The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the product of the Corvette Z06, a $100,000 budget, and a slight inferiority complex - and we are pretty damn impressed. With a 6.2-L supercharged small block V8 engine and 638-horsepower [no, that’s not a typo], the new Chevy Corvette ZR1 was built to throw down on the track next to the likes of the Ferarri 599 and the Lamborghini Murceilago.

What began as an LS7 turbocharged engine was quickly upgraded to an LS9 supercharged engine when the LS7’s cylinder walls were found too thin to withstand the boost from the ZR1’s 4-lobe Roots blower which averages about 100-hp per liter. Couple the super-strength engine with a full-width rear-spoiler, boost gauge, and 220-mph read out; independent flight is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. With suspension tuning that allows for more than 1g of lateral cornering grip and a six-speed close-ratio race-hardened manual transmission, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is more than capable of giving the foreign sports car gods a run for their money.

We say: With all due respect, Mr. Wagoner, it’s about damn time.

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