This 1995 C4 Corvette ZR1 is Certified Rad
The ZR1 variant of the fourth-generation Corvette is a very different car than its modern counterpart, and perhaps the biggest difference is under the hood. Both cars are powered by an engine labeled LT5, but while the current C7 ZR1’s powerplant is a 755-hp supercharged pushrod beast, the older LT5 makes just over half that. Nevertheless, the old engine is special in its own right.
Built during GM’s ownership of Lotus, the Lotus-designed aluminum-block LT5 is the only Corvette engine ever to feature overhead cams (rather than housing the camshaft in the engine block) and it was so specialized that GM outsourced assembly to Mercury Marine. It was introduced in 1990 by the time this example was bolted together in ’95 the LT5 engine had been massaged to produce 405 hp—up over 150 horses on the common L98-powered ‘Vette. Combined with the ZR1’s manually adjustable suspension, wider wheels and tires, and unique six-speed manual gearbox, the ZR1 made for quite a package.
The car in question comes from the final year of production and has quite a history. It started life as a press car for General Motors but quickly found its steering wheel in the hands of Hib Halverson, a Corvette specialist and technical writer who wrote the proverbial book on the LT5. He owned the car for over 20 years before selling it to a Floridian fellow who only drove the car 46 miles before passing it on to its third owner. Somewhere along the line the car received numerous upgrades, including electronically adjustable Bilstein shocks, larger brakes from a ‘96 Corvette Grand Sport, and a Hurst/Reinhart short-shift kit. This unique ZR1 is one of just 25 cars produced in Dark Purple Metallic and it very well may stop traffic at your local Radwood gathering.
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