The Corvette ZR1 gets its name from a long line of high performance sports cars, dating back to the original ZR-1 Corvette of 1970-72. This $1,221 option package added a powerful LT-1 engine and since it was a competition package, it could not be ordered with power windows, air conditioning, or even a radio. As such, only 53 such cars were built.
Fast forward to today, and the Corvette ZR1 is back, this time with a supercharged LS9 engine making 638 horsepower. Somebody got it in their head that the original ZR-1 should be combined with the modern beast of an automobile, and thanks to our friends at High Tech Corvette, we have a video that shows just what such a creation is capable of.
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Save for the ZR-1 package, the 1971 Corvette isn’t exactly a collector’s dream car. But somebody went through the trouble of fully restoring a ‘71 Corvette top to bottom, and dropping an LS9 under the hood. For good measure, the hood was tastefully modified to include a peek at the modern ZR1’s 638 horsepower LS9 engine. To handle all that oomph, the brakes, suspension, and drivetrain all had to be heavily upgraded.
At the wheels, this unholy hybrid put down 536 horsepower and 480 ft-lbs of torque, awesome numbers that blow an original ZR-1 out of the water. And it looks awful good for a 70’s Corvette too. In addition to the engine, this creation also borrows the modern ZR1’s power seats and Bluetooth radio, bringing it fully into the 21st century.
It’s nice to see the original ZR1 getting love, but there are plenty of other Corvettes to drop an LS9 into, like a stealthy C5, or perhaps the unloved C4. What kind of Corvette would you like to drop a ZR1 engine into?