Zr1*********

[Kenneth B.]

Re: Zr1*********

I was at the Detroit auto show for the Museum sponsored Reveal ceremony. We got to see the new ZR1 before the show opened with the technical staff availble for questions. Here is what they said.

1. The carbon fiber they used is not stable under prolonged UV radiation thus they had to develop a protective coating (clearcoat) for the carbon fiber only that would enable it to last in the sun. They said that the clearcoat (by PPG I think) was $60K per gallon but that only about $2K worth was used on each car. I gues you have to hope that no rock chips damage the clear coat.

2. They stated that he new Zr1 would have a unique and sequential Vin number just as the original Zr1's did. Thus, unlike the Z06, a vin with 000100 would be the 100th Zr1 built.

3. The supercharger was one specially designed and built for the Zr1 by Eaton. Can we spell LT5. Hope this time they authorize spare parts for these cars as they get older, unlike the original ZR1's.
Looks like Joe will have a lot more to buy and keep.

4. The Carbon Ceramic Brake rotors came directly from a BREMBO design for the Ferrari. They are a $15K option on the ferrari. They told us that a brake job including rotors and pads would cost over $8K to $10K. The good news was that the carbon ceramic rotors would last the life of the car if the car was not tracked. So who would spend that kind of money for a high performance car like this and not use it on the track??

Sounds to me that the Corvette parts bin just got a whole lot more expensive.

Wait till the grandkids restore these Vettes. The 50,000 to 70,000 it cost now to restore a Corvette will be a drop in the bucket to restoring these cars in 30 years. I agree that GM should not cut & run on the replacement parts like they did on the old ZR-1.
KEN

[Patrick H.]

Re: Zr1*********

Looked just like standard Jetstream Blue to me...

They also said that that particular ZR1 that was at the auction was not the actual one the bidder won... it was just for representational purposes....... and that he would get the first saleable ZR1 that comes off the line.

The one that was won at B-J will not only be #1 but it will have its own "special" VIN number as noted by a special letter in the VIN.

The color currently on the blue show car - and on the one that was purchased - has been referred to as "LeMans Blue." Yes, I know it doesn't match the recent C6 LMB; I just let you know what GM calls it. No other ZR1 will be available in this color. JSB will be available, though.

Patrick

[Alan S.]

Re: Zr1*********

Does anyone remember the Callaway C-12 ( I think that was what the series was called) that had a complete carbon fiber body and was a blue TINTED clear coat? The carbon fiber seemed to have been placed in all the molds in such a way that the 'pattern' of the fiber matched from panel to panel. I saw it when it was on display at Bloomington a few years ago. It looked like a normal blue Callaway until you got close to it and then it was quite incredible.
Regards,
Alan

[Duke W.]

Re: Zr1*********

Only the ADDITIVE used in the clearcoat is $60K per gallon, and the concentration of the additive is less than 1% in solution in the clearcoat.

It's amazing how gullible people are, including the media. I don't know if Corvette Quarterly reported exactly what was stated by the OP (I'm not a subscriber) or if the OP misquoted it. In any event, people should stop and think once in awhile about what they read or hear. If it doesn't make sense or seems beyond believe, maybe it is.

This story will be probably be floating around for the next hundred years. BS never seems to die. It seems that people want to believe in the bizarre.

In any event, as John said, this "$60,000 per gallon" ingredient is an ADDITIVE to the clear coat paint that makes up a tiny, tiny fraction of a gallon of the final material.

Duke