1990 Corvette ZR-1, Lotus helped create the King of the Hill : Tim's Enthusiast Garage S4 E9 

Thanks for your great video and appreciating the ZR-1 that much. Im from Germany and also owner of a 90 ZR-1 and totally agree with you about your experiences and feelings. It's not just an affordable old (super)sportscar bargain, it's a real dream car of this era. Just awesome how special these cars are. The involvement of F1 experienced Lotus, the high performance and gorgeous looking LT5 DOHC V8, the racing sound, 6 speed manual, these amazing fed tires in rear and front, the clamshell hood, the tank cap in the middle of the rear and the removable top, the sleek 80s design in general (the C4 is also the lowest Vette ever produced). I also love the cockpit and seats of the early models - pure jet fighter feeling. And the C4 ZR-1 is also special regarding developement history and importance in aspects of american car history. When the ZR-1 was introduced in 1989/1990 it was one of the best and progressive performance cars and offerd a perfect allround package: acceleration, top speed, adjustable suspension, corner handeling, braking. It does not really have a deficit. The car is a superb mixture of pure oldschool driving experience (without modern driving systems as TC) and comfortable equipement. In my opinion it is one of the greatest production sportscars of its era and should be on the same level as Countach, Testarossa and Porsche 911 Turbo. A true miracle to me that is still so underrated and low priced.

Great production Tim! Absolutely love the c4z, fun fact that ZF6 manual trans was also used on the Lotus Carlton.

Thanks Tim, this has inspired me to begin removing the intake on my '91 Lotus ZR1. Looking for vacuum leaks and will replace every hose I can find with silicone.

I have a 1990 ZR1 with 52,000 original miles on it. I drive it every now and then. I agree with you. The best part of it is the way that the engine sounds. It does not sound like a small block Chevy V8. It sounds like an Italian exotic revving to red line I bought mine two years ago from some old dude in a little Podunk town in south Georgia. He had it under a car cover in a field in front of his house . I paid 14,500 for it. So many compliments and thumbs up when I drive it. But like you said, it’s a rattle and creak trap!!! Lol But nothing like the analog feel of it

The 90 and 95 ZR1's are my favorites, mainly for the wheels.

The C4 ZR-1 Corvette is a real drivers car I have worked on my suspension drives so good and the engine sounds awesome and pulls hard all the way to the top

Nice video. I proud owner of a red 92 zr1! And this car is staying in my garage til the day I die

My blue 91 ZR-1 approves of your message...

In 1990 I went with my friend and his father when he (the father) test drove one of these cars and also an Acura NSX. He picked this car based on the Lotus engine and the fact that it would have been a 6 month wait for the NSX. Plus huge horsepower difference.

There is a brand new 1990 ZR one at the skip barber racing museum in Leeds Alabama. Has essentially no miles on it. It still has the plastic wrapping on all the interior parts and seats. Never driven it

Great review . I hope to drive one one day and maybe even own one !

I have always loved the C4. I collect cars and will include this car into my collection. My only concerns are the fit and finish of the interior. The seats show a tremendous amount of wear over time. A little bit cheap in other areas. As a Mercedes Benz enthusiast, I find that this manufacture group has done a masterful job concerning their cars. For power and fun, this will be great.

Great review .. I remember the first Road tests too.. thrilling and fascinating design story

Loved your feature video on this forgotten and unappreciated icon of a car, the KOH will go on to be a truly honorable collector car, of which all those out there that shunned this 90s jewel of a car will be sad they didn’t get their hands on one….I thank God I found my 91 while still affordable and available. New subscriber here, thanks for the awesome video 👍🏻

Future classic 👍

I think a Mercury Marine plate would pair nicely with your Lotus keychain👍🏻

nice video! Was never (and still out a vette fan) but this ZR1 is making me a fan

There are several modifications to this particular zr-1 that are not original. Namely the momo steering wheel, the zr-1 logo on the side of the hood, the kick guards on the entry door bases, and might have been others. Welcome to the 1990 zr-1 club!

I agree. The intake and overall engine presentation is still cool! There is is a small Corvette museum in Effingham IL. They have a ZR-1s. Mid America Corvette I think.

The drivetrain is the same, minus the engine. When compared to an 89-96 manual trans C4. Zr-1 and base C4 both use the zf6 trans. But the zr-1 zf6 has a longer input shaft. I have a 92 zr-1 and a 96 lt4 collector edition c4. Love them both. If you want the best stock handling C4, a 91 with the z07 package is it. Zr-1's never got the full z07 suspension treatment.

Literally and Literally

Over 30+ years of old technology ,today 400. HP is like no big deal at all.

Dude, I still have my ‘86 flashsilver 16v Scirocco!

Nice video on the car. I bought my 91 ZR1 3 years ago with 44,500 miles & it’s up to 47,500 presently. The car never fails to amaze me while driving, as you stated a truly unique sound from that engine at 7000 rpm. I’m not sure if you have heard of Mark Haibeck with ZR1 specialists near Chicago but a great resource for information, parts or service. Just for fun turn the valet key on & get on it the engine runs out of power about the same as a Chevy small block until you turn on the magic key. Ask me how i know. Keep up the content & keep driving & enjoying hat amazing car. PS are you a member of ZR1 Net Registry very helpful membership & information. Drive on.

Dude. Compare it to a Lambo of the same era, and the ‘Vette has stood the test of time so much better.

A great video and I appreciate the passion for the C4 ZR1! I need to correct you regarding your comments on the powertrain. Lotus was responsible for all aspects of the design of the engine up to the flywheel. From the clutch assembly on back were done by other companies. As well, the suspension system for the production car was not done by Lotus. Lotus did develop an active suspension system for the Corvette, but it never went into production. GM frequently gets maligned, and usually with just cause. When they get it right, they should get the thumbs up.

Every owner of a C4 ZR1 with that bespoke LT5 gem of an engine and factory installed adjustable Bilstein suspension AND the transmission report that they absolutely love the car. If I could afford to buy any used, classic sports car.......the C4 ZR1 would have to be it.......especially for the great deals they are still selling for. Prices that allow for restoring what may need to be fixed. But I suspect those prices are going to climb quite a bit sometime in the not-so-distant future...........mainly due to all of the people praising what a mechanical gem it truly is. That LT5 and it's drive train stands up to any naturally aspirated platform made today: a couple may out-run it, but I'm sure the LT5 still out-runs most of them........and I could be wrong, but I haven't seen any proof that anyone has broken the 24 hr and 5,000 mile speed endurance records set by the ZR1 decades ago. Apparently, it's a near insurmountable task, and is far more difficult to pull off than many would assume. Which is why the old records stood for nearly 50 years before the ZR1 came along and became "the KING of the hill". And mind you, the ZR1 team set those records using a basically stock platform......the only changes were headers & open exhaust, a roll cage, and race-approved wheels & tires. Oh, and per the rules, they had to lug along 300 EXTRA POUNDS of tools & parts, in case something broke on the track far from the pits, where the driver could fix it himself. Because IF the car breaks down and needs towed to the pits, the rules state that you blow your chance at breaking the record. The car never broke down........other than having to replace an upper radiator hose ONCE near the end of the run. The engine temp began climbing, so the driver pitted. The fan shroud had vibrated against the radiator hose, causing a small slice that was losing coolant. They quickly replaced it, and continued on to shatter the old record of 161 mph average with 175.8 mph average. ( 173+ mph for the 5,000 mile record. Just think: that's like TEN back to back to back etc, Daytona 500's!!! ) Other than that single incident, NO other troubles with the car whatsoever. Before this, Ford, Audi, even Mercedes, all with "special designed cars" TRIED to break the old record, and all of them FAILED. How can anyone not be impressed by the C4 ZR1 ???

"Plastic fantastic!"

The suspension was the same as all other C4s, and the DANA 44 diff was the same as all other manual transmission C4s from 85 onwards. The same ZF6 transmission was first used on the 1989 L98s (with a slightly different input shaft which was the only difference between them), and so was the Bilstein FX3. They were the exact same as the base Corvette could have, but was standard on the ZR-1, optional on the base cars. ZR-1s had the same ASR traction control in 1992 to 1995 as the LT1 cars all had, only the 1990 and 1991 cars didn't have it. The only real difference apart from the LT5 engine is the wider body, 11" rear wheels, extra key for power modes, and 8,000rpm tacho. Those differences alone make it very special and an incredible car, and it is, but the rest of the car is essentially the same as a standard base Corvette of the same year.

GM designed the suspension, Lotus helped develop the shocks and springs.... yeah, must be Lotus. LMAO.

never knew Lotus had a hand in this

Good video, nice to see some C4 ZR-1 content, however, you're giving Lotus a little too much credit. The only thing Lotus was responsible for was the design of the LT5 engine, they had nothing to do with the car design or the suspension, and as you mentioned Mercury Marine did the engine assembly. I've thoroughly enjoyed my two previous 91s, and my current 94. I love my C8 Corvette, but the C4 ZR-1 is just an amazing old-school driver's car. They are great in stock form, and even better modified, and can embarrass a lot of modern cars (my current 94 makes 550HP, and my previous 91 made 600HP).

just love it

"Literally the cherry on top" would mean the LT5 was a piece of fruit sitting at the highest point of the car. "Figuratively the cherry on top" would mean what you are trying to say.

No wonder when half of the car is European....🙂