1990-1995 C4 ZR-1: A Future Classic

"Swayze Train GTi" (swayzetrain) 05/28/2016 at 23:24 • Filed to: None

13

17

Look closely at the lineage of the Corvette, and you’ll realize the C4 is the most important step America’s Sports Car ever took. Previous generations had it beat in the looks department, but never before had the car been a truly multifaceted machine.

Corvettes have always been the option of the self-made man, his own personal embodiment of the success he’s had in his life. An American man works hard his entire life, providing for his family and saving for the literal and metaphorical sunsets of Boca Raton in retirement, to be viewed from a boat with a nautical dad joke for a name. He’s not one to brag, but he’s always wanted a ‘Vette, and it feels better to have that badge of upper middle class achievement that others notice even when they don’t want to. So he buys a bright yellow rocketship with a bowtie on the front, and drives it five MPH under the speed limit at all times. Because after all, if you have that badge, you might as well give bystanders as much of a window to observe it as possible.

But because of this ubiquity, very few models have ever truly appreciated in the financial sense. Certainly every bystander on the road would view an older Corvette as a classic, but aside from a few rare examples, most never reach the higher tier price point of vehicles gracing the garages of Barrett-Jackson and Pebble Beach auction enthusiasts. However, one more specific model is set to join this exclusive club within the Corvette community: The 1990-95 ZR-1

But why is it classic?

Today, people talk about the Corvette as though it has finally arrived at the upper level of the sports car hierarchy. No excuses must be made to justify it’s existence anymore, there’s as little compromise as is possible for a two seater to achieve. But we have forgotten the ZR1 of the early 90s. Quite simply, it is the spiritual father of everything the C7 stands for. The sleeping giant that periodically awakens to remind the rest of the world why they need America. The ZR1 laughed in the face of whatever else was offered at the time. It has more gears than the 512 Testarossa. It will pull as much lateral g, if not more, than a Porsche 964. It doesn’t actively try to kill you like a Viper. You won’t have stupid 13 year old CarThrottle and 1320 Video commenters invading your personal space bubble at every gas pump as you would in a MKIV Supra. It has a better stereo than a Ford Aspire.

Furthermore, it has personality. This car is the 80s. And not the shitty Bret Michaels with a stupid headband drinking a Crystal Pepsi and making a crude joke about AIDS from behind the wheel of a Cutlass Calais Indy 500 Edition kind of 80s. This is the kind of 80s that looked to the future, when everything would be computers and straight lines, because anything with rounded edges is incapable of chopping a line. While all Corvettes are representative of their era, not all eras are equal. Take a look at a C5, the value of that car has nowhere to go but down. Even the Z06 is destined to become yet another performance bargain for the financially challenged gearhead.

The exterior wasn’t the only place where they got it right either. Take a look inside and you’ll find yourself in a vaguely familiar, well laid out interior. As it turns out, the 90-96 C4 interior was the inspiration for the basics of the new C7, which is quite a nice place to be.

But the biggest thing about the ZR1, what really makes it collectible, is the unique engine it was fitted with. The C4 was always wanting for more power, and the LT5 gave it that added go juice. GM considered several heretical concepts to garner the added ponies, including a turbocharged V6, but in the end they made the right choice: an all new, highly advanced eight cylinder engine. It was to be a strong departure from anything GM had manufactured, so they dropped the job in Lotus’s lap, who they owned at the time. Across the pond, those Brits really had no idea what they were in for. They agreed to produce an engine that would displace 5.7 liters, and make 405 naturally aspirated horsepower, something well within their capabilities. However, as men of the English automotive industry, they weren’t used to working with ridiculous American constraints such as reliability, and building an engine that didn’t leak oil from the factory and still worked even when it was less than 50 degrees outside. GM probably employed more men to watch over the development than Lotus had on the actual project itself. Such oversight wore on the men in the project, testing their resolve, family life, and the limit of their tea breaks. But if there’s one thing the Brits are known for aside from building inspiring yet terrible cars, it’s the ability to overcome insurmountable odds through the dedication of small teams of lionhearted men, possessing that defining English characteristic, a stiff upper lip of Sheffield steel.

In the end, the goal was reached. The 1990 ZR-1 launched with 375 horsepower, just short of the 405 goal, mostly due to Chevrolet’s obtuse insistence that Lotus remain as close to the bore and stroke of the regular L98 SBC engine as possible, even though the new, all aluminum engine was a ground up design that would share no parts with the base powerplant. The engine was designated LT-5, and is still by far and away the most special powerplant ever mounted in the Corvette’s storied history. It was one of the first GM engines to utilize the dual overhead cam layout, and provided much needed experience that led to GMs more modern DOHC engines, especially the Northstar. But DOHC engines were only a groundbreaker for GM, a company best known for the seemingly impossible performance extracted from rudimentary pushrod valve control. Aside from the modern layout, the LT-5 had two intake runners coupled with a dual stage fuel injection system for each cylinder. At a time when you could still purchase a new carbureted car in the US, the quad cam ZR-1 gluttonously packed 16 fuel injectors onto it’s rails like subway denizens. Despite the Lotus connection and the sophisticated nature of it’s construction, the LT-5 is known to be a massively stout engine. 90-92 engines all underwent 200 hours of torture testing between peak torque and horsepower, and 93-95 engines did 400 hours. If lab tests don’t convince you, a stock 1990 ZR-1 broke several endurance records, most notably running for 24 hours on a track at an average speed of almost 176 miles per hour without a single issue. Although this seems an unlikely outcome for a Lotus engine, GM wisely only contracted them for the design, leaving the actual manufacturing of the engine to the respected Mercury Marine. The true spirit of this engine is the nature of it’s performance, however. Whereas the standard L98 TPI engine pushed a decent 250 horsepower at 4000 RPM, the LT-5 peaked with 375 at 6000 RPM and would keep spinning all the way up to 7200 before hitting the redline, rotating even faster than a modern C7 LT engine.

Not to let the rest of the car be outdone by the engine alone, a host of futuristic features were available on the interior as well. There was a key operated valet mode to prevent teenagers from inserting your $60,000 of world beating fiberglass and aluminum into the back end of an anemic Lincoln while you debated buying a spätburgunder or a riesling over dinner at the yacht club. All ZR-1s came with a perfect mix of digital and analogue gauges. Speed, fuel range, odometer, everything you wanted specific numbers on are displayed on the middle screen, with the tachometer, oil pressure and temperature, water temperature, and voltage are quick reference traditional gauges to the sides. Passive entry was standard from ‘93 up. The C4 generation is often criticized for it’s rough riding characteristics, the ZR-1 mitigates that with a cabin adjustable suspension system, going from touring full performance with the twist of a knob. All things considered, the “King of the Hill” as it was known, was a very real contender for that title in the international boxing ring of top tier sports cars.

If a classic automobile is to gain value, it must tick several boxes. First and foremost, it must be produced in limited numbers. With only 6,922 examples leaving the factory for all years, it’s not the rarest in the bunch, but by no means a common sight.

Secondly, it needs a good story behind it. The 1990 ZR-1 was the first time the Vette gave Europe a black eye, and foreshadowed the days of the C6’s astonishingly cheap thrills, and the overall dominance and superiority of the C7, perhaps the most rounded sports car on the market today.

Finally, it needs the X-Factor, it must provide that glorious feeling that can only come from rare beauty in engineering. The rare moments in design that are too weird to live and too rare to die. Unsustainable intensities that could never last, but can never be forgotten. The SR-71, the Ford GT40 MKII, the Tiger tank, Concorde, all costly paragons of uncompromised vision. The C4 ZR-1, mostly due to it’s refined, durable, powerful, and beautiful engine, is a world class car that deserves it’s fair time in the spotlight of high value adrenaline machines from decades past.

A great condition ZR-1 can currently be had for around $20,000. Get yours before it’s too late.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Swayze Train GTi 05/28/2016 at 23:38

3

And it has pop ups.

S65 > Swayze Train GTi 05/28/2016 at 23:41

1

I Think You Have A Point There...

lone_liberal > Swayze Train GTi 05/28/2016 at 23:45

3

I’m going to mildly disagree with your premise. While the big block cars get all the attention at the auctions, the small block C2 Corvette was a well balanced, race winning machine whose handling matched or bettered most cars of the era. This was a car that had an independent rear suspension and 4 wheel disks in the mid-60s yet was still obtainable for normal people.

PorkchoPlissken > Swayze Train GTi 05/28/2016 at 23:50

0

Good piece. I love me some C4.

Swayze Train GTi > lone_liberal 05/28/2016 at 23:56

1

Interesting, I’ll have to look into those a bit more.

Still, I think the biggest part of the C4 ZR-1 appeal is the LT5. There’s just no getting around that engine. It’s an incredibly well designed piece, and the most unique of all Corvette powerplants, aside from perhaps the early Blue Flame cars. But where the inline 6s were supplanted by pushrod V8s for power reasons, the LT5 was the usurper of its time.

tokyosexwheelie > Swayze Train GTi 05/29/2016 at 00:40

0

I like the ZR1 because the gearbox came in handy elsewhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Car…

RazoE > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 05/29/2016 at 02:56

3

Flip-arounds, actually. The most amazing thing ever.

LongbowMkII > Swayze Train GTi 05/29/2016 at 07:07

0

I wish these came with the concave rear bumper. The late C4s aren't as nice looking.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > RazoE 05/29/2016 at 10:22

1

Yep. I always thought it was fascinating that they did a whole circle as a kid.

JeepJeremy > Swayze Train GTi 05/29/2016 at 11:44

0

“And not the shitty Bret Michaels with a stupid headband drinking a Crystal Pepsi and making a crude joke about AIDS from behind the wheel of a Cutlass Calais Indy 500 Edition kind of 80s.”

Goddamn

That was brutal

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Swayze Train GTi 05/29/2016 at 12:22

0

I agree with the “mild disagreement” that token_liberal brings up, and take it even a step further back. Corvette’s first time at LeMans wasn’t unsuccessful, either. And that was back with a first generation car having the solid rear axle in 1960. Here’s an actually documentary from then (holy cow, this documentary is over half a century old, and we can share it on youtube).

The C4 ZR-1 is definitely a unique piece of Corvette history. I’ve thought about buying one for a while while their prices are remaining so low, but then I remember it’s possible to get a decent C5 Z06 for less money. The only performance benchmark that the ZR-1 can hold over the Z06 is top speed. And, frankly, I haven’t found myself in a situation where I needed to top 170mph anyways.

The first few model years of the ZR-1 it had more exclusivity in the Vette lineup, too. It debuted the convex rear bumper and rounded-square taillights. It also has a wide-body rear to fit its wider rear tires, but I don’t think it’s very noticeable without having a non-wide-body sitting next to it. And that got to be a problem for the later year cars, especially after the LT1 came out. The ZR-1 still cost about 2x the price of a base model, but was indistinguishable to casual onlookers. And the LT1 offered 300hp, which still isn’t anything to sneeze at. Oh, but one way to tell them apart from the outside is the CHMSL. On the base, non-wide-body cars, the third brake light is integrated into the rear bumper. Due to the small volume of ZR-1s, they never bothered to integrate it into the wide-body. So the ZR-1 will have a roof mounted CHMSL as in your picture.

Ok, I rambled a bit there. Oh, and The C4 is a ZR-1, not to be confused with a ZR1 ala the C6.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Swayze Train GTi 05/29/2016 at 12:23

0

(Oh, and one other small history lesson. Overhead camshafts were a thing before pushrod overhead valve engines were a thing. Yes, they were just SOHC, but *technically* speaking, pushrods are a newer technology.)

Swayze Train GTi > JeepJeremy 05/30/2016 at 00:13

1

Swayze Train GTi > jdrgoat - Ponticrack? 05/30/2016 at 00:21

0

Nice find on the documentary! I had an LT1 Vette myself, and I agree that the look of the ZR-1 wasn’t distinguished enough, and the added power benefit was definitely reduced by the new base engine. Was unaware of the CHMSL not being changed, makes me wonder why they did it that way? I don’t find it to be a major detractor from the way the car looks, but I do mildly prefer the bumper integrated unit myself. I was also unaware of OHCs being more older than pushrods. Excuse me while I go brush up on my ICE history.

Greybeard > Swayze Train GTi 05/04/2017 at 11:34

0

Thumbs up to your well written piece on the C4 ZR-1.

As a long time, (23 yrs.), owner of a 1991 ZR-1, I can attest to the accuracy, and agree with most of what you’ve written, except for the styling comments. It’s surely subjective, but I think the C4, styling wise, is one of Chevy’s best designs. Although I wouldn’t miss a chance to buy back my 63' Split Window, I think my ZR-1's looks will stand the test of time, just like the engine.

BTW, the LT5, cursed by lack of continued development, really responds to the old fashioned American Hot Rod “Port and Polish” treatment. A little head and plenum grinding nets a stock block, stock cammed, naturally aspirated, LT5 well over 500 crank horsepower, and a ZR-1 top-end near 200mph. Not bad for a 350 V8. of any vintage.

I’m hanging on to mine.

Greybeard > jdrgoat - Ponticrack? 05/04/2017 at 11:50

0

A quick note on the CHMSL (Center High Mounted Stop Light). It was not integrated with the bumper for production cost reasons, but the higher mount actually makes it more functional.

If you’re closely following a normal C4 in traffic, the bumper mounted light is really too low to be very effective. But where the ZR-1 has it, you can’t miss it. Not a big deal, but form follows function :)

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Greybeard 05/04/2017 at 14:25

0

That’s a very good point, and I agree. I have even caught myself wondering if I’m considerably less safe when I drive my Fiero due to it being an 85, the last year without a CHMSL. It bothers me a little bit when I’m following someone with a burnt out third light, so I imagine it must be unusual for a casual driver behind me if they notice that that light doesn’t even exist, let alone not light up.

Funny that you bump this up today. I just got my new Hagerty magazine yesterday and they had a couple articles on the ZR-1, and the never released “3rd gen” LT5. It had me looking at craigslist for them again.