The fact Chevrolet made the ZR1 to resemble the base car was a hit in my book. No goofy spoilers or gawdy wheels. This thing hit so many marks its one of the best cars in my book all time. And that says a lot.
GM/Chevrolet ran two cars for 30 hours at around 180MPH to average 175 with stops for refueling and driver changes. They set records for 12hr, 24hr and 30hr endurance averages. Fun Fact: they continuously fired shotguns to keep the deer off the track the entire time.
Track near Fort Stockton, Texas. They ran two at the same time. As for the shotguns; Hitting a deer at 50MPH would be a big issue. 175? Well….. yeah. Let your imagination do it’s worst.
Easily the best engine ever put into a car. Broke endurance world records, stroke it to a 441ci and make 900 horsepower NA. One of my top 3 cars to own. Great video, as always! Filmed in beautiful locations as well.
Motorweek (on YT) got a 12.8@112 quarter mile and 4.5 0-60 out of a 90 ZR1. Heck, thats a beast even today. 12.8@112? Only a handful of cars today can do that.
My thoughts exactly. If were me I'd head for I-75 and just nail it and hang on tight. What a ride! Man is this sweet or what? Gr8 Corvette. So how much did this go for if I can be so inclined to ask? Gr8 times.
When I worked at a Chevrolet dealer as a parts guy years ago, I looked up the prices of parts for an LT-5; it cured any desire of ever owning one. It's a cool car, but I'd rather have a C4 with an LS7 swap.
I agree with you, this was and still is the iconic car of my youth. Never got to drive one but got to sit in one. Was lucky enough to have a Chevy dealership up the street from where I worked at in Claremount California during that time period that had the most ZR1's (BrandNew) assembled in one place. I was in ZR1 Heaven, I would go to the Chevy lot early morning after work and just drool over all those ZR1's and take pictures, Great times...
One of my favourite cars. Pleased you mentioned the lotus connection. When you said the alpine was a crime against humanity I literally laughed out loud. Fun video
Almost bought one in 92 until I found out what the insurance would have been for me at the time I was 18 LOL so I bought an 87 still had a lot of fun with that car did a lot of mods it was really fast but never was quite as fast as this car.
I would pick a c4 zr1 over a new c8, any time! The c4 is just way more beautiful, and there has just never been made a more beautiful engine in the world, then the lt5. And when I look at the c4, I get a good feeling☄☄ but when I look at the new c8, I feel nothing😒
24 hrs @ 175 mph for a production car out of the showroom. The world record still stands. They also set world records for 18 hrs and 30 hrs. in order to average 175 mph, they had to actually average faster than 175 mph.
And 5k km and 5k miles... Only beaten years later by a one-off, prototype race car. And yes, I believe the records still stand to this day for a production car. Unbelievable.
Hey guys I just bought a 1990 corvette but I have a problem. When i turn off the car with the doors closed or drive off somewhere the cabin lights always stay on for like 5 minutes and the ajar light isn’t even on. What should I do?
The ZR-1 really was the King of the Hill in 1990. Prior to that, the regular Z51 equipped C4s were already the quickest mass-produced sports cars around a race track, at any price. The ZR-1 raised that bar to an almost absurd level. I'm fairly confident a ZR-1 would absolutely embarrass a Ferrari F40 (built 1987-1992). Not necessarily on paper, but in the real world on a real track. And it was FAR more civilized.
I have some new appreciation for these C4s after watching this. I didn't like the way they looked and I keep looking at this one and I really like it, and I'm not sure why that is. The engine is beautiful and the stories behind this model are interesting to hear. I do like the analog tach and other gauges and the instrument cluster isn't great but it's better than the older C4s which was imo hideous. I love how buttery smooth the engine is...makes me start to love this car.
I have an 86, and it looks almost identical to this one, but, it's not a ZR-1 ..... I'd like to have one, they are awesome car's and they drive great... maybe I'll run up on one that's right for me..
Brake cooling will be crap. Tech did same thing on a 93 and came back with brake issues. It blowsmy mind how something like that would cause a problem!?
@@johnj.baranski6553 Okay, Lotus wasn't known for designing reliable engines in the 1980's - 1990's. F1 Lotus engines were a lot better than Lotus production car engines. But that is F1. I should have worded that a little better
@@johnj.baranski6553 Correct. Altho Lotus designed the powerplant, GM had no facilities to do the assembly and build so they farmed out that to the Mercury Marine Division. I always get a kick out of hearing about all the gyrations GM had to do to produce these engines. However, they were and are very reliable, but so true as someone else said in these comments you better not need a part because they are scarce and expensive. Still….I drove one of these at a dealer back in late 89, and it was truly awe inspiring. Too bad I couldn’t afford one, then or now.
Actually that wheel is nicknamed a salad shooter, not the later saw blade, and the rear wheels are on correctly. The fronts are on the wrong side……the ‘90 when mounted correctly did look like the fins were going backwards, which is correct 👍🏻
I have a 68 Chevy Camaro z28 . Sunburn Orange 34000 miles i bought this car in 85 Plus i own a 69 Roadrunner convertible. Tan with black striping 440 with a 6 pack i bought this car in 1980 i have my cars in temp controlled environment
Oh the joys of driving in florida I've never been more pissed off everyday than when I have to drive here... Honestly even driving in southern California I enjoyed 10 times more than Florida.
And the gold chain. It's all in good fun. Would give a testicle to have it. That Yankee voice grates on this Southern man's ears. Sorry just the facts of life.
@@michaelgreene7385 good spotting 😊👍. I had a 1993 C4 with the saw blade wheels when I got the wheels balanced they put them on in the wrong way. It was the first thing I noticed when picking the car up.
It has directional rims on it, and they're not on right... It's driving me insane to look at it. I assume it's had lots of rotations done to it, and nobody's taken the time to pay attention to the rim style.
Looks great even today...red colour is great...fantastic engine..Callaway took one of these called the sledgehammer C4's and got a world record of 254mph in 1988...yes 1988. ..compare that with bugati veyron..haaa makes them look average..classic car...one thing i didnt understand..is why the passenger door card iinsert snt black like the driver side?.. This is way better than a crappy porsche 911..haaa. this is a super car from 1990..porsche doesnt come close.. n isnt a super car..its just an ugly looking porsche. This held numerous world records..beating it for 50 previous years...
@studio7: this corvette you meant was the fastest vehicle until SSC Ultimate SC (2007). The C4 was buildt since 1984 (I think), what an incredible car.
there's something about these wheels that's uncommon, the spokes on the front wheels point backward and the spokes on the rear wheels point forward, i checked the photos on the internet and and none has that, they all point in the same direction which is forward so maybe the left and right front wheel was switched
both sides have that same 'quirck' and if the tires were switched side to side the tread would be reversed the tires were 'directional' they weren't supposed to be rotated like a normal car, now if the tires were broken off the rims for replacement I guess just the rims could have been reversed, nice catch though.
14:15 Dude bitching about the cyclist: "And watch this, he won't stop at the stop sign either". Then the driver proceeds to completely blow the stop sign. LOL CLASSIC!!!
This man just talked for 17 minutes straight without taking a breath! He's gotta be related to my wife.
Good question. Maybe post a photo of her and we can tell you 😜
Lol, you got one of those too eh ? Hahaha. Perfect comment 👌
1:44 he take a breath
The fact Chevrolet made the ZR1 to resemble the base car was a hit in my book. No goofy spoilers or gawdy wheels. This thing hit so many marks its one of the best cars in my book all time. And that says a lot.
GM/Chevrolet ran two cars for 30 hours at around 180MPH to average 175 with stops for refueling and driver changes. They set records for 12hr, 24hr and 30hr endurance averages. Fun Fact: they continuously fired shotguns to keep the deer off the track the entire time.
Whoa interesting trivia.
Where did they test this corvette? Why did they have to keep deer off the track?
Track near Fort Stockton, Texas. They ran two at the same time. As for the shotguns; Hitting a deer at 50MPH would be a big issue. 175? Well….. yeah. Let your imagination do it’s worst.
The only car it couldn't out run was 12 cyl.ferrari.
@@timothythomas1737 ...which probably costs 3 times as much
I just bought a 1990 ZR-1, white on red, picking her up Saturday.
Lit how much?
Well it's 11 months later how is the car? Are you happy with it? Let us know.
Easily the best engine ever put into a car. Broke endurance world records, stroke it to a 441ci and make 900 horsepower NA. One of my top 3 cars to own.
Great video, as always! Filmed in beautiful locations as well.
Brandon Herrera i agree..although he mentioned a crappy porsche 911...doesnt come clise to a 1990 ZR1
100 percent agree. I adore mine. I'm talking to a guy to punch it out to a 391 soon.
@@reggiewhite1565 I have one now! And a 96 collector edition lt4.
It is amazing those Recaro (?) leather seats have survived in perfect shape!!! Wow!!
actually those were the optional Sport Seats made by Lear.
You are such a delight Bill ... I hope you never stop doing these vids ... and please don’t change your style!
this car is a beast for its time
Motorweek (on YT) got a 12.8@112 quarter mile and 4.5 0-60 out of a 90 ZR1. Heck, thats a beast even today. 12.8@112? Only a handful of cars today can do that.
You are absolutely hilarious and I mean that in the best way possible. I thought you were getting airborne when you floored her.
now wipe the shxt off your nose..
My thoughts exactly. If were me I'd head for I-75 and just nail it and hang on tight. What a ride! Man is this sweet or what? Gr8 Corvette. So how much did this go for if I can be so inclined to ask? Gr8 times.
I need it
When I worked at a Chevrolet dealer as a parts guy years ago, I looked up the prices of parts for an LT-5; it cured any desire of ever owning one. It's a cool car, but I'd rather have a C4 with an LS7 swap.
I bought my C4 ZR-1 because of this video.
Fantastic review of the legendary C4 ZR1. This beautiful car was way ahead of its time and still holds its own.
Haven't seen on of these early '90's ZR-1s in over 15 years.
This ZR-1 is epic!!!
I agree with you, this was and still is the iconic car of my youth. Never got to drive one but got to sit in one. Was lucky enough to have a Chevy dealership up the street from where I worked at in Claremount California during that time period that had the most ZR1's (BrandNew) assembled in one place.
I was in ZR1 Heaven, I would go to the Chevy lot early morning after work and just drool over all those ZR1's and take pictures, Great times...
The best looking Corvette. Today's generation looks totally juvenile. The 1990 ZR-1 looks beautiful.
@Andrew: I think the best version would be a ZR-1 engine (I think LT5) in my old C4 (LT98 engine). That would be so great.
C4 najpiekniejsza!
Agreed . It's in my top 10 cars as the 89 saleen.
Juvenile?!
@@papajhonsreal yes if you asked a kid to draw a sports car it would look like a corvette. the older ones look more classic
Thouroughly enjoyed your video! Thanks for taking the time!
I owned a ‘95 about 7 yrs ago. Sure was a blast to drive. I’ll buy another one somewhat soon.
Are you a car salesman, because I would buy a car from you lol
One of my favourite cars. Pleased you mentioned the lotus connection. When you said the alpine was a crime against humanity I literally laughed out loud. Fun video
What a beautiful C4 in superb condition.
Still have my 1989 Corvette convertible and it's as pretty as the day she was built.. Love the c-4s..
Thank you Bill for another great video !
Complains about bike not stopping at stop sign, proceeds to blow stop sign...😂 nice zr1, I'll be looking for one soon
I just picked one up today from the original owner, and its exactly like this one! Only 40k miles.
la verdad es que disfrute mucho este viaje, fue un placer
Almost bought one in 92 until I found out what the insurance would have been for me at the time I was 18 LOL so I bought an 87 still had a lot of fun with that car did a lot of mods it was really fast but never was quite as fast as this car.
Always loved the 80s corvette that face had in a team
What a beautiful car.
Just FYI All production C4 ZR-1’s have 3.45:1 axle ratios.early test cars had a 3.54 and ratings were 375 hp at 6,200 rpm, 370 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm
We must be about the same age because when I was young and really into cars, the ZR1 was THE car in my world.
Great job 👍🏻🇺🇸
A guy that knows what he’s talking about 👍🏻
I would pick a c4 zr1 over a new c8, any time!
The c4 is just way more beautiful, and there has just never been made a more beautiful engine in the world, then the lt5. And when I look at the c4, I get a good feeling☄☄ but when I look at the new c8, I feel nothing😒
Very cool. It would look even better in white with white wheels.
Fantastic!
I drove one but i am too big. Still in love with that king
DOHC Vette had to be interesting to hear and drive back in the day for sure exp in 90’.
24 hrs @ 175 mph for a production car out of the showroom. The world record still stands. They also set world records for 18 hrs and 30 hrs. in order to average 175 mph, they had to actually average faster than 175 mph.
And 5k km and 5k miles... Only beaten years later by a one-off, prototype race car. And yes, I believe the records still stand to this day for a production car. Unbelievable.
Hey guys I just bought a 1990 corvette but I have a problem. When i turn off the car with the doors closed or drive off somewhere the cabin lights always stay on for like 5 minutes and the ajar light isn’t even on. What should I do?
Listening to that beast roar to life, then sit there and purr and takeoff.. talk about a chub!😛😍
Put your phone on airplane mode when you shoot your videos so you don’t get phone calls interrupting you. Thanks for the great video 👍
The ZR-1 really was the King of the Hill in 1990. Prior to that, the regular Z51 equipped C4s were already the quickest mass-produced sports cars around a race track, at any price. The ZR-1 raised that bar to an almost absurd level. I'm fairly confident a ZR-1 would absolutely embarrass a Ferrari F40 (built 1987-1992). Not necessarily on paper, but in the real world on a real track. And it was FAR more civilized.
A ZR1 would thrash an F40 in an endurance race. There has never been a car that has hit the 'Price : Performance' Ratio as well as the C4.
Looks like my car except mine is a 1991
Thanks for the video.
I have some new appreciation for these C4s after watching this. I didn't like the way they looked and I keep looking at this one and I really like it, and I'm not sure why that is. The engine is beautiful and the stories behind this model are interesting to hear. I do like the analog tach and other gauges and the instrument cluster isn't great but it's better than the older C4s which was imo hideous. I love how buttery smooth the engine is...makes me start to love this car.
I have an 86, and it looks almost identical to this one, but, it's not a ZR-1 ..... I'd like to have one, they are awesome car's and they drive great... maybe I'll run up on one that's right for me..
My dad had a black c4 and me and my two older brothers rode in the trunk fun times.
This man knows his cars.
Then he should swap the front rims/tires side to side. The front rims are rolling the wrong way. Lol
My dream car.
Great example
Hey! I heard in 1990 corvette started to add by law airbags, do all 1990 corvettes have a steering wheel airbag?!
Rambling old man 🤣🤣🤣 I love the video by the way
Wow this looks right in my neighborhood. Kings lake Naples Fl
I recently bought a car from Autohaus. It was the black convertible Vette with 6500 miles. I’d like to buy my next one from you.
c4 is my fav vette
And I see it comes complete with the famous seat belt "INFL REST" light.
My dad had a quasar blue c4 zr-1 back in the day. He had the record for 1/4 mile time and trap speed for awhile
Im drooling
Yeesh, the front wheels are on backwards!
They look better that way... rear wheels should be swapped to match...
BuzzLOLOL They are directional; they are designed to pull air into the wheel well. The saw blades from 91 to 96 go the other way.
@@vomErsten - They should blow heat out of the wheel wells...
Forgot to mention the wrap around cockpit copied by the mkIV Supra and a very similar one in the new C7.
I remember this car. I got blow away by one of these driving down from Aspen To Glenwood Springs one summer. Sounded like a motorcycle engine.
That random duck made me laugh
The secondary intake runners have closed butterfly valves below 3500 rpm.
Motor Week in 1988 did a 0 to 60 15 times in a row and NEVER BROKE ANYTHING! 😜
Are they easy to maintain or affordable ? Thnxs!!
Yes
A car from my youth.
Hello,
It is still for sale...or you have an other ZR1?
Florida dealership ZR1's of the day were offered with a Corvette monogrammed pocket mirror and metal straw....
Front wheels were mounted on the wrong side
If it were mine, i would swap the rears over.
Good eye
Brake cooling will be crap.
Tech did same thing on a 93 and came back with brake issues.
It blowsmy mind how something like that would cause a problem!?
Look better that way... should swap the rears to match...
👌
In the 80's - 90's Lotus wasn't known for reliable engines although the LT5 seems to be rock solid..
Best hope so, some engine parts are hard to come by and not cheap.
Engine was build by Mercury Marine who know how to build engines. Lotus had no hands in the building and neither did the GM workers.
@@johnj.baranski6553 Okay, Lotus wasn't known for designing reliable engines in the 1980's - 1990's. F1 Lotus engines were a lot better than Lotus production car engines. But that is F1. I should have worded that a little better
@@johnj.baranski6553 Correct. Altho Lotus designed the powerplant, GM had no facilities to do the assembly and build so they farmed out that to the Mercury Marine Division. I always get a kick out of hearing about all the gyrations GM had to do to produce these engines. However, they were and are very reliable, but so true as someone else said in these comments you better not need a part because they are scarce and expensive. Still….I drove one of these at a dealer back in late 89, and it was truly awe inspiring. Too bad I couldn’t afford one, then or now.
How much did you end up selling this car?
An 1989 5.0 Mustang engine cost $5,000. A SHO 24 valve v6 cost $8,000 and the zr-1 engine cost $18,000.
How much $ and is it still for sale?
Look at that duck! hahaha
The front wheels are on backwards. The saw tooth wheel should turn with the saw blade forward like the rear wheel.
Actually that wheel is nicknamed a salad shooter, not the later saw blade, and the rear wheels are on correctly. The fronts are on the wrong side……the ‘90 when mounted correctly did look like the fins were going backwards, which is correct
👍🏻
I have a 68 Chevy Camaro z28 . Sunburn Orange 34000 miles i bought this car in 85
Plus i own a 69 Roadrunner convertible. Tan with black striping 440 with a 6 pack i bought this car in 1980 i have my cars in temp controlled environment
Thank god some one agrees with me on the radio
The front wheels are installed wrong. Left side on the right side, right side on the left side.
The "bike lane" is also known as the debris field.
Yeah, of bikers after I run them over for not being in their lane.
Oh the joys of driving in florida I've never been more pissed off everyday than when I have to drive here... Honestly even driving in southern California I enjoyed 10 times more than Florida.
@5:02 I LOL’ed
What is in your ‘bag of crop’
What comes with the Bag o Crap?
David Furr . You know Daddy fur he needs his hair spray mirror and vent brush! Tee hee!
And the gold chain. It's all in good fun. Would give a testicle to have it. That Yankee voice grates on this Southern man's ears. Sorry just the facts of life.
Bad ass.
0:29 "Chevermay Corvette"?
Yes a very cool Vette and very under priced at the moment, the wheels need changing around though😊
I saw that too, as soon as I saw them, I have the same wheel's on mine.....
@@michaelgreene7385 good spotting 😊👍. I had a 1993 C4 with the saw blade wheels when I got the wheels balanced they put them on in the wrong way. It was the first thing I noticed when picking the car up.
It has directional rims on it, and they're not on right... It's driving me insane to look at it. I assume it's had lots of rotations done to it, and nobody's taken the time to pay attention to the rim style.
Good eye. Yeah, the fronts are wrong.
wasn't typed that fast what seatbelt speedster strength
Awesome review , but never close that hood with a door open 😉
nice'
I know where where there is a 94 zr1 with 8k miles
I believe it should have about 405 to 425 hp
sexy car nice video.
if that back there is up there what isn't cold the color
Those wheels on correct?
No, the front rims are mounted backwards, they need swiped side to side.
it is still for sale How much
....there's always atleast one........30 months later.
Looks great even today...red colour is great...fantastic engine..Callaway took one of these called the sledgehammer C4's and got a world record of 254mph in 1988...yes 1988. ..compare that with bugati veyron..haaa makes them look average..classic car...one thing i didnt understand..is why the passenger door card iinsert snt black like the driver side?.. This is way better than a crappy porsche 911..haaa. this is a super car from 1990..porsche doesnt come close.. n isnt a super car..its just an ugly looking porsche. This held numerous world records..beating it for 50 previous years...
@studio7: this corvette you meant was the fastest vehicle until SSC Ultimate SC (2007). The C4 was buildt since 1984 (I think), what an incredible car.
@@handofmud144 only just saw your reply..yes your right..
The wheels are not installed correct
there's something about these wheels that's uncommon, the spokes on the front wheels point backward and the spokes on the rear wheels point forward, i checked the photos on the internet and and none has that, they all point in the same direction which is forward so maybe the left and right front wheel was switched
both sides have that same 'quirck' and if the tires were switched side to side the tread would be reversed the tires were 'directional' they weren't supposed to be rotated like a normal car, now if the tires were broken off the rims for replacement I guess just the rims could have been reversed, nice catch though.
Front rims are flipped right to left
14:15 Dude bitching about the cyclist: "And watch this, he won't stop at the stop sign either". Then the driver proceeds to completely blow the stop sign. LOL CLASSIC!!!
THANK YOU
Motors were hand built engines, just like Mercedes AMG engines, always makes a difference when hand built.
Too late but the rear wheels are on the wrong sides. They’re directional.
Awesome year zr1 though. 😎