Remember when the ZR1 tried to run around the Nurburgring clocking a 7:40-ish lap? Too bad the YouTube gods weren’t too happy with it and the video’s long gone.

But here’s something new. Just last month, GM test driver Jim Mero released all hell from under the ZR1’s hood (possibly quite a lot of the 638 horses) and clocked a lap of 7:26.4 around the ‘Ring. That comfortably beats the Nissan GT-R’s lap time.

The new Corvette (yes, the ZR1) has created much buzz especially with all the hype about its LS9 V8 engine that pumps out 638 horses propelling the new ‘Vette from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and 0-100 mph in 7.0 seconds. Impressive numbers indeed.

Now more of the numbers game with the release of the pricing. The car and those spiffy performance figures can be had for $105,000 dollars (inclusive of destination charges). And, on top of that, the tax for $1,700 since this baby would only get you a fuel economy of 14 mpg city and 20 highway.

So it’s a car for those with deep pockets and spare change to burn. It looks nice, it’s got the performance to boot. But are those enough reasons to purchase some American muscle? More or less $0.40 a city mile? And it’s not like you can push the car to its limits on an average day.

Source: Chevrolet

It’s got (not only Chevy’s) but GM’s most powerful engine to date under its hood. It’s capable of dishing out 638 horses. It’s the Chevy Corvette ZR1. Hear the roar of the LS9 engine in this video.

Now if this is to redefine American muscle. For its early debut prior to Detroit, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was speculated to pack 620 horsepower under the hood. Through a press released by Chevy, it’s now official - the ZR1 will pack not only 620 horses, it is capable of generating 638 hp through its supercharged LS9 V8 engine.

It’s also got a pull of 604 lb.-ft. of torque. That should make a beast out of this piece of metal. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology for performance. Those translate to the ZR1 being capable of zooming to speeds of 200 mph.

Chevy General Manager Ed Peper claims, “One of the most amazing things about the Corvette ZR1 is the level of refinement that our designers and engineers have attained. Even with all that power, this car has road manners that will allow our customers to enjoy it on the streets as a daily driver, and on the track.”

Interesting claim. The ZR1 as a daily driver? Quite possible with all the refinements in cars nowadays. Heck, the GT-R is considered one, right? The ZR1 goes on sale this summer.

Source: Chevrolet

It seems that it has now become a trend that the Nurburgring be the proving grounds for performance sports cars. We’ve seen the Pagani Zonda F tear down the track, the Nissan GT-R, even the Lexus LF-A, using it as its test track. So who is King? That remains to be proven as there are still a lot of challengers willing to be the king of the ‘Ring.

This time, it’s the 620 hp sports car that is the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. So will it be the Americans who could give the rest a run for their money? Engineers say that test times around the ‘Ring clock at low 7:40s. Not bad at all.

Source: Inside Line YouTube Channel

I still remember that scene in that Clarkson DVD where they pitted an Ariel Atom with a US squad car in a “police chase.” Needless to say, the Atom bitch-slapped the squad car. So will all the performance cars on the road today, is there a chance for squad cars to get a decent upgrade and we’re not saying it’s the new K.I.T.T.

Last time we featured a police car here, it was the Carbon Motors E7. But with GM trying to look more cool ever since Transformers, they made a cop car version of the fastest Corvette ever. This Corvette ZR1 cop car with Michigan State Police insignias slapped on, is probably one of the most intimidating sights you’d see on the road. Though I’d like to see some cop try to pit maneuver someone in this $100,000 car.

Too bad for the State Police, they wouldn’t have their paws on this one. But just the thought of a cop car LS9 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine, getting 620 horsepower and 595 ft-lb of torque is quite frightening. That’s more than twice the power of the E7 and we thought that car was already scary.

Source: GM

Supposedly, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is set to debut next month in the Detroit Motor Show but the people from General Motors decided that they can debut the car earlier. And they did. No more discussions on whether it will be called “Blue Devil” or “SS”. It’s simply the Corvette ZR1.

It’s quite an interesting car given that US-made probably lacking the heritage and pedigree of Italian styling and German and British engineering. Nevertheless, it does boast of muscle with the American muscle car tradition, sporting a 6.2L supercharged V8. It is still under final adjustments though a target of 620 hp is set.

No translation to performance figures yet but 620 hp on an aluminum chassis is expected to be staggering. The ZR1 also gets new suspension tuning. The car will also be sitting on 19-inch rims up front and 20-inch rims at the back. And with that sexy blue paint. Corvette might just have a winner here.