Own a Piece of Corvette History! 1988 ZR-1 Corvette Prototype Up For Auction!

Rare Corvette Engineering Prototype Goes ON THE BLOCK at Mecum Kissimmee 2018 Auction, January 5 – 14 – Lot 165

Car auctions are a lot of fun because you never know how much or how little any given car is going to sell for. The exception being rare Ferraris, Cobras, and anything owned by Steve McQueen – they always sell for A LOT! Corvettes are especially unpredictable. Several years ago the John Greenwood Sebring ’74 IMSA Corvette (the Batmobile) was a NO SALE. In 2016 the very first C7 2017 Grand Sport Corvette to roll off the assemble line sold for only $170,000. Many, including me, thought that the car would go for a lot more, as previous “first off the assembly line” Corvettes have sold for big bucks. A lot of it has to do with the mood of the economy. So, we never know and predictions are often way off.

Next month at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction, January 5 – 14, a truly rare ZR-1 Corvette will hit the auction block. The Lot Number is, S165. When the ZR-1 finally came out as a 1990 Corvette is was a very big deal. This was truly an exotic Corvette with its Lotus DOHC all-aluminum engine and wide body. Tommy Morrison’s race-prepared, but stock, ZR-1 shattered speed endurance records, thus legitimately giving the ZR-1 the nickname, “King of the Hill.”

To see the BIG version of the ZR-1 prototype’s Build Sheet, CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE.

Engineering prototypes and mule Corvettes are typically stripped of their good parts and then sent to the crusher; a terrible fate. But sometimes, a few are saved. According to Mecum, the ZR-1 that will be auctioned off next month is one-of-two “known” C4 ZR-1 prototypes; 25 prototypes were build in July 1987. Continue reading


Own a Piece of Corvette History! 1988 ZR-1 Corvette Prototype Up For Auction!”

The New King of the Hill is NOT the ZR1 Corvette! WHAT?

Dateline: 11.17.11

What’s a MUSTANG doing at CorvetteReport.com???

I suppose we should have known it wouldn’t last forever. Since 2009 the 638-HP LS9 engine that powers the C6 ZR1 has been the official “Most powerful mass production engine in Detroit history.” Well, it seems that Ford has a better idea and weren’t about to let GM hold the gold forever.

The new Shelby will be packing 650-horsepower and 600 lb-ft or torque from it’s supercharged 5.8-liter V8. While that’s only 12-horsepower and more than the LS9 and 6 lb-ft of torque less than the LS9, bragging rights are bragging rights. In the real world, will it matter? No. But the numbers are the numbers. The question is this. Will Chevrolet engineers pull out the “special chip” to goose the ‘12 or ’13 LS9 past the new Mustang? Aftermarket engineering companies, such as Lingenfelter Performance Engineering have proven that there’s PLENTY of red meat left in the stock LS9, such that with just a few bolt-on changes, the LS9 can easily close in on 700-horsepower. Continue reading “The New King of the Hill is NOT the ZR1 Corvette! WHAT?”