Corvette ZR1 Video: Manual Transmission and Other Observations

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Back in July, Popular Mechanic’s Jim Dunne wrote an article that was designed to debunk several myths about the Corvette SS (ZR1). Dunne’s Myth #1 was the Corvette SS (ZR1) will only be offered in an Automatic transmission because the LS9 has proven to be too strong for GM’s manual transmission. The Corvette ZR1 video from Laguna Seca shows a close-up of the steering wheel which is absent the paddle shifters used on 2008 automatic-equipped Corvettes. You can also see movement from the driver’s hand on the gear shift which assumes putting the Corvette into reverse as the car moves away from the trailer. While it’s possible that GM is using a non-paddle shift automatic on this pre-production alpha, this is a good sign that the 6 speed manual may be made available on the production 2009 model.

Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca
Another interesting tidbit picked up from the video shows the passenger holding a video camera throughout the lap. Whether or not this will be for public consumption or internal use will undoubtedly be decided by the powers at be at General Motors.
Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca
Relating to the ZR1 Corvette run in Monterey: Our “friends” at WindingRoad.com have 17 hi-res photos of the Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca. By far the best discussions about the Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca are at DigitalCorvettes.com. Check out their website’s header to see what they believe the Corvette ZR1 will look like without the side vent covers and checkerboard paint on the hood. They even nailed the wheels! Lastly, we hope our friends at Badboy Vettes were unscathed with the releasing of the ZR1 photo on Thursday evening. There’s a bit of a debate that either the photo was staged and the release planned, or that BadBoy Vettes were just living up to their name, being bad boys. That single photo sparked more interest (and page views!) than any previous news about the Corvette ZR1 in recent months and set off a flurry of blog posts on all the major automotive websites. Thanks again guys for your work on behalf of the Corvette community.
Source:
CorvetteBlogger.com YouTube Channel Related:
Motor Trend Posts Photos of Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca
ZR1 Corvette Found Bound and Gagged in a Trailer
PM’s Jim Dunne Debunks Corvette SS Rumors Technorati Tags:
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