The most under-appreciated Chevrolet Corvette is actually a low-key supercar
I recently watched an interview filmed at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island. The museum hosts a private collection of more than 100 rare and vintage vehicles. Its catalog includes 1960s American muscle cars, Porshes, a Ford/Shelby unit, Jaguars, BMWs, Mopars, and Corvettes, among others. Will Pikula, a video creator who runs Wheels with Will, chatted with Vin Moretti, the museum’s head docent. The question was, “What is the most underappreciated car on display?” Moretti didn’t have to think long:
The answer was a certain Corvette.
“It has to be the 1990 ZR-1.”
Moretti explains that most museumgoers overlook its Bright Red (which is also the most common color I’ve seen) ZR-1 because “it looks like a regular Corvette C4,” which the docent says is the car’s most underappreciated model.
Now, I happen to love the angular body lines of 90s sports cars, but to spot this Corvette you’d have to either be able to eyeball a three-inch difference, take note of the relatively small ZR-1 emblem on the right rear corner, or have a docent like Moretti with you upon your approach.
Other than it being three inches wider than a standard Corvette C4, “This car is literally a supercar.”
It was designed to compete with the Ferarri F40 and Testarossa, the Lamborghini Countach, and the Porsche 930. Lotus designed the engine, which was hand-built by Mercury Marine.
As a production car assuming “everyday Americans” at the wheel, Lotus tuned the motor so that half the values stayed closed until full-throttle conditions opened them up to deliver more air and fuel. As such, you could comfortably handle in-town driving scenarios. Pedal down, and the ZR-1 wholeheartedly met the engineers’ 400 hp target.
MotorTrend called the 1990 ZR-1 “a monstrously powerful and furiously quick car that kept pace with exotic supercars costing tens of thousands of dollars more.”
1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Specs and Features
| 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 | Spec |
|---|---|
| Engine | 5.7L port-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8 |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual |
| Drivetrain | Limited-Slip Differential, RWD |
| Power | 375 hp |
| Wheel size | 17″ |
| Body style | 2-door coupe w/ removable transparent roof panel |
| Suspension | Selective Ride, Handling Adjustable Dampers, Performance Handling Package |
| Interior | Power-Adjustable Sport Seats, Bose CD stereo, Automatic Climate Control |
| Years | 1990-1995 |
| MSRP (1990) | $58,995 ($142,319 in 2024) |
The docent’s point, then, is well-taken, at least by me. After all, MotorBiscuit awarded the 2022 Corvette C8 as our Car of the Year. At the editorial roundtable to decide our award recipients that year, conversation hovered around Americans’ access to new cars. Even more so in 2024, affordability seemed far out of reach for many.
As Peter Corn put it (well) in 2022, “The C8 marries the blue-collar, distinctively American love of value with a true shot at finely-wrought European purebred automotive finesse. The idea that unbridled muscle should be available to all red-blooded Americans is fundamental.”
On Bring a Trailer, the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 is arguably quite affordable. You can snag a low-mile model for less than $40K. Earlier this year, some went for less than $30,000.
