ZR1 Corvette Hailed by Motor Authority As “Best Car to Buy 2019”

Every year, the seasoned editors of Motor Authority are lucky enough to place themselves in a brand new arsenal of sports cars and luxury sedans, and they are able to treat them as if they were theirs. This is a privilege that knows no boundaries: the chance to see the features of new vehicles and see how they perform on the various roads and tracks out there are invaluable to writers of this publication. This year they narrowed down their selection of strong contenders to five finalists, and the focus was ultimately on the Audi RS 5, the BMW M5, our beloved Chevy ZR1 Corvette, the Ford Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 1, and the Jaguar I-Pace.

After hours of comprehensive testing, a winner was announced, and the decision had swung in the favor of the Corvette. Finding the 755 horsepower overwhelming in a good way, the ZR1 proved to be very capable on the track, and accessible on the street. When put in skilled hands, this is a car that is capable of breakneck speed, and is built on the very exciting C7-generation's frame. The upgrades for the ZR1 add more elements of goodness, beginning most importantly under the hood, where Chevy added the 6.2-liter V8 that features a supercharger.

There is also 52 percent more displacement than the 650-hp engine present in the Corvette Z06, and the startling 755 hp is the most ever for any vehicle crafted under the prized Chevy namesake. Direct and port injection both work overtime to help churn out 715 lb-ft of tire-scathing torque. The uniquely designed front fascia completes the task of bringing in more air to cool a total of four radiators, and a specially-designed carbon fiber hood completes the task of supercharger clearance. Many diehard 'Vette fans have been righteously fascinated with not one, but two rear wings, that help increase downforce to attain more speed on the track, and carbon-fiber brakes that can slow down this lightening-fast vehicle in a dire hurry.

The staff of Motor Authority claimed after driving that “the torque from the LT5 V-8 comes on like a hammer when pushed hard, but the engine will stay in the background with a light throttle foot.” The brand-new ZR1 provides a bellowing sound that is unlike any other from previous models, and everyone here on the sales and service staff at Chuck Hutton of Memphis has heard various rumors that this car is simply not the handful on a track you'd expect, given the massive amount of raw brute force derived from the ingeniously-designed engine.

This is a very intensely-honed machine that you can place avidly on a dime, punish at very high speeds, then quickly switch directions with, leaving behind the fear of the tires losing their valuable grip. Also equipped with an 8-inch infotainment screen sporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and cooled seats, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, the 2019 ZR1 is a true supercar that is absolutely worthy of investigation. You won't find anything on the planet that can nail down track times like this at even twice the price, and we truly attest that “this is the stuff that high-speed legends are made of.”