Vehicle Description
Even though the horsepower wars have escalated and even the base
Corvettes are packing 500 horsepower these days, there's something
special about this 1994 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. Those three little
figures on a small badge mean so much to Corvette fans, and no
matter how much horsepower the latest LS-series engines make,
they'll never howl like the mighty LT5.
Yeah, I'll admit it, we love the ZR-1 (note the hyphen). They seem
to have bottomed-out on the value curve and are seeing some quickly
ascending appreciation now that they're suitably vintage for
collectors. The plain-Jane looks that made them hard to explain to
the neighbors when they were new also make them the ultimate
sleeper today, although in Torch Red (the most popular shade for a
ZR-1 in '94), you're getting attention whether you like it or not.
This one shows just 37,323 original miles on the clock and it shows
everywhere you look. The chin is not scuffed, the rockers haven't
been blasted by the fat tires, and it's extremely clean everywhere
you look. Yes, there are some signs of age that are simply
inevitable after driving it 37k miles, but we wouldn't change a
thing. For a car that was treated as something special by its
enthusiastic owners, this one has led a very sheltered life and it
shows. It wears the ultra-clean final iteration C4 nose, simple
fender gills, and, of course, the high-mounted CHMSL that was the
only reliable way to identify a ZR-1 from a distance.
The Light Beige leather interior is exactly right for the bright
red 'Vette. Yeah, it's subtle, but it's a Corvette after all, and
subtlety is a virtue in the ZR-1's case. The good news is that it's
in spectacular condition, with seats that have hardly been used and
carpets that look pretty darned good. Master the peculiar C4 entry
procedure and you'll settle into some of the most comfortable
buckets to ever come out of Bowling Green. The combination
digital/analog instrument panel works as well for the LT5 as it
does for the LT1, although you'll note that the redline is a bit
higher thanks to the deep-breathing 32-valve V8. Everything was
standard and everything works in this low-mile hammer, including
the infamous valet key that kills horsepower. The 6-speed manual is
the only way to go in a fast little red 'Vette, and even with that
power stick beckoning the driver to hammer down on it with reckless
abandon, the owner managed to leave nary a trace of treating this
Corvette with nothing but white-glove respect.
Chevy's LT5 was designed by Lotus and built by the aluminum experts
at Mercury Marine, but there's no denying that it was a winner.
Despite the apparent complexity, these are bulletproof engines that
don't mind full-throttle blasts to redline, and thanks to the
dual-stage intake and 4-valve heads, it never seems to run out of
breath. It's also happy to lug around town without complaining. But
when you crack that throttle and run it through the gears, the
shriek of all that metal flying around is simply bone-chilling. The
6-speed ZF gearbox appreciates a firm hand, and the suspension does
a fine job of channeling the power effectively. The undercarriage
is spotless and unmodified, right down to the factory exhaust, so
if you're looking for investment-grade, this is probably it. Clean
5-spoke wheels look fantastic and wear Goodyear Eagle F1
performance radials.
If you don't get the ZR-1, we won't try to explain it to you. But
if you know how cool these cars are, then you know this low-mileage
example is an incredible opportunity. Call today!