The thing about Corvettes is that they’re always getting better and better.
The 1,250-horsepower 2025 ZR1X, the talk of the enthusiast world nowadays, will soon be eclipsed by yet another great version from Chevrolet.
But sometimes it’s nice to take a deep breath, step back into the past, and see just how far GM had already come by the ’90s.
Witness this 1990 Corvette ZR-1 that was truly the “King of the Hill” when it was introduced and competed globally with the best that many other carmakers had to offer at the time.
Dave McLellan, Corvette chief engineer at the time, told Car and Driver magazine in 1989: “The ZR-1 makes the statement that we can do things today that no one even dreamed could be done 10 or 20 years ago. We’ve achieved a spectacular level of performance and are still able to meet or exceed all government standards for fuel economy, safety, noise, emissions, and so on.” The magazine added this praise: “The ZR-1 engineering team has done nothing less than prove that Detroit can indeed run with the big dogs. The car is, and deserves to be, a source of pride to U.S. enthusiasts.”
Today, though, after the original owner likely paid close to $60,000 or more for his ZR-1, you can get what appears to be this very nice, lightly used example for only $24,000, being offered out of the Flint, Michigan area on Craigslist. This Bright Red over black leather interior Corvette has been driven just 45,000 miles and should be good for many more years of providing thrills for any driver who climbs behind the wheel.
After all, even today its beautiful and powerful 375-horsepower dual overhead cam 32-valve 5.7 liter V8 engine that was a collaboration between Chevy, Lotus, and Mercury Marine remains a marvel of engineering.
The C4 version of the ZR-1 for 1990 featured the debut of unique bodywork that was three inches wider than a base model, with a rear end look all its own. But after the first year, Chevy messed up – at least in our opinion – and made all Corvettes from 1991-95 basically look like ZR-1s. After spending twice the money for the distinction of driving a ZR-1 in 1990, can you imagine the angst of those original owners when every Corvette looked just like theirs to the average person starting in ’91?
Regardless, this example looks like a great car, with features like a six-speed manual transmission, six-way power leather sport seats with adjustable bolsters and lumbar support, Z51 Performance Handling Package, FX3 electronically controlled selective ride and handling with tour/sport/performance settings, dual roofs (one in body color and one transparent), ZR-1 specific laminated solar windshield, Delco/Bose premium audio with AM/FM/CD, electronic air conditioning, low pressure tire monitoring, and 17×9.5″ and 17×11″ rear wheels unique to the ZR-1. This one even has 275/40 ZR17 front and 315/35 ZR17 rear Sumimoto HTR tires with 2017 date codes and good tread remaining.
Included with the car is one set of keys, original owner’s manuals, and original ratchet tool for roof panel removal.
Since it is one of just 3,049 ZR-1s built that first year and one of only 6,939s ever produced, these remain sought-after Corvettes, though that doesn’t always reflect in the asking price these days, making them a truly great bargain. This one “is a great driving example that shows great maintenance history on the Carfax,” the seller says.
Source:
Craigslist
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