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2009 CORVETTE ZR1: 638-HP, 205-MPH! YOWZAH!

"The 2009 Corvette ZR1 produces 638 horsepower." This is one of those stories which tear our automotive conscience and loyalties every which way but loose, to paraphrase the title of a really bad Clint Eastwood movie featuring him and a chimpanzee sharing cross-country driving duties in a big-rig truck. As we all know, all work and no play make Jack and Jill a boring couple. We don't have to preach to you, don't have to tell you about the price of gas, about the embarrassing lack of fuel-efficient cars and trucks made in America or how none of the Detroit Three seems really, truly committed, as yet, to providing high-mileage, low-emissions cars and trucks. And when Audi and BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz (see a "national" pattern here?) among others, begins selling new-generation turbo-diesel cars and trucks later this year in the US, Detroit will have even more egg on their face. Both Audi and Peugeot have been dominating world sports car endurance racing with 5-Liter, V12 turbo-diesel powerplants in their race cars. The Euro-diesels coming to a showroom near you this fall are fast, quiet, clean and smooth along with having the traditional diesel qualities of high-mileage and engines which, with regular maintenance, start to get "broken-in" at about 500,000 miles. And did we mention enough torque to pull not just a house trailer, but an entire house? (Artwork of ZR1 engine "ghost view" by David Kimble, the world's best).

The bright spot? Chevrolet sells about 35,000 Corvettes a year, almost an inconsequential  number in the American market, which will see about 15,000,000 new cars and trucks sold in 2008. Of those 35,000 'Vettes, about 10%, or 3,500, will be Z06 models. And there will be even fewer of the all-new ZR1 models produced and sold. Just as a reminder, the Z06 is available as a coupe-only and comes with a 505-hp 7.0-liter V8 and mandatory 6-speed manual transmission. It also has specific suspension tuning, tires, and brakes. The 2008 "427 Limited Edition," which is a Z06 with some extra safety and convenience fetaures, is priced at almost $84,000. This means the 2009 ZR1 will base-price for near or over $100,000.

So, all things considered, the ZR1 will be loud, frighteningly fast, have slot-car-like handling, get lousy mileage, produce more emissions than they have a right to make and Chevrolet will probably have to sell 100 Aveos to each ZR1 to keep Chevy legal when it comes to the division's CAFE corporate average fuel requirements) standards. But you know what? With fewer than 3,000 of them planned to be sold, we say: Go for it! At least some people are having some fun out there!

Here's how Chevy described all the excitement, with an occasional note from us here at SteveParker.com: When it was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s power was estimated at 100 horsepower for each of its 6.2 liters of displacement. GM Powertrain has completed SAE certification of the ZR1’s supercharged LS9 V-8 and the results exceed the estimate: 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).

The LS9’s output is nearly 103 horses per liter, or just about 1.7 horses for each of the engine’s 376 cubic inches. It is unquestionably the most powerful automotive production engine ever manufactured by General Motors and enables the Corvette ZR1 to achieve a top speed of more than 200 mph (322 km/h). In fact, on a GM employee website, Chevy engineers reported the ZR1 achieved almost 205-mph at a company test track in Germany.

The Corvette ZR1 goes on sale this summer. Its 638-hp supercharged engine is complemented in the chassis by heavy-duty components not offered in any other model, including a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology that delivers exceptional clamping power and lower inertia, as well as strengthened axle components.

Fuel economy testing has not been completed, but engineers are confident the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market (and how many of those are there "on the market" anyway?).

The LS9 engine is hand-built by specially trained technicians at GM’s Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. It is a unique, small-volume engine production facility that also builds the Chevrolet Corvette Z06’s LS7 engine and other high-performance GM production engines.

The key enabler of the LS9’s performance is the industry’s first production application of a new, positive- displacement Roots-type supercharger that has a unique four-lobe rotor design. Its design promotes quieter and more efficient performance, while the large, 2.3-liter displacement ensures adequate air volume at high rpm. Maximum boost pressure is 10.5 psi (0.72 bar). It is teamed with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance.

A raised hood provides adequate clearance for the LS9, while a polycarbonate window in the hood provides a view of the engine beneath it.

Click below to read more details about the 638-hp, 604-lb. ft. of torque, 205-mph 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1!

FERRARI 612 SCAGLIETTI AT NY --- "ONE-TO-ONE PROGRAMME" INTRO'D

The best story we know about company founder Enzo Ferrari (yes, for younger readers, there really was an Enzo Ferrari --- It's not just the name of one of the company's models) has to be, as far as we Americans are concerned, the great battle between "Il Commandatore," as Ferrari was known, and Henry "The Deuce," nickname of Henry Ford II, son of Edsel Ford, grandson of Ford company founder Henry. The Deuce is not to be confused with "Il Duce'," which was the "honorific" title, meaning "leader," given to Italy's Benito Mussolini, who was Adolph Hitler's lapdog both before and during WWII. (Photo - Ferrari 612 Scaglietti introduced at the NY Auto Show).

The short version of the Ford/Ferrari story has The Deuce wanting to buy Ferrari from its founder in the early 1960s. Many of the obstacles to the purchase had been worked through, and both sides felt there was a good chance the buy-out would happen; Ferrari would have the money his company needed to develop into a true world-class and worldwide car-maker, and Ford, which lacked a real sports car like GM's Corvette, would be able to buy the brainpower and technical ability needed to leave GM in the racing dust. Ford had attended Grand Prix and sports car races throughout Europe and saw the potential for Ford, using the Ferrari name, becoming a power in those series.

But there was one problem remaining, at least in Enzo Ferrari's mind. With the two seated at Enzo's desk in the Ferrari offices in Modena (Italy), Enzo mentioned to Ford that, even with the buyout about to happen, he, Ferrari, would naturally continue in his capacity as leading the motor racing business for Ferrari. Ford said that was not possible; if Ford bought Ferrari, it would be a Ford who would decide personnel staffing and the like. Ferrari said the sale was off, and the two had quite an argument, only ending, the legend goes, with Ferrari almost physically throwing Ford out of his office, with a loud shout, in English, of "Fuck you!"

The rest, as they say, is history. Ford was eventually to give a wily Texan named Carroll Shelby the then unheard-of budget of $40 million to build some race cars, which were dubbed GT40s, and which indeed beat Ferrari's pants off at the "24 Hours of the LeMans" for four straight years, 1966 through 1969. If anyone has ever wondered why Ford Motor has kept a relationship for so many years with Carroll Shelby, even through the many twists and turns of Shelby's personal life and career, one need only know the above story; it explains many things. (Photo - Ferrari's 612 Scaglietti from rear 3/4, above).

Not that Ferrari hasn't survived and enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the race tracks of the world. And while Ford hasn't done too badly, either, at this point in the history of the world's auto industry, Ferrari might be a better bet to stay in black ink than Henry The Deuce's outfit in Dearborn, MI.

But at the 2008 New York Auto Show, the word from Ferrari was "personalization", with a 612 Scaglietti introducing the company's new "One-to-One" Ferrari corporate program. And in the words of the Ferrari PR staff, with not a word changed by this website, we can all enjoy a taste of what the very wealthy can do if they have a mind to do so:

Ferrari intends to allow every client to fully personalise this flagship model, courtesy of a wide array of new content as well as the options available through the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Programme. In fact, a special dedicated "atelier" area has been set up at the factory, where clients can put together their own bespoke 612 Scaglietti accessory by accessory, detail by detail. In exactly the same way as they would at an haute couture fashion house, owners can choose details and materials they want for their car in consultation with the Ferrari experts who will actually build it to their exact specifications and tastes.