The ZR1 is Chevrolet’s newest super-Vette — 638 supercharged horsepower, lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber construction, and a six-figure price tag. So when Chevrolet called and offered me a chance to drive it at their Milford Proving Grounds in Detroit, I was thrilled beyond belief.

How was it? Man, oh, man — driving the ZR1 was one of the most memorable experiences of my career as an auto hack. I even got to take a quick spin — slowly and carefully — in the first customer-ready ZR1, VIN 00001 (picture of the car here and the VIN plate here. GM plans to add this car to their Heritage Collection.)

I went back and forth as to how to write this review — should I relate all the fascinating technical details (this car really is an engineering masterpiece), or should I try to describe what it’s like to pilot this beast? I tried to do a bit of both, but as always, I leaned towards the latter. Check out my 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 test drive and review.

I went a little snap-happy with the ol’ Pentax, so along with my review you’ll find a couple dozen more photos in my 2009 Corvette ZR1 photo gallery. Be sure to check out the tire smoking sequence (shortcut to the pics here, here and here). — Aaron Gold

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