The seller of this 1991 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is a wise individual, as he (or she) rightfully points out what an absolute bargain these cars are for the type of performance they deliver out of the box. Today, you’ll still spend good money for a ZR1, especially one like this with a mere 3,600 original miles on the clock, but it will still be a bargain for the speed you get with a car that was bold enough to dub itself “King of the Hill.” The colors are pretty great, too, as the seller notes, and it’s believed to be one of 94 in this combo and definitely stands out from most ‘Vettes ordered in red or black. Find the ZR1 here on eBay where bidding is up to $28,400 with no reserve.
No reserve – wow. This is definitely one to watch, especially since the ZR1 is part of that class of cars that are rapidly appreciating among the next generation of collectors. Anyone under 50 can likely remember when the ZR1 rolled out and what a gamechanger it was. I can still distinctly remember playing a computer game on an old Tandy that featured the ZR1 in concept car form, along with the stillborn Ford GT90. If the computer game manufacturers are putting your car into the menu when it’s not yet been approved for production, that’s saying something. Thankfully, the ZR1 did make into dealerships, but it still maintains a somewhat muted presence on the marketplace when next to Porsche 930s and Acura NSXs.
I don’t really understand why that is, either, unless there’s still a hangover that surrounds the C4 chassis in general, regardless of how good the ZR1 was out of the box. As the seller points out, ZR1 buyers got to enjoy the immense sensory pleasures of a four cam LT5 engine that produced 375 b.h.p. with a top speed north of 180 MPH and able to clip 60 in under five seconds. Those are still very healthy numbers today, and given the noise a ZR1 will produce over a contemporary Porsche 911, I’ll take the ZR1 all day long. As you see here, the interior remains in phenomenal condition, as you’d expect for a car with time-warp mileage. The seller notes all accessories work, including the adjustable suspension, air conditioning, and all power features.
The seller notes that despite the low mileage, he drives it every week to ensure the battery maintains a charge and the fluids stay moving. The ZR1 comes with a ton of documentation, from the original owner VHS video to the original paper license plate from the selling dealer. Clearly, the engine bay is nicely detailed, and across the board there’s not much here to convince you not to believe the low mileage claims. This is clearly a survivor that has been driven sparingly, and remains in excellent condition as a result. Drive the car, enjoy it, and then sell it when you’re done – makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
I’ve come in hard on these C4s and even the ZR1, after seeing one at a very urban “buy-here-pay-here” lot on Chicago’s west side.
But here’s where the rubber meets the road on their actual value, as this is about as desirable as these get in terms of model, condition and color. It hasn’t even broken 30k with only 2 days to go but we’ll see!
3600 miles and 4 owners….I’d call them “speculators”. I think this is a great color for this generation.
This is the first ZR-1 I’ve seen in this color.
Not my favorite, but very “90’s”.
Having owned a 91 for a couple of years I can attest to the cars capabilities and it’s engineering. However to purchase one for the investment value has always been questionable and having purchased mine with 33K miles for 20k, put another 3K miles on it and sold it for 20k I was pretty pleased. The getting in and out I can do without!
My dad did that with a Honda Prelude. Bought new, drove it for 4! Years, and sold it for what he paid new for it…
BF has seen to it to provide us with an auction of a GMC Syclone of the same year. The truck has considerably more mileage on it but it is over 17k with 5 days left.
It would be awfully embarrassing to the C4 crowd if the Syclone, an S10 pickup really, with 14x the miles, surpasses the price of this. Get out your popcorn!
Super,
Another way to look at it is that the continued non-appreciation of the ZR-1 means that it is something that we could actually afford to own someday.
And then there is always the “idea” that they may someday go up in value. But then, Corvettes have never been loved by the money spenders, except for the select few models. A ’70 Corvette, for example, to me is a far better and rarer car than a Chevelle, but the people spending money don’t agree.
That’s a fair point. If you like them, the low prices have benefit, though I wonder what parts availability is like. Usually when a car is cheap and unpopular, it tends to negatively impact parts availability.
For example, 1990s BMWs, Audis, Volvos and Saabs are pretty cheap, as are their owners. So Behr responded with a cheap line of parts made in China.
I have a nice E36 M3, so I always have to be very careful that I don’t end up with something Chinese! I usually have to buy OEM BMW or from an OE supplier like ATE or Lemforder. Fortunately, parts availability is still pretty good but I’m starting to see things you can no longer get.
True.
It’s like buying an SL500 of the same era as this Vette.
Cheap enough to get into, scary to have to repair.
I’ve seen multiple C4 ZR1’s during car shows and events the Corvette club has put on. In talking with the owners the biggest issue mentioned is the limited availability of parts along with people still knowledgeable enough to successfully work on them. The Mercury built engine is a virtual piece of art but along with that is that it was a limited run engine and has moved into the sunset.
This is a beautiful car and if someone can keep it on the road, so much the better but I can’t.
For me, this would be a tough call because of the mileage. It’s very low, but not ultra-low. So would you drive it? For example, yesterday I went on a car club cruise. Lots of fun to drive around in the country on a sunny (but hot) day. Ended up being about a 150 mile round trip. Would that be appropriate use for the car? One or two thousand pleasure-trip miles per year?
Cool car. Really like the period-correct mint green paint.
I love these cars but they are now an answer to a question not many folks are asking these days.3600 miles? Big deal. Many folks consider a ZR-1 with 25,000 miles a “high mileage” example. Here’s a hint- Take a 1991 with 25-30,000 miles on it for $20K or under. A higher mileage car has a better chance of having some of the “issues” attended to and the injectors have probably been changed over to accept ethanol-based fuel. Most important, if you are really serious about buying one, spend $50 and join the ZR-1 Registry first. If you have your heart set on spending $30K plus for a Zed-R look at the 93-95 with the 405 HP upgrade.
Why do corvette weirdos always say “its 1 of 94” or 1 of 1386 I have seen. 1 of only 3500 in this combo
Who the hell cares? Maybe its one of 50 because nobody wanted that combo
Unless its one of ten or under because of a factory race thing
Get over yourself
The car is cool. Very 90s vibe and pristine
A shame they didn’t appreciate like everyone thought they would and this car was never enjoyed for much. I have seen a couple sitting just like this one in hopes one day they will command BB c2 prices. I dont see it happening especially like stated above, the Cyclone truck is almost as much. Yes an S10 pickup against a zr1
Sorry. Rant over
And it was a beauty.
What about the few recalls for this year vette . Have they been taken care of.
60 degrees F is not very cold for AC. Wrong thermometer to use, if that is what is being shown. I’ve had AC systems which would nearly frost anything in front of the vent, temps hovering around 35 F. Any which is functioning decently should definitely get below 45.
Cool cars, able to run to about 60mph in first gear. A longtime friend has a non-ZR-1 in the same color, very distinctive. As has been said, parts, and knowledge for service are critical concerns.
its a butt UGLY color… my GOD
When I saw the heading on the pic my first thought was wondering if this had the Kiekhofer marine engine? That was answered right away! That company had a big lead in severe duty high performance engines I have always had great respect for their abilities in this Dept. Even to this day if you want a high HP pack for your boat the first place you go is Mercury Marine they virtually own that space in the market! I run a 22 ft Donzi that’s setup with a supercharged 502 ci GM engine and when it was stock from the factory it made over 600 HP, Its been a rock solid package from day one and continues to run perfectly, although now it makes a bit MORE HP! good stuff!
Owned a modified 90 for several years. It was a high mileage car but gotta tell you w flow master and porting and 4:11 rear, it was definitely worth the price of admission!!
The biggest drawback of the c-4 Corvettes is the entry and exit out of the cockpit. Rockers are way too high.
I’m 77 years old and learned how to get in out of my ’94 Vette…Sit in it and then swing your legs in. Getting out, spin, put both feet out of the car and push yourself up on the rocker with both hands. One leg at a time will kill you if you don’t fall out or pull a muscle.
Have a 91 Z car with 17000 miles. Bought it 7 years ago with 15000. Really like it.Steel Blue Metallic which is rare but I like the color. No mechanical issues except when the battery runs down due to lack of driving.
Great color. Drive the car more.
In 1990 the ZR1 was a $27016. option over the $31K base price.
And people paid $100,000 to be the first kid on their block to have one. Oops!
Can you imagine how you’d feel if you were one of those? Yikes!!!
Ad states the ZR1 package was an additional $32,000 upgrade from the base C4 Corvette in 1991. Sheesh!
In 1991 I was service manager at a large Minneapolis area Chevrolet dealer. A young well-to-do customer came in and ordered 2 of these in this color. His strict instructions to the salesman were that he wanted to be at the dealership before they were unloaded from the transport and he wanted no pre delivery prep done. We honored his wishes, with only fluid checks done. The protective coverings were left on the seats and carpet. He trailered them away. His rationale was that they were to be put away in climate controlled storage until his 2 young children were of college age and then the profits would cover their education. If I remember right, they each listed for around $70,000. Probably was a poor investment!
We had another ZR1 come in for a minor oil leak under warranty. We were instructed that the engine was in no way to be disassembled, we removed the engine and installed a complete (everything, electrical harnesses to belts and oil filter) replacement.
all because of a $5.00 oilpan gasket set. wonder if he ever figured it out. lollollol ! ! ! who got the engine ? ? shop manager ?
Exactly! It was something very minor, but Chevrolet zone personnel watched it like a hawk. Engine was shipped to Stillwater Oklahoma where they were assembled.
Interesting warranty scrap sometimes didn’t make it to the scrap heap- once in awhile they were “repurposed”
Same car in this video https://youtu.be/wrLN6Fcj00E
https://www.classic.com/a/mecum-glendale-2020-8pJbap0/lots/1991-chevrolet-corvette-zr1-nBoq3KW/
Made a tidy profit in a few months
Perfect! A great example of why these are $20,000 cars. That is truly highway robbery for that car. And the final nail in the ZR-1 coffin. They are now the “Fredo” of performance vehicles. Start looking at 1996 LT-4 Corvettes for the next performance bargains
Final bid was $29,100. A 1987 Grand National bid to $51,987 with 6,800 miles on it. Shows a huge difference in desirabity!
I dont mean to piss off any GN fans but WHY? This is twice the car that the GN is why is the desirability so much less? To me the Vette is a true and absolute bargain for that price! Please bear in mind this only MY opinion!