The 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Was The Best Version Of The Worst Corvette

The ZR-1 killed any notion that the Corvette was just another frumpy, inefficient American car left over from the Malaise era. Aesthetically, it didn’t look wildly different from any other C4 Corvette. The outside changes are subtle, and do little to betray what made the Corvette special: the engine. Instead of the strangled and weak boat anchor that rested inside prior ‘Vettes, the ZR-1 was equipped with a 5.7-liter V8 developed by Lotus and built by Mercury Marine, the boat engine manufacturer. It churned out 380 horsepower to the rear wheels, very nearly twice the horsepower of the sad attempt at a Corvette just six years prior.

Performance figures from the ZR-1 are nothing short of staggering. According to Car and Driver, the ZR-1 rocketed itself from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds, and completed the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds. That’s quick even for today, and mind bogglingly fast for over 30 years ago. With a top speed of 175 miles per hour, the formerly low-end Corvette was now an apex predator to its European counterparts. Over the course of more than half a decade, the Corvette made a complete turnaround. A dreary excuse for a sportscar redeemed itself into a legendary performance masterpiece.