The Corvette ZR1, by contrast is, well, a Chevy \u2014\u00a0though any relationship to mainstream Chevrolets is a stretch. Yes, it uses the same 6.2-liter pushrod V-8 technology found in a Silverado. Its 4G WiFi-capable\u00a0touchscreen infotainment system is yanked right out of a Malibu sedan. And its supercar price tag is a Chevy-like bargain at $137,000, meaning you could buy two ZR1s\u00a0for the price of one 720S and have money left over for a Camaro SS.<\/p>\n
But like its predecessors, the seventh-generation C7 Corvette\u00a0is built on a bespoke rear-wheel drive\u00a0aluminum chassis with otherworldly capabilities. Then Corvette\u2019s team of mad scientists took a page from McLaren\u2019s book. The C7 was co-developed with GM\u2019s Pratt and Miller race team to prep it for race use.<\/p>\n
As the most capable Corvette in the stable, the ZR1 builds on the already-ferocious 650-horse Z06 by adding a bigger supercharger and even more downforce punctuated by a high-wing nailed to the frame out back.<\/p>\n
The result is a ‘Vette on ‘roids, like Hulk bursting from Bannerman\u2019s too-small clothes. The supercharger bulges from the hood, carbon-fiber dive-planes sprout from the nose, the bat wing looms like something out of\u00a0DC Comics.<\/p>\n
Squeeze the door sill and scissor-doors glide upward. \u201cEye socket\u201d headlight ducts suck air into twin radiators. A wing emerges on hydraulic struts when an Active\u00a0aero button is engaged.<\/p>\n
The sinewy bod is even more beautiful than the 570GT. Gone are the side air-intakes, replaced by more subtle channels along the greenhouse. The alien-like\u00a0insectoid taillights remain, but toasty\u00a0dual-exhaust pipes split them at hip height (watch those hands, kids!).<\/div>\n
Get this thing a starring role in the next \u201cBlade Runner\u201d movie.<\/p>\n
Bury the throttle out of M1 Concourse\u2019s hairpin and the sci-fi experience goes into hyper-drive. The engine momentarily hesitates as the turbos spool up inside the 4.0-liter V-8. Then, Alice, it\u2019s to the moon.<\/p>\n
The same engine with 562 ponies in the 570S was the best mill I have ever driven.<\/p>\n
Add another 148 horses for the 720S, and it’s OMG. Around town the acceleration is electric. With a turbo hiss, traffic vanishes in the rear-view mirror. On track the punch is relentless and\u00a0linear, the torque curve never leveling off.<\/p>\n
I hit 130 mph on M1\u2019s back straight before carbon-ceramic brakes brought the rocket back to earth. Veteran M1 instructor Aaron Bambach says that\u2019s faster than anything he\u2019s seen on track shy of the $900,000, 887-horsepower (800 Club anyone?) Porsche 918 hybrid.<\/p>\n
The seven-speed tranny fires off quick shifts, the turbos hiss, the engine howls. And then the twisties rush into view. Coping with the mad rush of a 700-plus horsepower \u2014 more than an IndyCar \u2014 in a 3,100-pound car is an intense experience. But throw it into a corner and the McLaren shrinks to an oversized go-kart.<\/p>\n
The electro-hydraulic steering is intuitive, the chassis balanced, the carbon frame flat as a board. I could place the car on a dime around M1.<\/p>\n
The McLaren is digital, the Corvette analog.<\/p>\n
Of course, electronics is key to the 700 Club. Weapons like these would have been unthinkable 20 years ago without today\u2019s electronic-stability controls, brainiac on-board computers\u00a0and quick-shifting transmissions.<\/p>\n
But as Belle Isle pace-car driver Mark Reuss will be the first to tell you, the \u2018Vette can get away from you in a hurry. Pounding downhill through Road Atlanta\u2019s fast esses, the throttle must be treated with care lest 378 cubic inches of piston thrust \u2014 750 pound-feet of torque! \u2014 overwhelm the 12-inch rear tires.<\/p>\n
Where the McLaren\u2019s rocket builds momentum, the ZR1 comes off the launch pad like the Space Shuttle. The ground shakes. Birds scatter. Car alarms explode. The ZR1 will hit 170 mph on Road Atlanta\u2019s back straight before 15.5-inch-saucers the size of Captain America\u2019s shield haul it into a tight chicane. Unlike the carbon-fiber 720S, you can feel the aluminum ‘Vette flexing, the car moving under you like King Kong unleashed.<\/p>\n
But you can feel the 1,000 pounds of downforce \u2014 much of it generated by the high wing \u2014\u00a0pushing down on Kong all the time like a net, keeping him from rampaging off into the forest.<\/p>\n
The McLaren computer game is reinforced inside with a digital display that flips over into a narrow, race car-like rpm\/mph readout when you choose Track from the console mode selector. A separate knob controls the suspension with Comfort-Sport-Track settings. It\u2019s unique and works instantly to match your needs. The slow infotainment system takes a back seat to the drive dynamics.<\/p>\n
The Corvette, by contrast, benefits from its corporate lineage by sporting the brand\u2019s tried-and-true\u00a0mass-market infotainment system with gadgets like Apple Car Play, head-up display and performance data recorder. Being a Chevy has its benefits.<\/p>\n
Both steeds deserve their 700 Club supercar status. The McLaren is simply the best athlete I have driven. The Corvette, dollar-per-pound, is the fastest car ever conceived. What could possibly rival this pair?<\/p>\n
I hear the 1,479-horsepower Koenigsegg Regera and 1,479-horse Bugatti Veyreon are starting a 1,000 Club …<\/p>\n
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/p>\n
2018 McLaren 720S Coupe<\/strong><\/p>\nVehicle type: Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-passenger supercar<\/p>\n
Price: $288,845\u00a0base ($331,355 as tested)<\/p>\n
Powerplant: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8<\/p>\n
Power: 710 horsepower, 568 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n
Transmission: 7-speed automatic<\/p>\n
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds (mfr.); top speed: 212 mph<\/p>\n
Weight: 3,128 pounds<\/p>\n
Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy: 15 city\/22\u00a0highway\/18 combined (Car and Driver)<\/p>\n
Report card<\/strong><\/p>\nHighs: Supermodel looks; turbo V-8 from the gods<\/p>\n
Lows: Slow infotainment system<\/p>\n
Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n
2019\u00a0Chevy Corvette ZR1<\/strong><\/p>\nVehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-passenger supercar<\/p>\n
Price: $119,995 base ($136,815 as tested)<\/p>\n
Powerplant: 6.2-liter, supercharged V-8<\/p>\n
Power: 755 horsepower, 715 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n
Transmission: 7-speed manual;\u00a08-speed automatic<\/p>\n
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.85\u00a0seconds (mfr); top speed: 212\u00a0mph<\/p>\n
Weight: 3,524 pounds<\/p>\n
Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy:\u00a013\u00a0city\/19\u00a0highway\/15\u00a0combined (manual); 12\u00a0city\/20\u00a0highway\/15\u00a0combined (automatic)<\/p>\n
Report card<\/strong><\/p>\nHighs: Comfy daily driver; Herculean torque<\/p>\n
Lows: Oily interior odor; poor visibility<\/p>\n
Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Requirement for membership: 700 horsepower. It\u2019s an elite group of production vehicles including supercars, Bentleys\u00a0and Hellcats. I\u2019ve flogged a few. For 2018 the directory gets two new members:\u00a0the McLaren 720S\u00a0and Corvette ZR1, and they reflect the club\u2019s diversity. Not straight-line drag racers like the 707-horse Dodge Challenger Hellcat or 840-horse Demon, these remarkable athletes can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22544"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22544\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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