Customization plays a large role in the classic scene, with upgrades ranging from mild to wild. The 1991 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 probably didn’t need much help to make a statement, but this car’s former owner added a Greenwood Body Kit to help it stand out. It is a tidy, turnkey vehicle that needs very little to present to a high standard. A previous owner revived the ZR-1 after a long slumber, and it is ready to hit the road with the winning bidder behind the wheel. The seller has listed the Corvette here on eBay in Midland, North Carolina. Bidding sits below the reserve at $5,100 as the auction heads into the home stretch.
When Chevrolet released the ZR-1, many enthusiasts felt that the company had finally blessed the Corvette with the performance credentials the badge richly deserved. It wasn’t cheap, but man, it was fast. This 1991 ZR-1 features dazzling Code 81 Bright Red paint, a shade chosen by 5,318 buyers. That represents a take-up rate of 25.8%, making it comfortably the most popular color. As if the C4 Corvette didn’t make a bold enough visual statement in factory form, someone added a Greenwood Body Kit, including an upgraded front spoiler, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. The seller states that while this classic has never suffered accident damage, the Body Kit exhibits stress cracks and scrapes. That leaves the winning bidder with decisions to make. Repairing the damage should be possible, although with Greenwood still producing this Kit, replacing any substandard parts might be a viable option. The factory panels look nice, and the paint shines impressively. The wheels are in good condition, and the glass is clear.
The Corvette ZR-1 represents a moment when Chevrolet utilized every resource at its disposal to produce a genuinely special car. General Motors had purchased Group Lotus in 1986, a company with an extensive, successful motorsport history. Corvette buyers in the 1980s were generally satisfied with their cars’ performance, but Chevrolet knew some customers craved more. Therefore, it contracted Lotus to develop a unique motor for what would become the ZR-1. Although the new V8, known as the LT5, shared an almost identical capacity with the standard L98, that was where the comparisons ended. Lotus developed a 5.7-liter motor featuring all-aluminum construction, four overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and fuel injection. However, there was a small flaw in the plan because Chevrolet lacked the expertise to build such engines. Therefore, it contracted Mercury Marine to assemble each LT5 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with completed powerplants shipped to Chevrolet for installation into the ZR-1. Was the cost and effort justified? The answer is a resounding yes. The L98 produced a very healthy 245hp and 345 ft/lbs of torque. The LT5? How does 375hp and 370 ft/lbs sound? If buyers sought an automatic option, the ZR-1 couldn’t deliver, with Chevrolet equipping every car with a unique ZF-sourced six-speed manual transmission. Anti-lock was standard for the enormous four-wheel disc brakes, while numerous suspension upgrades helped Chevrolet to produce a “complete” package. The seller indicates that a previous owner revived this Corvette after an extended hibernation. They replaced the starter, battery, tires, and injectors. They flushed and cleaned the fuel tank and fitted new fuel pumps. The car runs and drives well, and although it has only seen local use recently, it appears to be a turnkey proposition.
Chevrolet didn’t focus exclusively on outright performance when developing the ZR-1, loading its interior with enough features to help justify the sticker price. Standard equipment included climate-control air conditioning, power operations for the windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, a low-tire-pressure warning system, leather trim, a tilt wheel, cruise control, and a Delco/Bose stereo featuring an AM/FM radio and both a cassette and a CD player. I am quite impressed by this interior, especially considering that this Corvette’s odometer shows 112,000 miles. That means that it isn’t a garage queen and has been used as its creators intended. There is slight wear on the driver’s seat outer bolster, but since it hasn’t worn through, a leather specialist might be able to address that shortcoming without requiring a retrim or new seatcovers. The rest of the trim and the carpet are in good condition, and there is no evidence of deteriorating plastic. The seller states that the radio is inoperative, but there appear to be no other functional issues.
The seller describes this 1991 Corvette ZR-1 as rare, and it is easy to see why they hold that belief. The ZR-1 package almost doubled the sticker price of a Coupe, but that wasn’t enough to prevent 2,044 buyers from spending the additional $31,683 to own one. That represents a take-up rate of almost 10%, which is a pretty respectable figure from a big-picture perspective. The winning bidder could address the identified shortcomings with the Greenwood Kit, or they could scrap it and return the car to its factory form. Either way, the inherent driving pleasure afforded by the ZR-1 package means the winning bidder can revel in a classic offering exceptional performance. That sounds okay to me.
Remove all that garbage from the bottom of the car, clean it up, and turn it into one of the coolest dailys on earth.