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Here's the story...
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 90 - 1991 ZR2 Engineering Study
"Chevrolet's Big Doggie!"
Some
Corvette engineers have all the fun. In the mid-'80s, Scott Leon was a
Corvette Project Coordinator at the GM Proving ground in Arizona.
Although the new C4 Corvette was a success, there were those that
missed the old big-block Corvette power. But Scott Leon had a plan.
One night after work, Leon and his crew decided to see if a big-block
engine would fit into the frame rails of a C4 Corvette. Using an old
'84 mule Corvette, the crew was surprised to find that with only a few
chassis modifications, the big rat motor fit into the Corvette. The
engine was a real squeeze, but it worked. Leon wanted the car to be
modern, so they cobbled together a tuned-port fuel injection unit with
a modified aftermarket tunnel-ram intake manifold. With a little
welding and a set of Buick Grand National injectors, the system worked.
The crude engineering study was enough for Leon to get management to
agree to building a 454 prototype using a '86 Corvette Coupe with an
automatic transmission. Later, another prototype was made using a '89
Roadster with a 6-speed transmission and a Z51 suspension. Now things
were starting to get real interesting.
The final version of Big Doggie was a very impressive machine. Leon
chose one of Chevy's marine 454 short-block and added a set of L88
aluminum heads. The engine assembly was modified so that all production
accessories would bolt on. The only modifications to the car was to the
floor pan and the right side of the frame rail, forward of the fire
wall. Aside from the large raised hood, the package looked like a
production car.Even under the hood, everything looks like it came off
the assembly line.
The ZR-2's 454 engine was never dyno tested, but was estimated at 385
horsepower about the same as a ZR-1, but with a big difference. Big
Doggie had much more low-end torque than a ZR-1 and pulled like a
freight train. With the Z51 suspension parts and a 6-speed
transmission, the car was a hoot to drive. To save weight, Leon used
the optional hard top and removed the convertible mechanism.
Big Doggie's chances of it ever seeing its way into production was
close to zero. Chevrolet had too many of its eggs in the ZR-1 basket
and the big-block engine didn't meet federal fuel standards. For a
time, there was talk of offering a retro kit. But ZR-1 performance at a
fraction of the cost wasn't what GM was interested in.
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