Jeremy Clarkson Loves and Hates the C6 Corvette ZR1: Throwback Thursday
Jeremy Clarkson Loves and Hates the C6 Corvette ZR1: Throwback Thursday
Compared to the Audi R8, the Corvette comes up short in many ways, but it is still far more fun to drive.
Ride along with Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson as he tests the V10-powered Audi R8 against the C6 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Although the Audi offers a handful of advantages and the British host has plenty of negative things to say about the Chevy, he points out that the ZR1 is the better buy if you are looking for driving excitement.
Driving the V10 R8
The video above begins with Jeremy Clarkson racing around the Top Gear test track in a then-new Audi R8 with the 5.2-liter V10 engine. With standard all-wheel-drive and 525 horsepower, the German supercar with Lamborghini power does a fine job of scooting around the track and the British host praises the car for everything that it does well while he is behind the wheel.
Once out of the car, Clarkson complains about the price. Starting at 100,000 British Pounds and quickly climb from there, the R8 is incredibly expensive. Worse yet, for that price, the host points out that it isn’t all that much fun. He calls the Audi “joyless” and explains that if a car could smile – the R8 would not.
Driving the ZR1
After praising the Audi R8 then insisting that it was joyless, the host climbed into the C6 Corvette ZR1. In fine Jeremy Clarkson fashion, he begins with some nonsensical claims about the lack of quality in an American car – insisting that the last ZR1 he drove was falling apart after three days and complaining about the amount of flex in the rear fascia. He even went so far as to make a joke about how Americans can’t clearly win wars, but the fact that he isn’t speaking German proves otherwise.
In any case, after badmouthing the Corvette ZR1 and the USA as a whole, Clarkson goes on to talk about how much fun the supercharged Chevy is to drive. He pilots it to an easy win in a drag race before showing that he doesn’t have any idea how to drive the ZR1, smoking the tires as he loosely attempts to keep up with the Audi on the Top Gear test track.
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In the end, while Clarkson has his list of questionable complaints, he finds the Corvette ZR1 to be the more entertaining of the two pricey supercars.
