Wow! 200 pounds HEAVIER than the Z06? That's even with the lighter carbon fiber body panels? Yeah, I know the supercharger adds about 100 pounds all by it's lonesome, but I'm surprised at the extra fat (or is it muscle?) thrown in.
On one hand I think I would like to get one of these, but on the other I think not. Not real crazy about the clear plastic bubble on the hood. It will look like crap when it eventually gets hazy looking.
I found it interesting that GM went with the LS3 block instead of the LS7. I read somewhere that the engineers were concerned that the cylinder walls on the LS7 were too thin to hold up under a boosted application. Sure puts a wrinkle in my idea of maybe getting a C6Z06 one of these days and going the boosted route with it. Already heard concerns over the strength of the pistons in the LS7, but at least they are replaceable.
So I guess the question is, does the ZR1 justify the cost difference over the Z06 based on what you are getting for those dollars? People are talking about dealer gouging of maybe $20K over the MSRP price of about $100K. Is the new LS9 (which is really just a reworked LS3 with a blower on top of it) really that much more expensive to offer than the LS7?
So who does GM consider to be their main competitor in the market that would be interested in buying a ZR1? And how does the price/performance ratio stack up in comparison? Right off hand, I think top of the list would be the Dodge Viper. Right off the showroom floor, performance specs are apparently REAL close. With a MSRP base of $86K, I think it's going to be a tough call for someone not married to the Corvette. Having $10K still sitting in the pocketbook after the purchase of a Viper to put into performance mods could sway a lot of people to that direction.
Heck, for that matter, I think a moderately used Ferrari will catch someone's eye when they get up into the price range of the new ZR1.
Not to mention that the economy is real sluggish lately, so people are going to be a bit more circumspect of how they spend their money.
The argument that the Corvette has a LOT of bang for the buck doesn't hold a much water when the buck goes too high in relation to the bang. Someone looking for simply the bang can spend their bucks more wisely than having to have the newest toy on the block.
So, I'm thinking maybe GM overshot the mark on pricing on this guy.
Or maybe they just changed their marketing strategy to point towards a different target market.....