Could this Carbon Fiber C6 Be the Ultimate ZR1?
Could this Carbon Fiber C6 Be the Ultimate ZR1?
Not to steal the 2019 ZR1’s thunder, but this crazy C6 ZR1 could probably give it a run for its money.
After years of waiting, fourth-generation Corvette ZR1 is on its way to your local Chevy dealer, and it doesn’t disappoint. The new 2019 model is a 755 horse, widebody giant slayer with a top speed well past the 200-mile-per-hour mark and a 0-60 time in the three-second range. With the mid-engined ‘Vette just around the corner, this ZR1 has could be Chevy’s ultimate (and final?) front-engined supercar slayer.
But what if there’s a C6 ZR1 out there that’s even better? Enter the Black Manta.
In a recent episode of Daily Driven Exotics, host Damon Fryer and his guest Anthony Carbone of Mad Whips encounter a one-of-a-kind C6 that has us rethinking this aging Chevy.
Built from 2009 to 2013, the C6 ZR1 really was a giant-killer in its day. With 638 horses on tap and a number of aerodynamic and weight-saving cheats, the car was designed to tangle with the best Germany and Italy had to offer. But with the huge leaps in performance and manufacturing since then, many forum members would rather have a new Z06 over last generation’s king of the hill.
ALSO SEE: 2019 Corvette ZR1 vs 1990 ZR1: How Far We’ve Come
That’s what makes this C6 ZR1 so damn cool. On top of its supercharged LS9 mill, the Black Manta is rocking a custom-made carbon fiber body. And those 638 horses? Well, they’ve been massaged by Hennessey. We aren’t told final power numbers, but we assume there’s a lot more to pull around a lot less weight.
Out for a drive in the DDE “Tire Slayer” Lamborghini Aventador, Fryer and Carbone spot the widebody ZR1. Of course, they stop everything to learn more. At first sight, Carbone says it’s the “only one on the planet. You’ll never see another one like it.” We’re pretty sure he’s right.
The first thing you notice about this ‘Vette is that it’s wide. Very, very wide. It looks like three-quarters of the wheels are pushed out past the body. It’s massive fender flares give it an almost Japanese widebody look. Up front, there’s a pair of C7 headlights set into a custom front end. To us, the custom bodywork doesn’t look all that different from Carbone’s Lambo. But out back, a massive wing and crazy diffuser can’t hide the fact that this is a C6. To top it all off, every single panel is beautiful carbon fiber. Carbone is told that the bodywork alone took over 800 hours to complete. We don’t want to know how much this thing cost, but we agree with Carbone’s assessment: “Bro, this thing is like, legit mental.”
Unfortunately, we don’t know much else about the car. The suspension has been bagged, and the interior is a mix of blue leather, grey Alcantara, and carbon fiber, and the LS9 and six-speed manual transmission look to be largely stock. Carbone promises a DDE test drive in the future. To us, that can’t come soon enough.
