[King T]

Originally Posted by Bhobbs

I bet GM has something left for the C7. They can't be done two model years into the generation.

I don't know Bhobbs, for right now it sounds like there won't be a ZR1. Not to say that it can't come later in the C7 life cycle, but for now it won't be immediate. This was from an interview with Tadge

That new engine is a significant factor. Though the new LT4 is down on outright power compared to the ZR1, the way it delivers torque is considerably different, offering far more urgency at lower speeds. When run on an engine dyno to calculate power, the graph showing engine torque mapped to RPM sits nearly horizontal. "Even with less power, because there's more area under the torque curve, it's so flat, and you spend time sitting at the power peak the whole time, it's already faster than the ZR1... We haven't done any straight-line testing, but it's going to be very close. I suspect it'll end up faster at every track in the world... That's our aspiration."

So, then, with this being the fastest production car GM has ever made, the ZR1 is formally put to rest. It'll be up to aftermarket tuners, the Lingenfelters and Hennesseys of the world, to try doing even better without ruining the cars they augment. That is, until the next ZR1 rolls around -- if it ever does. Juechter is coy about the prospects of the next special 'Vette, but adamant that they held nothing back when creating this one: "We're not sandbagging. We're going to do as well as we can on this car and then see about any plans on ZR1...if it's even possible. We didn't do a ZR1 in the fifth-generation car. The only reason we did on the sixth generation was because the lifecycle was so long. It wasn't part of the original plan."

Profitability, however, is always part of the plan. "There are all these questions to think about before we begin a program which is hellaciously expensive and has to make money. We can't just do it for fun. It has to make money," he states emphatically, then ponders for a moment. "As much fun as it would be."

As we conclude the interview, Juechter gestures to the bright yellow Z06 parked behind him and then displays a keen mastery of the art of understatement. "I think once you drive this, I think you'll find the power is adequate."

The C6 had:
2005 Coupe
2006 ZO6
2009 ZR1
So maybe it's too early to expect the ZR1 (If the C7 has as long of a generation as the C6 did).