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Highlights
The ZR1 is the ultimate expression of Corvette’s technology-driven
performance legacy. A supercharged 6.2L LS9 engine and suite of advanced
performance technologies, including Performance Traction Management and
Magnetic Selective Ride Control, are the elements of the highest-performing
Corvette in history, with changes for 2012 designed to make it more
comfortable to drive.
Corvette ZR1 is the fastest production model ever offered by General
Motors, with a top speed of 205 mph.
Capability of the ZR1 is enhanced for 2012 with the new PDE performance
package, which is highlighted by new Michelin® Pilot®
Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires. When combined with new-for-2012 Performance
Traction Management (PTM) technology – which manages torque delivery for
maximum performance – the tires are expected to help set new benchmarks for
Corvette performance. Engineers estimate an 8-percent gain in maximum lateral
acceleration, to more than 1.1g, and improved braking distance.
The PDE package’s effectiveness was demonstrated with a new lap time of
7:19.63 around Germany’s legendary Nürburgring, which improved on the ZR1’s
previous benchmark there by more than six seconds.
Corvette ZR1 also celebrates Chevrolet’s performance heritage with the 2012
Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette, which features a sleek black color
scheme, unique design elements and Corvette’s sports car technology. The
special package is inspired by Chevrolet’s racing-bred foundation and is
offered on all Corvette models for 2012.
Corvette ZR1 for 2012 includes interior improvements shared with all
Corvette models, including new seats, a new steering wheel design and a new
Bose Premium audio system.
Customers who opt for the Corvette Engine Build Experience (option code PBC)
can participate in the assembly of their engine at the General Motors
Performance Build Center, in Wixom, Mich.
Corvette ZR1 design
- Fixed-roof body style optimizes body rigidity and mass; offered
in two trim levels – 1ZR and 3ZR.
- Wider, carbon-fiber front fenders with ZR1-specific dual ports.
- Carbon-fiber hood with a raised, polycarbonate window – offering
a view of the intercooler below it.
- Carbon-fiber roof panel, roof bow, front fascia splitter and
rocker moldings with clear-coated, visible carbon-fiber weave.
- ZR1-specific full-width rear spoiler with raised outboard
sections
- Four large stainless steel exhaust outlets.
- Standard high-intensity discharge headlamps.
- Two new exterior colors for ’12: Carlisle Blue Metallic and
Carbon Flash Metallic (Chevrolet Centennial edition only). Also offered are
Arctic White, Blade Silver Metallic, Inferno Orange Metallic, Velocity
Yellow Tintcoat, Torch Red,Supersonic Blue Metallic, Cyber Gray and Crystal
Red Tintcoat
- New customer-selectable brake caliper colors offered in red, yellow,
silver and gray (blue calipers are standard).
Chevrolet Centennial Edition Special Edition
- Offered exclusively in Carbon Flash Metallic with satin-black
graphics.
- Special badges that signify Chevrolet’s racing history, including
a graphic logo featuring an image of Louis Chevrolet on the B-pillars, the
wheel center caps and the center of the steering wheel.
- The historic Corvette crossed flags badge contains a small adaptation,
with “100” in place of the traditional fleur-de-lis symbol in black, only
for the Centennial Edition.
- Unique Centennial Satin Black wheels with red stripe, sized
specifically to the respective Corvette models, including 19-inch/20-inch
for ZR1.
- Magnetic Selective Ride Control is standard.
- Ebony leather-wrapped instrument panel and doors complemented by
red stitching also on the steering wheel, seats, console and shifter.
- The seats feature microfiber suede accents on seats, steering
wheel, shifter and armrests.
- Seat headrests carry an embossed centennial logo.
- Available on all Corvette models via order code ZLC.
Corvette ZR1 interior
- Corvette’s interior is inspired by the car’s dual-cockpit heritage.
- New seats feature improved appearance and larger bolsters on the
seat back and cushion areas to provide better driver support, especially in
high-performance driving.
- Microfiber seat inserts are optional.
- New steering wheel with model-specific badges, streamlined switch
trim and wrapped spokes.
- ZR1-logo sill plates.
- ZR1-logo headrest embroidery.
- An AM/FM/XM radio with CD player and audio input jack is standard.
- New Bose Premium audio system includes nine speakers (vs. seven
in 2011), including new tweeters located in the instrument panel and improve
Bose Nd next-generation bass performance. It is included with the 3ZR trim.
- Steering-wheel mounted audio controls are on all models.
- SiriusXM Satellite Radio with a one-year subscription is included
with the Bose audio system.
- An onboard navigation system with voice recognition is included
with 3ZR. It is a DVD-based system that uses a 6.5-inch (165 mm) color
touch-screen display.
- Head-up display is standard and includes Track Mode with
g-meter.
- Specific gauge cluster with boost gauge (also displayed on the
head-up display) and 220-mph (370 km/h) speedometer readout.
- A custom leather-wrapped interior package is standard on the 3ZR
trim, featuring a leather-wrapped upper and lower instrument panel, door
pads and seats; choice of exclusive colors: Dark Titanium, Ebony, Cashmere
or Sienna, with unique color breakup; padded door panel armrests; “Corvette”
embroidered on passenger-side dash pad and a unique center trim plate with a
gunmetal pattern.
Corvette ZR1 performance
- LS9 supercharged 6.2L V-8 rated at 638 horsepower (476 kW), and
604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).
- The Roots-type supercharger uses a unique, four-lobe rotor design
and is augmented with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet
air temperature for maximum performance.
- Titanium connecting rods.
- Cast iron cylinder liners are inserted in the aluminum block and
are finish-bored and honed with a deck plate installed. The deck plate
simulates the pressure and minute dimensional variances applied to the block
when the cylinder heads are installed.
- The LS9 is hand-assembled at GM’s Performance Build Center in
Wixom, Mich., and incorporates special processes typically seen in racing
engines to produce a highly refined and precise product.
- Six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission.
- High-capacity dual-disc clutch, which spread out the engine’s
torque load over a wider area. This enables tremendous clamping power when
the clutch is engaged, while also helping to dissipate heat better and
extend the life of the clutch.
- The rear axle features asymmetrical axle-shaft diameters – 33 mm
on the right side and 40 mm on the left – that provide optimal torque
management. They are mounted on a more horizontal plane that correlates with
the wider width of the ZR1’s rear wheels and tires.
- Specific suspension tuning provides more than 1g cornering grip.
- Twenty-spoke 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels.
- Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires – P285/30ZR19 in front and
P335/25ZR20 in the rear – developed specifically for the ZR1.
- Brembo carbon-ceramic, drilled disc brake rotors –
15.5-inch-diameter (394-mm) in the front and 15-inch-diameter (380-mm) in
the rear.
- Blue-painted brake calipers.
- Magnetic Selective Ride Control with track-level suspension.
- Launch Control system with Performance Traction Management (PTM)
technology optimizes traction for greater and more consistent on-track
performance. PTM system holds a predetermined engine speed while the driver
pushes the throttle to the floor. That allows the driver to quickly release
the clutch and the system modulates engine torque 100 times per second to
maximize the available traction. The system is capable of approaching a
skilled driver’s best effort and repeats it consistently. PTM also
integrates the ZR1’s traction control, active handling and selective ride
control systems to enhance track driving consistency and overall
performance. When full throttle is applied upon exiting a corner, it
automatically manages acceleration dynamics.
Corvette ZR1 chassis and suspension
- An aluminum body structure for optimum stiffness and light weight
for the fixed-roof body style.
- Perimeter rails are one-piece hydroformed aluminum members
featuring cast suspension nodes, which replace many welded steel components
on other Corvette models.
- Advanced structural composites featuring carbon fiber are bonded
to the aluminum structure. The wider front wheelhouses, for example, are
carbon composites, and the passenger compartment floors combine carbon-fiber
skins with an ultra-lightweight balsa wood core.
- A magnesium cradle serves as the attachment point for the engine
and some front suspension components. It is lighter than aluminum, yet
incredibly strong, and helps improve the front-to-rear weight distribution,
as do carbon-fiber front fenders and wheelhouses.
- Battery relocated from underhood to a position in the rear cargo
area, behind one of the rear wheels.
- Large wheels, measuring19 x 10 inches in diameter in the front
and 20 x 12 inches in the rear. A Sterling Silver paint finish is standard;
chrome and Competition Gray versions are optional.
- ZR1-specific Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires measuring P285/30ZR19
in front and P335/25ZR20 in the rear.
- Brembo carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Made of a
carbon-fiber-reinforced ceramic silicon carbide material, these rotors are
low mass and resistant to wear and heat. The rotors should never show
corrosion or require replacement for the life of the vehicle, when used in
normal driving.
- The vented and cross-drilled rotors on the ZR1 measure 15.5
inches (394 mm) in diameter in the front and 15 inches (380 mm) in diameter
in the rear – making them among the largest carbon-ceramic rotors available
on any production vehicle.
- Six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, each
painted ZR1-specific blue.
- A four-channel ABS system is standard, as is a very competent
active handling system – complete with a Competitive Driving mode.
- Standard Magnetic Selective Ride Control helps the rear axle
remain planted during launch for smooth, hop-free acceleration. It also
helps suppress axle movement when cornering on broken or uneven pavement.
PDE Performance Package content
- New Michelin® Pilot® Sport Cup Zero Pressure
tires, developed by the same Michelin engineers who develop tires for
Corvette Racing in the American Le Mans Series and are essentially
street-legal versions of a racing tire.
- The 285/30-19 (front) and 335/25-20 (rear) tires are matched with
all-new aluminum Cup-style wheels in satin black or machined finishes.
They are about five pounds lighter (2.2 kg) and stronger than the 20-spoke
wheel offered in 2011.
- A full-width racing style spoiler for improved aerodynamics.
- Close-ratio six-speed manual transmission.
Corvette safety and crash-avoidance features
The Corvette is designed to help drivers avoid crashes, while protecting
the occupants in the event a crash occurs.
- Four standard air bags include side-impact air bags, which
provide head protection for outboard passengers in the event of a
side-impact or rollover crash.
- Active Handling electronic stability control system helps reduce
the risk of rollover crashes by keeping the vehicle in the driver’s intended
path by applying throttle, braking or a combination of both.
- Standard four-wheel-disc brake system.
- Pretensioners minimize forward movement during a collision, and
are standard on the front safety belts. Load-limiting retractors cinch the
belt more tightly.
- Tire pressure monitoring system and run-flat tires
are standard on all models.
- Standard remote keyless entry with push-button starting.
- Strong body structure to absorb crash energy and provide a
protective “safety cage” around occupants.
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