The 1990 to 1995 Corvette ZR-1 has long been undervalued. So much so there’s a joke about people buying the ZR-1’s engine and they get a C4 Corvette thrown in for free. However, that may change because prices have started to increase recently.
Available from the duPont Registry, this 1990 Corvette ZR-1 has only 30 miles and is listed at $119,500. According to the description, it is in brand-new condition. The car includes all of the original accessories, including a ZR-1 Coffee Table Book, VIN Specific Leather Document Holder, ZR-1 Music Sampler Cassette, ZR-1 VHS Cassette, and ZR-1 gold keyring. It also includes the original window sticker and full documentation.
Chevrolet developed the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 as the “King of the Hill.” Not just the ultimate Corvette but a legitimate supercar to take on the Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach, and Porsche 911 Turbo. It teamed up with Lotus to design a new four-cam, 32-valve V8 engine with the same displacement as the L98 small block. Dubbed the LT-5, the engine required special tooling and assembly, which GM farmed out to Mercury Marine.
The result was a C4 Corvette with 375 horsepower instead of the standard 5.7-liter’s 245. Equipped with a six-speed manual, it sprinted to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and had a top speed of 179 mph. The FX3 suspension system was specially engineered by Bilstein using the same technology as the Porsche 959 and provided a skidpad acceleration number of 0.94 g.
There were only two problems with the C4 Corvette ZR-1. It looked like a standard Corvette with squared-off taillights, and its list price started at almost $60,000, nearly twice the amount of a standard Corvette. Chevrolet compounded that problem in 1992 when it introduced the LT1-powered Corvette. Producing 300 horsepower, the performance of the base Corvette improved significantly. The 0 to 60 mph times dropped into the mid-five-second range, and the top speed increased to 163 mph.
For years, prices for a C4 Corvette ZR-1 in excellent condition languished around $30,000, but that’s changed recently. Prices have crept into the $40,000 range for low mileage examples. According to the duPont listing, the C4 ZR-1 is “destined to appreciate and starting to appear on collectors’ lists as the next 90’s era car to start hunting.”
