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 1995 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. Only 140 Torch Red ZR-1s
were produced in 1995 (out of 448 total cars), which also happened
to be the final year run of this special edition car. To find an
example in this impeccably preserved condition, with only 2,097
actual miles, is nearly impossible, making this one of the
strongest specialty Corvettes on the market today.
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, you're getting attention
whether you like it or not. This one carries a miniscule 2,097
original miles on the clock and that insane preservation 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, I'm sure that if we whipped out the microscope we
could find a thing or two the car acquired after driving it 2k
miles, but we haven't seen anything of note and frankly 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 Torch Red leather interior is exactly right for the Torch Red
exterior 'Vette. Yeah, it's not exactly subtle, but it's a Corvette
after all, and attention-grabbing 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 practically brand
new. Master the somewhat 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 transmission 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. You also get two tops with
this ZR-1: the limo-tinted glass version and the color-matched
Torch Red top as well.
Chevy's LT5 was designed by Lotus and built by the aluminum experts
at Mercury Marine, and there's simply no denying that it was a
winner with a factory rating of 405 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of
torque. 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. That robustness was proved several times over when
the ZR-1 set seven international and world records on the test
track, and a reported 0-60mph time of 4.4 seconds (although many
others claim it to be 4.7s) and a top speed of 188MPH. It's also
happy to lug around town without complaining, with friendly gearing
that are more than capable of every-day driving. 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 sporty 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 as good as it gets. Clean
5-spoke wheels look fantastic and wear correct 275/40/17 front and
315/35/17 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 performance radials with plenty of
grip.
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 insanely
low-mileage example is an incredible opportunity to own the best.
Offered with a reproduction build sheet and window sticker, title
documentation, a binder full of miscellaneous original docs, and
boasting a 2014 Top Flight win from the NCRS with a score of 99.6%,
this is the one to own. Call today!
