Monday 21st January 2008

First ZR1 Sold For $1 Million

Buyer pays tenfold premium to get the first car

---

What do you mean number plates are extra?

American millionaire Dave Ressler has paid $1m for the first Corvette ZR1 off the production line - despite the fact that the second would only have cost him $100,000.

The car was auctioned off for charity alongside the first of the new Dodge Challengers, which also went for a tenfold premium of $400,000 over the list price of $37,995.

The Challenger won't be built until after the official public unveiling of the new car at the Chicago Auto Show in three weeks' time.

Yes sir, your car might look like this....

The ZR1 is already in production, though, and will shortly go on sale to the public, making the $900,000 premium hard to comprehend. Collected Ressler has specified the car in Le Mans blue.... we just hope that metallic paint won't be charged as an optional extra.

[Raging Demon]

well if it's gone to charity its a good thing, not only that but he will no doubt write it off against his business taxes, so its win, win.

[Godzilla]

The ZR1 is not scheduled to go on sale to the public until much later this year. They haven't finished signing off the final specs including power output and performance figures yet.

[GingerWizard]

Its crazy when you rich, you give money away to the less fortunate, and the rest of us pay them more money then they gave away in the first place for being such a 'good chap', not that i am bitter or anything..... wheres that lotto ticket.......

[leicesterboy15]

That charger looks superb! And at £20,000 its a bargain ! Its a shame it would be double that if it was ever sold here.

[Truckosaurus]

The guy that won the auction also bought the first ever Corvette at last year's auction, so he's got some collecting form...

The donation can, of course, be written off against tax.

[flemke]

Truckosaurus said:

The guy that won the auction also bought the first ever Corvette at last year's auction, so he's got some collecting form...

The donation can, of course, be written off against tax.

Not really.
The donation can be written off against income.
If the donation was $900,000, and the guy was in the 40% tax bracket, then he will have reduced his income by the $900,000, and therefore reduced his taxes by $360,000.
The donation will still have cost him $540,000 out of his after-tax income.

[thegman]

Dave: money > sense

[Zumbruk]

"The rich are not like us."

F. Scott Fitzgerald.

[Driller]

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

[flemke]

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

Yes, and it works.

[hurstg01]

flemke said:

Truckosaurus said:

The guy that won the auction also bought the first ever Corvette at last year's auction, so he's got some collecting form...

The donation can, of course, be written off against tax.

Not really.
The donation can be written off against income.
If the donation was $900,000, and the guy was in the 40% tax bracket, then he will have reduced his income by the $900,000, and therefore reduced his taxes by $360,000.
The donation will still have cost him $540,000 out of his after-tax income.

That blue on the ZR1 would look nice on an F1, even if it is metallic

[Driller]

flemke said:

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

Yes, and it works.

Really? When one hears of American cars which already have a bad reputation for handling having leaf springs, one immediately thinks "baggy". I've never driven one though, I assume said leaf springs must be drawn rather taughtly.

[thegman]

Driller said:

flemke said:

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

Yes, and it works.

Really? When one hears of American cars which already have a bad reputation for handling having leaf springs, one immediately thinks "baggy". I've never driven one though, I assume said leaf springs must be drawn rather taughtly.

Drive one. You will change your mind.

[chrisbr68]

Ive found the back end of the corvettes I have driven to be skittish on bumps. I was told this was a characteristic of the springs. Reminded me of the time the wheels on my nissan werent straight - all over the place!! Was this improved post C5?

[Driller]

thegman said:

Driller said:

flemke said:

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

Yes, and it works.

Really? When one hears of American cars which already have a bad reputation for handling having leaf springs, one immediately thinks "baggy". I've never driven one though, I assume said leaf springs must be drawn rather taughtly.

Drive one. You will change your mind.

Nah I'm happy to believe that they work, it's surprising that's all. Think I still might have to drive one though

Edited by Driller on Monday 21st January 12:55

[wab172uk]

leicesterboy15 said:

That charger looks superb! And at £20,000 its a bargain ! Its a shame it would be double that if it was ever sold here.

It's not a Charger, it's the Challenger.

Agree though, it does look nice. I think they are planning to sell over here in RHD form, just like the Chevrolet Camaro

[zektor]

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

It does... but it's nothing like the leaf spring suspension found on an old horse cart.

For a start, the spring is made from a carbon composite material. That is not prone to sagging like old metal leaf springs were.

Secondly, it's mounted transversely in the car. This single spring (per axle) handles the suspension for both wheels. The middle part of the spring is fixed centrally in the car, the two outer edges are independantly suspending each wheel.

Packaging. It's extremely light weight, and being a leaf spring is very low in profile (compared to a normal coil spring). This means the car can be lower with better C of G.

So you see, it's nothing like the leaf springs of old.

In fact the composite leaf spring has been used in the Corvette since 1982 I believe.

I don't know why people think that leaf springs are bad. After all, a spring IS a spring, no matter how it is designed. People don't really believe that they would make a modern Corvette with old horse cart suspension do they?

[Dakkon]

Driller said:

Can anyone tell me if this corvette still has leaf spring suspension on the rear?

It does and it works very well, check out the standard Z06 times at the 'ring, let alone this beastie.

[bigbadbikercats]

zektor said:

I don't know why people think that leaf springs are bad. After all, a spring IS a spring, no matter how it is designed. People don't really believe that they would make a modern Corvette with old horse cart suspension do they?

I think when people see "leaf spring" they see it as being shorthand for "live axle with leaf springs" (which to be fair it generally is, the Corvette being pretty much unique in this regard these days) and that's not generally good news.

Here's another example of transverse leaf spring IRS...

http://herald-tips-tricks.wikidot.com/rear-suspens...

...take a look at the "Jacking & Tuck Under" link for an illustration of why it's not always a good idea - not that I'm suggesting the Corvette has anything at all in common with a Triumph Herald

--
JG

[uriel]

Driller said:

Nah I'm happy to believe that they work, it's surprising that's all. Think I still might have to drive one though

Not once you realise that the spring plays no part in locating the wheel and is there purely to function as a spring. Completely different to your ox cart where the axle is hanging from the sping itself.