- 686 Horsepower V12 C4 Corvette Wasn’t Meant to Be
- In the Face of Competition
- Stretching Required
- Monstrous Corvette
686 Horsepower V12 C4 Corvette Wasn’t Meant to Be
The experimental prototype felt like a personal attack on the Dodge Viper.
In the Face of Competition
Chevrolet and the Corvette nameplate had been ruling the automotive industry for decades as the pinnacle of performance. In the early 1990s, however, America’s sports car was finally facing competition. Dodge’s now iconic Viper had just hit center stage with a massive 8.0-liter V10 engine, far surpassing the Corvette’s L98 and even later LT1 engines.
Photos: Youtube / DtRockstar
One-Upmanship
The base Corvette was powered by a 245-horsepower L98 V8. A mighty impressive output for its time. The V10-powered Viper eclipsed that with a whopping 400 horses, easily falling into the ZR1 category. In a move that seemed to be a reassertion of total dominance in the American automotive industry, Chevy decided to make this crazy V12-powered C4 ‘Vette.
12 Cylinders
To accomplish the goal giving the Corvette significantly more engine displacement and power output, Chevrolet enlisted the help of famed engine manufacturer, Ryan Falconer Industries to build a 10-liter V12 for the Corvette. Falconer had made its name building motors for large trucks and boats, so fitting the V12 under the tightly packaged hood of the C4 Corvette was proving to be a bit of a challenge.
Stretching Required
To squeeze in the engine, Chevy then decided to go ahead and extend the sports car’s length by a whole 8 inches. For this job, the company chose Wixom, Michigan-based SportsFab. With the C4 elongated, the V12 was fitted, giving birth to the one-of-one ZR-12.
686 Horsepower
With an output potential of 686 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque, the ZR-12 was total insanity. Interestingly, the aluminum block V12 weighed about the same as the stock V8 unit. And the body extension added only about 100 pounds to the overall curb weight. This means the handling wasn’t adversely affected by this transplant.
Monstrous Corvette
Putting this creation into production wasn’t exactly a practical move for Chevy, though. So it’s no surprise that the ZR-12 only served as a study prototype, and later retired to the museum. YouTuber DtRockstar had a chance to visit the Corvette Museum to see (and hear) the beast in action, capturing the awesome presence of the monstrous Corvette.
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