The ZR1 is known to be a handful even for experienced drivers. As one owner found out leaving cars and coffee, there's a reason for that.
ZR1_m7 on Instagram
As the owner of a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 owner down in Florida recently proved, supercar levels of performance can get out of hand rather quickly. A series of videos uploaded to Instagram on Sunday features a top-trim C7 leaving a local cars and coffee event and smashing into a curb.
With some encouragement from onlookers, the Corvette driver appears to pin the throttle as they finish a turn onto a straight road while leaving Windermere Cars & Coffee, video uploaded by Instagram user ZR1_m7 shows. The ZR1 immediately lights up the rear wheels, as few tires can hope to contain that amount of torque from a dig. After a few taps of the rev limiter, the owner seems to quickly backs their foot off the gas. This upsets the car in dramatic fashion, spinning the driver right around after mounting a curb.
While the car didn’t seem to take too harsh of a hit, there’s clearly a large repair bill awaiting this owner. The bumpers are bashed up and separating from the bodywork, while the wheels have certainly seen better days. The hit to the owner’s pride was likely worse than the actual shunt.
The Corvette ZR1 is by far the most extreme front-engined variant of the C7, and it’s not a machine for the underprepared. Under the hood sits a supercharged 6.2-liter LT5 V-8 engine, which produces 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. All of that power is sent to exclusively the rear wheels by way of either a seven-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. Only 2441 coupes and 512 convertibles were built for the 2019 model year, of which only 884 were manuals. While it’s hard to determine which gearbox this particular car featured from the clips, this accident doesn’t appear to be the result of being unfamiliar with a manual gearbox.
Arnold Kay, the organizer of the event, told Road & Track he tries to do what he can to stress safety and prevent incidents like this from happening.
“I have a staff on site that is provided to me by the venue, who have been absolutely amazing every step of the way,” Kay said. “In addition, I hire police presence. I walked away to hand out some shirts, talk to some people, and in the middle of a conversation, I hear tires and a crash. “
Kay said he’s taking further measures to prevent something like this from happening again at his event.
“After I reviewed the footage, I noticed that traffic wasn’t being controlled properly. Instead, it looked like someone was actually encouraging the theatrics during the exit of a 458, Integra, and then this ZR1… Needless to say, the driver of the ZR1 won’t be allowed back, and we will be making a staffing change. For future events, we will also be adding obstacles (large cones or barricades) as people exit the private property of the venue, so that they will have to slowly drive around them.”
Just weeks before the Corvette crash, Kay published a video on YouTube stressing his frustrations about these exact kinds of incidents.
Overexuberance while leaving a car show and the possible results are nothing new to the internet. And while Ford Mustang owners have certainly earned their curb-crunching reputation, they apparently aren’t the only high-powered American car to watch out for.
Lucas Bell Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry.
Keyword: Florida C7 Corvette ZR1 Driver Executes Perfect 180 Spin Into Curb at Cars and Coffee