Chevrolet
Corvette ZR-1 (C4)

Why it matters

The ZR-1 was GM's attempt to build the fastest production car in the world: a C4 with an all-aluminium, Lotus-designed 32-valve V-8 built by Mercury Marine. A near-stock ZR-1 took the 24-hour world record at 175.885 mph in 1990, ending a mark held since 1940.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The ZR-1 was shown at Geneva in 1989, built 84 times that year and held back until the engine was right. It went on sale for 1990 at $58,995, nearly double the $31,979 coupe, and 3,049 were sold. The LT5 made 375 horsepower and 370 lb-ft, with the ZF six-speed and FX3 selective ride as standard. In March 1990 at Fort Stockton, Texas, a near-stock car set the 24-hour record at 175.885 mph and the 5,000-mile record at 173.791 mph.

The 1991 facelift gave every Corvette the ZR-1's wide convex tail, which left the ZR-1 looking much like a coupe costing half as much. Sales fell to 2,044 in 1991 and 502 in 1992 once the 300 hp LT1 arrived, then settled at 448 a year for 1993 to 1995, when the LT5 was raised to 405 horsepower. In all 6,939 were built, the last on 28 April 1995.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Per the source: the fourth VIN character is Z; the ZR-1 has a three-inch wider convex tail with square lamps and 315-section rear tires (the tail shape was given to all models from 1991, so the width and tires are the clue); the LT5 must carry a Mercury Marine serial plate, since a 1993-95 engine in a 1990-92 car is a swap; the 1990-92 cars have 375 hp, the 1993-95 cars 405 hp.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   C4 Corvette generation hub (variants, options, production notes) Level B CorvSport

   • Chevrolet built 6,939 ZR-1s
   • built by Mercury Marine in Stillwater, Oklahoma
   • all-aluminum 32-valve LT5
   • four overhead camshafts, 32 valves
   • three-stage induction system with a valet key that locked it to half power
   • It made 375 horsepower and 370 lb-ft
   • 375 horsepower and 370 lb-ft
   • Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
   • a galvanized steel "uniframe" with a backbone tunnel
   • forged-aluminum control arms, fiberglass transverse leaf springs
   • fiberglass transverse leaf springs front and rear
   • four-wheel disc brakes with Bosch ABS
   • rack-and-pinion steering
   • fiberglass body with a clamshell hood
   • 96.2-in wheelbase
   • took the car to 180 mph

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1995 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C

   • 6939 ZR-1 coupes built 1990–1995 (all model years)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   C4 Corvette generation hub (variants, options, production notes) Level B CorvSport

   • 405 hp ZR-1 and just 250 built

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   1993 Corvette 40th Anniversary ZR-1 – CorvSport Level C

   • 250 1993 ZR-1s optioned as 40th Anniversary Editions (of 448 ZR-1s)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (Hershey 2024) Level C RM Sotheby's

   • all-aluminum, 5.7-liter eight-cylinder
   • 5.7-liter eight-cylinder engine
   • dual overhead camshafts operating 32 valves
   • Initial output was rated at 375 horsepower
   • 375 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque
   • A ZF six-speed manual was the only transmission option
   • ZF six-speed manual
   • Tour, Sport, and Performance

   Accessed 2026-11-12