plenty of readers might still think the Aussie 5.0 is the way to go and the LS1 is one of them new pesky troublesome things. There was a lot of that around in the early days of LS1 powered cars, and the open views of forums like this one helped change traditional, one eyed, and more importantly ignorant attitudes. Embrace all marques and makes :bow:

[planetdavo]

Imagine if one of the forum 'money men' stumped out for a ZR1 and put one in the garage. I would be so damned happy for them and excited to see the results.
Whilst simultaneously slagging off their purchase for having "leaf springs" all over the internet...
Yep.

[Martin_D]

No slagging off of the doers Davo, only the dreamers. Refer your signature :cool:
Now what are you bringing to the ZR1 discussion? :eek:
- The world knows Corvette has leaf springs, and I promise if you buy one not to post it up - :lol:

[Evman]

This isn't an all makes and models forum. It's an LS1 and Holden forum. I suggest you sign up on a more appropriate forum if you want to talk about a variety of cars other than Holdens and LSx based cars.

Oh, and why do you think you have the right to give shit to those that dream?

[Martin_D]

This isn't an all makes and models forum. It's an LS1 and Holden forum. I suggest you sign up on a more appropriate forum if you want to talk about a variety of cars other than Holdens and LSx based cars.

So comparing an LSX based car to its natural competition isnt cricket?
Would be good to have more ZR1 based discussion than "yeah hot", "drools", "love it", "want one" would it not? Maybe I am getting too old :eek:
I intend to get my fat ass into one this year and beat it like a red-headed step child before forming a final opinion. Thats my ZR1 plan anyway :cool:

[Uncle Tone]

So comparing an LSX based car to its natural competition isnt cricket?
Would be good to have more ZR1 based discussion than "yeah hot", "drools", "love it", "want one" would it not? Maybe I am getting too old :eek:
I intend to get my fat ass into one this year and beat it like a red-headed step child before forming a final opinion. Thats my ZR1 plan anyway :cool:

Don't listen to Evman Tuna. You keep doing exactly what you're doing. :bow:

[Alex(AUS)]

The real test where numbrs count for nothing :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ-CNFpPCnk

What a stupid comparison. Even though it looks like the ZR1 is clearly quicker. You cannot compare 2 videos that were recorded by different cameras, encoded by different software/settings, then each converted for youtube. Then imported by someone else and merged and reencoded to a totally new clock. That is just rubbish.

The ZR1 is faster (even with leaf springs and 2WD) ... it says alot about the engine, chassis and driveline as a performance car.

Alex

[Martin_D]

Yep two cars, same track, stupid, but its a world benchmark with each manufacturer giving it their best :)
The current gap over the 21km between the two sits at 0.3 seconds
One car has 100+hp more, many hundreds of kilos less, superior brakes and tyres than the other. Speaks volumes about the two chassis and the leaf spring really :cool:

[Alex(AUS)]

Yep two cars, same track, stupid, but its a world benchmark with each manufacturer giving it their best :)
The gap over 21km between the two sits at 0.3 seconds
One car has 100+hp more, many hundreds of kilos less, superior brakes and tyres than the other. Speaks volumes about the two chassis and the leaf spring really :cool:

Martin, the numerous encodings and conversions of the 2 files means that that comparison means nothing. What may look like 0.3 could easily be 3 seconds because of the time lost/gained vs actual in the file encodings and conversions. Do you understand what I am saying?

Alex

[Martin_D]

I understand the encoding of those two runs. Yes.
The raw times I am getting from the manufacturers press releases - http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2009/_STORY/090514-01-e.html?rss
and the wiki register :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring_lap_times

The comparison means plenty.....which is why manufacturers spend millions of dollars going there :cool:

[planetdavo]

So, who's got the longest d!ck in this thread so far?

[michaels1v8]

So. . . Now all the bull has been said. . .

In a roll on like in the origial vid you posted tuna.

2 stock cars. GTR and ZR-1.

ZR-1 should own the GTR correct?

100+hp more. Hundreds kilos less.

Makes sense yeah? :)

Sure thats the advantages of the Vette. What about the advantages of the GTR. Heavy computer management. 4wd.

and the big one. CUSTOM designed to be a supercar on the race track and a world leader using TODAYs latest technology and advancements.

Corvette is just an upgraded model of a old chassis. I think its pretty impressive that it manages to keep up with something that has been built and designed to be a weapon from scratch.

[Excellent]

I guess the question should be asked how much quicker would a ZR1 with computerised AWD be?

[TLX]

My GTS will hose them both........in a straight line:rofl:

[michaels1v8]

The difference in ring times could easily just be negated to the fat ass american driving the ZR1 hahaha

[Martin_D]

I think its pretty impressive that it manages to keep up with something that has been built and designed to be a weapon from scratch.

Take the badges away for a moment...
To me its not impressive at all that a 6.2 litre supercharged car with 476kw and a kerb weight of 1519kg can run neck and neck with a 3.8 litre twin turbo rated at 353kw weighing in at 1740kg. Thats a power advantage of 123kw and weight saving of 221kg...it should be miles faster everywhere, and its not :eek:

In the immortal words of Pauline....please explain? :(

[michaels1v8]

Because its

CUSTOM designed to be a supercar on the race track and a world leader using TODAYs latest technology and advancements

:)

Im sure you can imagine the discussion involved to improve the Corvette.

"Ok umm. . . lets just throw on some bigger tires, change those parts their to lighter materials, brakes need to be bigger and ummm. . . this motor thing. . . lets throw a charger on it. . . ."

[planetdavo]

Take the badges away for a moment...
To me its not impressive at all that a 6.2 litre supercharged car with 476kw and a kerb weight of 1519kg can run neck and neck with a 3.8 litre twin turbo rated at 353kw weighing in at 1740kg. Thats a power advantage of 123kw and weight saving of 221kg...it should be miles faster everywhere, and its not :eek:

In the immortal words of Pauline....please explain? :(
Can the moderators PLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSE merge this topic into the other thread. It is exactly the same...:rolleyes:

[Martin_D]

Dont kid yourself GM spent years on that platform, heaps of time testing at Nordschliefe etc. It to them was a last ditch effort to make a supercar, and they havent done a bad job. Theres a very good Nat Geo doco on how the C6 platform came about, and a lot of it was very clever :)

[michaels1v8]

I guess the question should be asked how much quicker would a ZR1 with computerised AWD be?

Yeah but you can say the same about the GTR

"What would this thing be like with a 100hp more and a few less kgs"

Its incredible that the GTR has the technology to keep up with something lighter and more powerful. But its also incredible that something so "ancient" can keep up with a custom designed modern supercar.

[Martin_D]

Can the moderators PLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSE merge this topic into the other thread. It is exactly the same...:rolleyes:

Davo give us the hot tip here on how good these things are to steer. Surely if you are aware of the inner sanctum workings of GM, the US government, and congress bail out bills you have driven a ZR1. It would only kind of make sense.... :)


Yeah but you can say the same about the GTR
"What would this thing be like with a 100hp more and a few less kgs"

Its real. More power on the steering wheel mounted overboost button, 100kg less weight.

Some say it has lapped the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes 20 seconds, and a new set of brake rotors is $50K.....all we know is its called Spec-V :cool:

[michaels1v8]

Dont kid yourself GM spent years on that platform, heaps of time testing at Nordschliefe etc. It to them was a last ditch effort to make a supercar, and they havent done a bad job. Theres a very good Nat Geo doco on how the C6 platform came about, and a lot of it was very clever :)

Oh Im sure they did. No doubt there. But a lot has changed since the year 2005 when it was introduced. Bit like looking at a early VZ to VE.

2005 I was in year 11 and riding a 50cc Scooter:smilesandbanana:

Big changes in little timespan. Especially in the design area where new advancements in technology can mean huge improvements in the production of vehicles

This thread is miles off topic:rofl:

[Martin_D]

Oh Im sure they did. No doubt there. But a lot has changed since the year 2005 when it was introduced. Bit like looking at a early VZ to VE.

2006 VE was introduced, VE chassis was already signed off on, and we will have it for another few years yet with any luck. C6 development is not that old in car terms :)

[planetdavo]

Davo give us the hot tip here on how good these things are to steer. Surely if you are aware of the inner sanctum workings of GM, the US government, and congress bail out bills you have driven a ZR1. It would only kind of make sense.... :)

Sorry to introduce some honesty Mr T, but you and you alone have managed to turn a thread on Jeremy Clarkson choosing the ZR1 as his car of the year into a multiple page thread with 1000 reasons why the GTR is a better car!
Stop stroking the GTR pen!s and keep it on topic. If you can't keep it on topic, take a walk! Perhaps to the other thread that actually is on the GTR vs ZR1. :idea:
:goodjob: :spew:

[Martin_D]

I dont get it. Does this mean you have or havent driven a ZR1? :confused:

[planetdavo]

I dont get it. Does this mean you have or havent driven a ZR1? :confused:
What sort of tosser cares, with the actual subject of this thread!!! :confused:
The only reason YOU care is because YOU don't agree with Jeremy Clarkson. Get over yourself.

[kpop]

More than you can afford pal, Ferrari...

[Uncle Tone]

More than you can afford pal, Ferrari...

Smoke him :cool:


My GTS will hose them both........in a straight line:rofl:

Mine will hose both of them and yours too :D


Take the badges away for a moment...
To me its not impressive at all that a 6.2 litre supercharged car with 476kw and a kerb weight of 1519kg can run neck and neck with a 3.8 litre twin turbo rated at 353kw weighing in at 1740kg. Thats a power advantage of 123kw and weight saving of 221kg...it should be miles faster everywhere, and its not :eek:

In the immortal words of Pauline....please explain? :(


I'll give it a go if I may Tuna.

Because of the 4wd advantage it has on the starts, the Datsun gets the holeshot. It is not so much sheer power that makes it get away quickly, but superior grip due to 4wd. It is then (as seen on many videos now) overtaken by the ZR1 quite convincingly....trounced in fact....due to the ZR1 being superior in outright stonk as well as its advatage with weight.

How's that? :D

[Alex(AUS)]

Smoke him :cool:

Mine will hose both of them and yours too :D

I want to watch.

Alex

[insanity4life]

zr1 is the most awesome looking car ever to me :P

[Martin_D]

What sort of tosser cares, with the actual subject of this thread!!! :confused: The only reason YOU care is because YOU don't agree with Jeremy Clarkson. Get over yourself.

Davo you have a point, it was and is remiss of me. The last thing I wanted to do was upset the forums top poster as thats no good for anyone. I will stay out of your thread now :bawl:


I'll give it a go if I may Tuna.
Because of the 4wd advantage it has on the starts, the Datsun gets the holeshot. It is not so much sheer power that makes it get away quickly, but superior grip due to 4wd. It is then (as seen on many videos now) overtaken by the ZR1 quite convincingly....trounced in fact....due to the ZR1 being superior in outright stonk as well as its advatage with weight.
How's that? :D

Wrong. After 21km of flat out driving the two cars are seperated by less than a length. Thats a great holeshot then isnt it :eek:
Back to the drawing board Tone :cool:

[Holden Man]

So the big fat cat, HI-TECH, AWD GTR barely keeps up with the "old school" Vette in a straight line race AND at the 'ring.

Well done to big fat tyres, push rods and light weight. Not to mention one sexy body !

Why is it that the GTR being as good as it is, the owners feel the need to tell /convince you about how good it is, maybe they are convincing themselves at the same time.

[steves87]

jim mero is an engineer for the Corvette program, what was the job of the driver who lapped the GTR round the ring?.... ive heard he is a F1 (or ex) driver...

[Martin_D]

Jim Mero is a top driver and a darn good bloke too by most accounts :)

[steves87]

Jim Mero is a top driver and a darn good bloke too by most accounts :)

Agree, chatted to him once at NCM about the (then) new blue Vette colour...
not familiar with his driving skills though, would he be a Ron Fellow equivelent?

[Curtis-R]

Sorry to upset you Evman, but cmon :lol:
Its a forum, its a dickHEAD contest, get it right...and everyones got to win something I suppose :)

Now back to the ZR1, you like it? you buying it? Intending to drive one ever? Just like the look? Tell us what you think. Personally I wouldnt stump out the readies over here at the initial pricing indicators from importers, but look at the US domestic market for a minute. You can pick up an MY09 ZR1 for around $90,000 USD if you shop. Thats around $120,000 Aussie in the current monies. Now getting it here is the trick - you would need -

A RAWS approved workshop to apply for an import approval for compliance, then with worst case scenarios
- Shipping and charges around $13,000
- Government fees closer to $20,000
- Conversion, and this is the killer, but its got to be a goer at $60,000 as a one off at most (depends on how handy you are)
- Compliancing and engineering costs/testing (Ford labs/Orbital etc) $15,000
- Factor in it would take around 12 months, but the car could be driven in this time as its a proper ADR test car :)

So, for anyone with the interest and the balls to do the job and spend the time, it would indeed be possible to have your own ZR1 on the road here for close to $240,000-$260,000 or so, which makes it not such bad buying compared to the $400,000 prices that were initially being bandied around :cool:
There, some actual useful real world information added to the ZR1 thread by the Datto king :bow:


Actually just a tad over $300k Tuna.. Spoke to the owner of one at the recent Melb F1 GP.. He had it on display and was part of the exotics cruising.. he also imports these things and converts them here in Melb.. Curerntly only two in Aus.. one in Perth and this black one in Melb.. Lot of $$ to have a right hook Vette.. no matter how fast it is..

[Martin_D]

Yeah my prices would be close, obviously he has to build in some 'fat' when talking to the public. For the cars performance, say realistically, 'high twos' isnt really that bad. Consider its $100K more than a 427, and although they are both very different cars, you can see where the extra $100K goes..... :cool:

In the overall scheme of things at realistic pricing ZR1 would be quite a buy :)

[Alex(AUS)]

Wrong. After 21km of flat out driving the two cars are seperated by less than a length. Thats a great holeshot then isnt it :eek:
Back to the drawing board Tone :cool:

Geez Martin, for a technical guy, you only like to twist technology so it benefits your argument. As I said, and you agreed, you cannot go by that video at all. And, in any case, (I am not sure what the time diff is between the GTR and ZR1 claims), depending on where you measure the start and finish, a second or more is more than a few car lengths. Normally, you would finish a race at the straight at more than 250km/h ... a second at that speed is a looooong way (70m or 17 car lengths).

Alex

[gmh308]

So the big fat cat, HI-TECH, AWD GTR barely keeps up with the "old school" Vette in a straight line race AND at the 'ring.

Well done to big fat tyres, push rods and light weight. Not to mention one sexy body !

Why is it that the GTR being as good as it is, the owners feel the need to tell /convince you about how good it is, maybe they are convincing themselves at the same time.

^^^ Ditto ^^^ what he said. And so what if it has a leaf spring. A spring is a spring is a spring, the Corvette rear is a very good IRS setup. Not a leaf spring live axle. It doesnt care what spring design it uses.

All said and done, a coil spring is a torsion bar spring coiled up so it takes less space. Torsion bar front ends were used on old Valiants...... :doh:

[Martin_D]

Geez Martin, for a technical guy, you only like to twist technology so it benefits your argument.
Alex

GM Quote ZR1 @ 7:26.40
Nissan Quote GTR @ 7:26.70

How is that twisting anything? :eek:
It pays to know what you are talking about Alex :cool:

[Alex(AUS)]

GM Quote ZR1 @ 7:26.40
Nissan Quote GTR @ 7:26.70

How is that twisting anything? :eek:
It pays to know what you are talking about Alex :cool:

As I said, I dont know claimed times ... I thought it was a second or more (it may have been that earlier). When are the V-Spec times planed? ... At that rate (0.3 sconds) it is 5.1 car lengths at 250km/h ... and so it should be, such development has been going for a very long time ... It is really disappointing if there was almost 20 car lengths between 1st and 2nd.

ZR1 - Less weight and more power = faster acceleration
GTR- 4wd and plenty of technology = faster shifts, more grip (mechanical and computer assisted) and fast corner exit.

ZR1 is still faster but you can understand why they are close.

Just think about it ... if GTR can shave only 0.01s per shift (which it could easily do with the transmission it has - I think it would be more like 0.1) in the 100 or more shifts on the ring that would equate to more than 1 second!

Alex

[Carby]

Well in six pages all we have found out is that there is more than one way to skin a cat, so in reality, we have not found out anything new.

Suffice to say for the money, bearing in mind we are in Australia, the GTR represents outstanding value and quite frankly forgetting about the ZR1 which is not available in Australia, it makes offerings from Benz, Audi ,Porsche and even Ferrari seem unrealistically expensive.

[Martin_D]

Agree, chatted to him once at NCM about the (then) new blue Vette colour...
not familiar with his driving skills though, would he be a Ron Fellow equivelent?

Jim (Mero) is a pretty accomplished driver. Word is he has been on the Corvette development team as a driver/engineer and running laps of the 'Ring since around 2003. Since then he has completed (apparently) around 2000 laps of testing at the 'Ring, but still took around 50 laps back to back over a couple of days to get the best time from the ZR1. This is not unusual. Weather plays a big part, so does a driver dialling into their 'zone' for such a technically challenging circuit. Previous to this Mero had a fairly reasonable bout at being a professional race driver in what looked to be GT2 spec Corvettes in the ALMS equivalent. He is obviously no bum, probably better for the job than Fellows :)

I unfortunately missed a chance to interview him in 2007 while Stateside. Would have been good to talk with someone so knowledgeable. There arent too many 'nobodies' that do well at the Ring and Mero certainly isnt one of them :cool:

[steves87]

Jim (Mero) is a pretty accomplished driver. Word is he has been on the Corvette development team as a driver/engineer and running laps of the 'Ring since around 2003. Since then he has completed (apparently) around 2000 laps of testing at the 'Ring, but still took around 50 laps back to back over a couple of days to get the best time from the ZR1. This is not unusual. Weather plays a big part, so does a driver dialling into their 'zone' for such a technically challenging circuit. Previous to this Mero had a fairly reasonable bout at being a professional race driver in what looked to be GT2 spec Corvettes in the ALMS equivalent. He is obviously no bum, probably better for the job than Fellows :)

I unfortunately missed a chance to interview him in 2007 while Stateside. Would have been good to talk with someone so knowledgeable. There arent too many 'nobodies' that do well at the Ring and Mero certainly isnt one of them :cool:

Been meaning to google him for a while.... to be honest, i didnt realize who i was talking to at the time, wasnt till the president (of NCM) came up and introduced him self to me and was like "Nice chat with Jim? yeah he's one of our leading Vette engineers" at this point my heart sank and i was feeling like a real stupid a$$hole.... talking about pretty blue colour shades on a Vette... but he invited me for something called grits and i soon forgot... never ended up going to the event dinner, but would of loved to know what 'grits' actually was.... i figured it might be spam....?

[Martin_D]

There you go Sunshine :eek: :spew:
Good ol 'Kentucky Grits :bow:
http://theeatenpath.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/jodies_grits.jpg

[steves87]

what the f.... !!!!
looks like i may have made the right decision, still leaves a few questions...

[Funky_Munky]

jim mero is an engineer for the Corvette program, what was the job of the driver who lapped the GTR round the ring?.... ive heard he is a F1 (or ex) driver...

The GTR driver is Tochi Suzuki. Did a google search on him and there isnt any information about his driving career so Id say he probably wasnt an F1 driver in the past.

Im still questioning the new lap time posted by the GTR simply due to new tyres. There doesnt seem to be any logic in the fact that Nissan would have used 'sub-standard' tyres on their initial bechnmark Nurburgring run. You would imagine they would have used premium standard to achieve the best time they possible could.

[HazzaHSV]

Ah but Tone is right. A holeshot out of every corner of the ring makes for substantial lap time improvements and bridges the gap to the superior power/weight of the ZR1. :jester:

Wrong. After 21km of flat out driving the two cars are seperated by less than a length. Thats a great holeshot then isnt it :eek:
Back to the drawing board Tone :cool: