Corvette ZR1.....7:26.4......

[BlueTJCO]

No shaved tires, not a specially prepped "uber rice" edition. A run of the mill production spec car.

Faster than a Carrera GT (7:28).

THE NEW KING OF THE HILL

Ladies and Gentlemen, the ZR1 is entering the room- ALL RISE.

2008-June-27
Ripping the ?Ring: Stock ZR1 Laps N?rburgring in 7:26.4
By: Tadge J. Juechter
Corvette Chief Engineer

Over the last two weeks, we have been doing our final tuning and testing there before we start ZR1 production cars. This morning (Friday June 27), General Motors development engineer Jim Mero drove the Corvette ZR1 around the N?rburgring in a time of 7:26.4.

The car was bone stock with the exception of the communications and safety equipment. The tires were production Michelin Pilot Sport 2?s. These tires have been developed specifically for the ZR1 and will have impressive wet traction and wear (tread wear rating = 220), in addition to excellent dry road holding. Chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs. Likewise, the engine calibrations were absolutely stock, emissions compliant and the car ran on pump (not racing) fuel. The vehicle was exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky and sold around the world later this summer.

Despite posting one of the fastest times ever run by a production car, N?rburgring lap times were not an over-riding priority in the development of the ZR1. The truth is, if the only priority was speed at the ring, the car would not be very pleasant to drive on American roads. The ZR1 is an incredibly capable track machine, but unlike most ultra-high performance cars, it is very easy to live with on a daily basis.

http://blog.gmnext.com/?p=194