Why no ZR-1 Pacecar?

[Z51JEFF]

Anybody ever think about this?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Z51JEFF

Anybody ever think about this?

no zr-1 convertable...

[Jetjock]

I've thought about it a lot and I have only conjecture. I don't know how the selection process works but I'm guessing that whatever company has the car has to pay big bucks up front to have a pace car. They should have done it in 90 or 91 but the drop off in sales in 92 and the financial climate at that time at GM probably took care of any chance for a ZR-1 pace car. They knew in 93 that the ZR-1 was going away, so no point at that time. If you look at the cars from 1990 to 1995, they had a Chevy Beretta, a Cadillac Allante and a Chevy Camaro along with a Chevy Corvette. There was no need for a convertible model as a lot of these cars were coupes. I feel that with all of the money expended on the LT5 motor, they just didn't want to go down that path. My best guess. Of course, it was probably something totally different.

[mike100]

1991 Indy used a viper prototype so they missed that opportunity. I still feel the Viper was the second reason besides price that sales of the ZR-1 tanked.

btw I was at that race and saw the old man drive that Viper around Indy. V10 sounded terrible, but I remember the hype at the time.

[cvette98pacecar]

Originally Posted by mike100

1991 Indy used a viper prototype so they missed that opportunity. I still feel the Viper was the second reason besides price that sales of the ZR-1 tanked.

btw I was at that race and saw the old man drive that Viper around Indy. V10 sounded terrible, but I remember the hype at the time.

In 91 the Viper only paced the first lap after that it was a stealth that paced the remainder of the race. Dodge was fearful that it would break down.

[Kevin]

the side pipe vipers always sounded like crap. the firing order on this is all wrong so it ends up sounding like a pair of 5 bangers

[Jetjock]

I talked to a guy that had a Vette and his wife made him sell it and get the Viper. He hated it. It's cramped, noisy for all of the wrong reasons and he burned his legs getting out of it. He had a drop dead gorgeous Z06 and I couldn't believe he let his wife made him sell it. Frankly, they should have used a 93 40th ZR-1 as a pace car. They finally did that with the 50th car. It takes them awhile, sometimes.

[Kevin]

i think viper owners call that "the kiss of the snake"

[Mystic ZR-1]

Why no ZR-1 Pacecar?

Easy answer, they needed a car the racecars could keep up with!

PS: The Vipers with the side exhaust sound like an old flathead Ford with a couple of loose plug wires and a rusted thru muffler...

[USAFPILOT]

race cars couldn't keep up with it