Jay Leno Drives The 2019 Corvette Zr1

“The greatest high-performance bargain of the century” is how Jay Leno described the 2019 ZR1 Corvette. Considering the recent resurgence of performance as a selling point, this seems like pretty high praise, especially coming from a man who has spent time behind the wheel of some of the most incredible cars ever built.

With 755 horsepower on tap, the ZR1 is capable of topping 200 MPH, with Leno himself having topped the car out at 204 and that was with a copilot riding shotgun. Of course, the heralded ZR1 name means there’s more to the car than just straight-line acceleration, and that’s where Spring Mountain Motor Resort comes into play. At 6.1 miles in its longest configuration, Spring Mountain, situated just outside Las Vegas, is the longest road course in North America. It can be reconfigured to shorter distances as well, which are often used for track days and performance driving schools. They have an exclusive driver’s school for ZR1 owners, offering them two days behind the wheel on the course to help them understand the car, which is certainly capable of putting a rookie driver in a precarious situation within seconds.

Jay also brings out Shad Balch, GM’s Corvette Product Specialist who knows the car literally inside and out. They inspect the car from front to back to front, checking out the copious use of carbon fiber throughout, a step that was necessary to achieve the proper weight balance. They then spend a little time checking out the car’s aerodynamics, even pulling out the targa top to see how the ZR1 looks with it removed.

Finally, the important part of the video: the test drive. Jay and Shad jump in the yellow ZR1 and actually drive it around town as if it’s a commuter car, with the occasional full throttle pull thrown in for good measure. The car is just simply amazing, and gets a big stamp of approval from Leno, which carries a lot of weight in our world.