2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

638 horsepower and 604 lbft of torque, astounding numbers indeed. "Shock and awe" was the initiative from Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter, and it appears that it has been achieved. Juechter's goal was more performance with a higher level of refinement, added in with a series of technological advancements. What they ended up with was the most powerful car in General Motors 100 year history.

Anything more than a 2500 rpm launch will simply melt the Michelins. The MSRC system detects a dragstrip launch and programs for zero jounce and 100-percent rebound stiffness to encourage maximum squat (and rear weight transfer) with no wheelhop. Acceleration to 60mph comes in a GM estimated 3.4 seconds.

Close-ratio spacing puts the engine at about 4500 rpm, keeping the exhaust backpressure low (the muffler valves open above 3000) and the backpressure on the driver relentless through 90 mph. A shorter jump to third brings 4900 rpm, and if you keep shifting up at the 6500-rpm redline, the quarter will flash by in a conservatively estimated 11.3 seconds at 131 mph en route to a 205-mph top speed (established in a two-way average at Papenburg, Germany). If you're heading downhill or with the wind, you may hit a limiter at 210 mph.

The huge four-wheel carbon-ceramic brakes scrub speed tremendously. The run-flat Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs exhibit tremendous grip and instill confidence that more speed can be achieved than most are willing to use. But fear not, for Chevrolet will pay for it's ZR1 buyers to attend racing school, probably at Bob Bondurant in Phoenix or Spring Mountain in Pahrump, Nevada.

Here's some more numbers to digest: 1.01 g steady-state lateral acceleration, more than 1.2 g braking grip, and a 0-to-100-to-0 mph time of under 11.0 seconds, besting the Dodge Viper and Shelby Cobra benchmarks by at least a second or two. Oh, and let's not forget Mero's production-car Nurburgring lap record time of 7 minutes 26.4 seconds.

All of this visceral performance comes at a price of course, and that price is fairly high for a Vette. Starting off at $105,000, you can add up to $10K to the price by opting for hand-stitched leather, full-power/memory seating, and a Bose Nav/audio system.

Which is all and good for the Lambophiles and Ferrari fans. But for those of us who don't need wild boulevard head turning styling, the ZR1 will do just fine.

Check out CorvetteGuys.com selection of 2009 Corvette Parts.