Yahoo Autos Watch GM President Mark Reuss Get the Corvette ZR1 to Top Speed of 233 MPH
What'll it do? It's the question we've been tossing around since Chevrolet announced that the Corvette ZR1 would have 1064 horsepower, or 63 more than the Bugatti claimed for the early Veyron.
Chevrolet's video post gives us the answer: 233 mph.
Chevrolet took two ZR1s to the high-speed oval track at Automotive Testing Papenberg, a banked 7.8-mile test track in northwestern Germany. In the interest of reducing drag, the ZR1s going for top speed wore the smaller of two spoilers available and the shorter front wickerbill. Each rode on the standard suspension with aluminum wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport P4S tires.
Surprisingly, the top-speed runs were done by GM president Mark Reuss and not a professional driver. As the video shows, with Reuss behind the wheel the ZR1 hit 233 mph. To compensate for wind or any elevation changes, runs were made in both directions. We met with Reuss to discuss the run.
"I'd never gone that fast, but after a day of practice and hitting 231 right away, we came back the next morning to set the speed," said Reuss.
That next morning brought turbocharger-friendly cool air. With an engineer riding shotgun, Reuss took one of the two ZR1s to 233 mph. As the video shows, that's redline in sixth gear. We asked Reuss if he thought a change in gearing would eke out another few miles per hour, but he assured us it had "nothing left in it."
To get to 233, Reuss told us he exited the corner banking and hit the approximately 2.5-mile straight at about 222 mph. "The car is very capable. It has a calming effect," Reuss added.
If you're wondering why NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon's cameo in the video, we were wondering too. Reuss tells us that Gordon came along for the top-speed run because the Corvette crew was headed to the Nürburgring Nordschleife after the Papenberg to "finish the development," but not to set a lap time. Gordon wanted to drive the 'Ring, and so he did in a Stingray and then a Z06.
We asked Reuss why top speed is still relevant. "It's important inside the company to reach higher, to do things that are like going to the moon."
It may not be the moon, but for Reuss, we'd guess that sitting behind the wheel of a ZR1 at 233 mph beats sitting in an office chair in front of a computer.
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