How many times do you need to see a classic sports car that is criminally under-valued before you make a move? That’s the question I ask myself every time I see a C4-chassis Corvette ZR1 come up for sale, as these are absolute monsters from a performance-per-dollar standpoint. This car is a pristine example with low miles and some under-the-radar modifications to make it even more potent on the road or the track. Find the ZR1 here on craigslist for $34,500.
I never tire of seeing this car’s profile from the rear 3/4 view, and this one just looks like even more of a sleepy grandpa special with those color-matched mudflaps (disclaimer: I love mudflaps on sports cars, perhaps one of the stranger fetishes out there.) The ZR1 was built to be a world-beater and is loaded with game-changing technology that only the most exclusive supercars had at the time. The only difference is mere mortals like you and me could afford to buy a ZR1, unlike something akin to a Porsche 959.
Wow – this is a total 80s time machine. Red on red on red is a color scheme we don’t see much of these days, but it’s totally appropriate for a car from this era. The seller notes that his ZR1 has a mere 18,000 miles on the clock and the condition of the leather and the carpets certainly seems to validate that. The plastic is still on the color-matched floormats, giving this Corvette even more of an as-new appearance. This looks like a brand new 90s supercar for less than the cost of a new minivan. Let that sink in.
The modifications mentioned by the seller supposedly give this ZR1 upwards of 420 horsepower thanks to the induction intake being upgraded, ported, and tuned. The numbers are apparently dyno-verified, which certainly helps give the next owner some confidence that this car is what the owner claims it to be. For the price shown here, it doesn’t get much better than this for an appreciating classic with performance and comfort features that make it eminently easy to drive in the modern era.
If I was ever to buy a Corvette…..Sigh.
Watertown, NY. I can almost 100% guarantee it was never driven in the winter!
Power Trane very good ! Body design sucks
What’s with the Option Content sheet?
Laguna Blue with automatic transmission?
Looks like that’s for an 07 model year Vette. 6.2 LT4 engine and 8 spd automatic are dead giveaway it’s from a different car.
Yeah, there is something “fishy” within this whole ad.
Actually the correct , Lotus developed , 5.7 litre LT5 engine , very different to a regular SBC
Beautiful car!
Is this the model with the Lotus designed engine? When GM owned Lotus .
I recall it was the Marine division that had something to do with the engine. maybe building them.
I know the gearing is not suitable for USA. I could not get any power at low RPM’s I can’t tell you exactly what the RPM was it was in 1995. My friend took a Black one in trade on a new GMC truck in 1995. I drove it because of what it was. Then I was disappointed power band was on the high RPM range. Then I got back into a Grey Market Porsche 930 Turbo I purchased 5 months ago. The vette to me was a dog the plastic rattled with under 3500 miles on the car.
All these C4 are real bargains. You can buy presentable, fully functional drivers w/automatic for $8K all day long…4 speeds a little more. ZR1 with this few miles is probably worth every dollar of the asking price.
This is the world beater of its day, The Mercury Marine Division built the motors. 420hp in the 90’s. The LS-3 did not come out until 2008 with equivalent performance so the car was 25 years ahead of its time. Would love to own one of these regardless of the C-4 styling. At least it got the wrap around interior.