Chevrolet Corvette ZL1 specs

The Callaway before Callaway

60s Vette never ran 10s on stock tires

This is the stick shift car the other ZL1 they made is an automatic car and I believe they got a 10.9 @ 130.. the stick car was set up for road racing... The automatic was set up for straight line.

Someone forgets the 10.8 done by both Zora Duntov and Motor Trend back @ 60s.....

Sorry i mean 3.36 ratio that make this car run 13.8 @ 108

In Gunsmith cats manga, you can see a guy named Bean Bandit drive this Corvette. He make the LS7 himself by combining L88 engine with intake manifold from LS7 then he enlage it.

Some interesting info : Chevy never want to produce 454 LS7 cuz the automotive culture of the 1970s and heightened emissions standards. How ever Chevy still produce it as performance engine like Chevy 502 V8. Certain component part also sold individually as performance part. Even Chevy said only one that produce, but actually they have a lot of prototype model and they sell it to collector and some people that want this car in very high price

@ Mike B : Better pick 454 LS7 eh?
0-100 km/h : 5.4 Sec
0-60 mph : 5 Sec
1/4 mile : 13.8 @ 108 mph
Top Speed : 180 mph
The top speed was estimated by Chevy and it's not true like ZL1. The 1/4 mile of LS7 with long ratio is much way faster than L88 long ratio which Viking say it before. http://www.fastestlaps.com/cars/chevrolet_corvette_stingray_454_ls7.htm

I noticed that the curb weight listed on this page by McSalsa is 3150 lbs. Probably about right.

@Mike B I suspect you are right. The article stated that the ZL1's aluminum 427 weighed about the same as the standard L46 350 cu in small block. The mandatory deletes would lower the curb weight some (146 lbs?). The fluids for a big block would be a bit more than for a small block. Curb weight could be about 3100 lbs, or a little more, given this logic.

I have the impression that the sub 3000lbs is the shipping weight (dryweight), cuse the curbweight of a ZQ3 equipped '69 corvette is 3239lbs (3091lbs dry) and I doubt the ZL1 was that much lighter.

ups, I didn't knew that about radials, well, I've learns something today.

Regarding the 1/4mile time, it really is impressive.

The claimed 585 hp is of course gross rating, the net rating according to a dyno test with proper exhaust, air cleaner, accessory belts and stuff is 376 bhp. With the Road and Track test car having a less than 3,000 lb curb weight and grippy tires the 12.1 at 116 mph is very believable. By the way, they weren't drag radials, radial tires weren't readily available yet in 1969. The first factory fitted radials in Mustangs and Corvettes came in 1973 and 1976 accordingly. That is if memory serves me right; and drag racers didn't go radial until the 1980s, I think.

Thanks Mike B that was a very interesting article. The trap speed of 116 mph for the Road and Track test seems right. It absolutely had drag race tires to get the 12.1 second quarter mile. Given the very light weight and some regular modern high performance tires, it would probably achieve the same 12.1 at 116 mph. Impressive for 1969 or even today!

Look what I've found

http://www.vetteweb.com/features/vemp_0606_1969_chevrolet_corvette_zl1/index.html

I guess the 12.1 was done with drag radials...

Thanks Viking (:

I would estimate that the aluminum block and heads lowered the big block weight by at least 200 lbs. Probably with shorter gearing one of these two coupes would do a quarter mile in the very low 13 second range (better of course if it had any kind of modern tire) and the trap speed would be about 115 mph or so. Lots of torque with big blocks, fairly light weight with the aluminum engine, but terrible tire technology! Top speed would be the same as the L88's 151 mph with taller gearing which would cost maybe a half second in the quarter mile.

I can't find the acceleration figures for the ZL1, but I have found two tests of L88 models. One convertible model with an automatic transmission and equipped with shorter gearing for acceleration (3.36 rear axle) achieved a quarter mile of 13.56 seconds at 111.10 mph. Another was tested with taller gearing and got 14.10 seconds at 106.89 mph and had a top speed of 151 mph. Hope this helps.

@Mike B yeah, I do have some info on this car. Only two Corvette ZL1 cars were made. One was Canary Yellow and the other was Can-Am White with black stripes. One was tested in the December 1968 issue of Hot Rod magazine. The block was painted and thus the magazine writers thought it was a L88. Actually not too much difference in power between the L88 and the ZL1. The biggest difference was the ZL1 was made with an aluminum block.

Viking, what about the Miura, 365 and Countach?

Do you have any info on the acceleration of this car? all the figures here are from a modified car and the top speed we know is not real.

Of course nothing unmodified could touch the ZL1 in acceleration in its era given good gearing and a decent driver.

The ZL1 427 cu in aluminum big block could produce a real 376 bhp net and would certainly rival the Charger Daytona with the optional street hemi 426 cu in with a real 350 bhp net in the matter of top speed. I would still guess the Daytona would pull away at top end. Corvettes in 1969 had a 0.50 draq coefficient or thereabouts.

The top speed quoted for this car is fantasy. None of the cars in this era could go all that fast. With a four speed manual usually geared for acceleration most cars of this era would hit redline in 4th at a fairly low speed. With gearing set for high speed these cars would usually hit an aerodynamic wall around 150 mph or a bit more. The Daytona and SuperBird with their superior aerodynamics could reach 160 mph with the street hemi according to one of my reference books.

Wanna hear my info? 427 L88 in this ZL1 is one of the recipes to make legendary 454 LS7 cuz 454 LS7 is bore stroke version of L88. If you wanna make LS7 this is the first recipe then you can add the LS7 intake manifold (it sold by GM with limited amount of item) [dont spank me if i say something wrong OK?]

I wonder is this car faster than 1969 Charger Daytona R/T? It also can run over than 200 mph

The 500hp+ dyno test were gross and without the OEM exhaust, with it installed, it only made 465hp gross, another dyno test reveled the net rating at \"only\" 376hp. Don\'t we try to use SAE net, SAE certified, DIN and JIS power ratings on this site as they all are within 1% of one another?

http://www.camaros.org/copo.shtml

sure is. the only thin from that time that i can think of thats as fast is a Cobra 427. but i think id rather have this..

Same here. :) I wonder the tire size for this car...

sure is. the only thin from that time that i can think of thats as fast is a Cobra 427. but i think id rather have this..

Amazing performance for those years...

This one actually doesnt look have bad, i wouldnt mind having 1.