Though the Corvette ZR1 may be able to hang with the most exotic cars Europe can create, its comparatively-low price tag makes the Chevy supercar a lot more accessible to the average man. GM knew that it wouldn’t just be Wall St. moguls and European princes buying the Corvette, and they wanted to give those who can afford the Corvette ZR1 the unique option of building their very own engine.
It’s one of the coolest features that can come with buying a Corvette, and a fellow by the name of Beau Blackwell filmed the entire process of building his supercharged LS9 engine from beginning to end. It’s a cool video, and probably the closest most of us will ever come to building our own Corvette ZR1 motor.
[1]Being that America is the land of the self-made millionaire, GM’s hands-on engine experience is a great idea for building goodwill among its best customers. We’re not sure what Mr. Blackwell’s background is, but it seems pretty obvious to us that this engine build isn’t his first time at the rodeo, so to say.
The 8-minute video is obviously sped up, and includes the flight and arrival at GM’s Wixom engine building plant. It is here that Beau takes his soon-to-be LS9 engine from one station to another as a team of engineers watch over his progress. Judging from appearances, we’d gather that these are GM’s most experienced engine builders. Under their watchful guidance, Beau puts the engine together, and from there it’s a short journey to the engine dyno to ensure everything is working as intended.
It looks like an amazing experience, and we’re glad Beau chose to share it with the world.