Chevrolet marked the 40th year of Corvette production with a special trim package which included special badging, a special ruby red metallic paint on the outside and ruby red leather for the interior. Of the 448 ZR-1s built for model year 1993 224 of them were "Rubies". Approximately 6,525 standard Corvette coupes and convertibles were built in 40th Anniversary trim. ZR-1s differed from standard production coupes in several ways. They are slightly longer, 3 inches wider in the rear to allow for those huge 315/35-17 rear tires (everything from the doors back is slightly different from standard production models to gain that extra 3 inches), and they had a different engine. "Different engine?" Yeah... very different. Along with the ZR-1 introduction in 1990 the world also met the awesome LT-5 DOHC engine, designed by a team of engineers from GM and Lotus and manufactured by Mercury Marine in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The all aluminum engine (now you know why Mercury Marine was involved) produced 375 horsepower from '90 through '92 then, due to some additional development, 405 hp from 1993 until ZR-1 production was discontinued after the 1995 model year. David R. McLellan, only the second Corvette Chief Engineer in history and acknowledged "father of the ZR-1" was once asked to describe the ZR-1. After thinking for a moment he replied "It's a Corvette, only more so." Mr. McLellan, you are so right!

 

To prove the point a team of racers headed by Tommy Morrison of Albany, Georgia took to the 7+ mile track at Fort Stockton Texas in March of 1990 with an essentially stock ZR-1 powered by an engine they took right off the production line at Mercury Marine. Their stated goal was to break some 50 year old records then held by Abner Jenkins - among them the 24 hour and 5,000 mile land speed records. Mr. Jenkins used a specially built, single purpose race car - the Morman Meteor III powered by a V-12 Curtis aircraft engine displacing 1,570 cubic inches. A far cry from the 350 cubic inch LT-5 powered Corvette of 1990 Mr. Morrison and his team used. None-the-less when it was time to go home the ZR-1 had established several new international and world records; among them 5,000 miles at an average speed of 173.791 MPH, 12 hours endurance at 175.523 MPH, and 24 hours endurance at 175.885 MPH. I think you'll agree, it's one thing to do this with a purpose built car, it almost defies belief when you consider the ZR-1 was designed and built to be a "daily driver" with all the comforts of a luxury car!

 

The ZR-1 was then, and is now, truly... "The King of the Hill".  Some of the records cited above have now been broken - Volkswagen built a single-purpose car for the effort and, the last I heard, is now waiting on FIA certification.  Still, you can't go buy one of those cars off the showroom floor!  If you would like more information on the ZR-1 I would suggest you visit the ZR-1 Net.  The URL is http://www.zr1.net. There is a tremendous amount of information there on these remarkable cars.

Part of a caravan to the NCM