People... Let's remove our heads from our rear ends, shall we? When it's all said and done, a ZR-1 is a Chevy product... and thus, it's G-A-R-B-A-G-E! $106k for a car that is made almost entirely of plastic on the inside and still rides on 1800's technology (LEAF SPRINGS FOR GOD'S SAKE)!

Paul, Long Island, United States

With all these opinions, how many of you have driven the ZR1? So all of you are just making noise without any personal experience. Generalizing all of GM cars as bad is liking saying all pizza tastes the same when you've only had one. Judging what you don't know just makes you sound ignorant.

Matt, Salt Lake City, USA

Lets see, it cost me more to have my F355 engine redo @ 16K then the price of my 2001 Z06, and with just over 75k on the clock, it's had it's first trip to the shop. Steering lock failed, Yea what a POS. As for sucking fuel, over it's life so far 26, with a best of 37 (driving in France). Love it.

Mark, Tahoe City, USA

Well, the GT-R costs £60000, has 425bhp and is only 7 seconds slower. Don't get me wrong though, the ZR1 is awesome, plus I'm not a huge fan of the R35, the older Skyline's do it for me!

Aneesh , Cardiff ,

A Corvette doesn't have a "leaf spring suspension" in the way you people are thinking. I know Clarkson got caught up on it, but keep in mind he openly admits to knowing nothing about cars. The Corvette has an independent rear suspension with half transverse leaf springs, and work they do.

matt, NJ, USA

Chevy has so many quality problems that you could fill a library documenting them. Sure the ZR1 is great, for a few days. After that it becomes a typical GM product: Full of squeeks, rattles and malfunctions.

edwin d gill , Austin TX,

ZR1 is readily available in Chevrolet showrooms here. There are several on the sale block here. It is not a "tuner" car.

Jim, San Antonio Texas, USA

As an added note, the car that Clarkson drove is most likely a "press beater," built over a year before the start of mass production and abused in dozens of tests by the automotive press before he got his hands on it; they tend to live hard, short lives. (Just playing devil's advocate here...)

Richard Fox, Howell, Michigan, USA

The corvette isn't a tuner it's an production car. America almost got it right with the z06 but the zr1 surpasses it in performance and day to day comfort. This car can be driven daily and be used for serious track use on weekends and be driven home. Haters be warned the king of the hill is back ZR1

Lance, West monroe, Usa

"Funny...The corvette may be the fastest around Nunburgring, but its a car who had to be worked by a tuner, it's not a out of the factory model. So the Nunburgring's lap worths nothing against the porsche or the GT-R!"

The ZR-1 *is* a factory spec model. You can walk right into a dealer & get one

Moose, Las Vegas, USA

A Corvette ZR1 maybe a car in America however in the UK it is a toy. It is as much use as a cucumber for getting from A to B. Not only does it cost the same as a house, it depreciates faster than a lemming off a cliff, uses fuel like the Panama Canal uses water, Wake up JC.

james Fairman, Boston, England

Funny...The corvette may be the fastest around Nunburgring, but its a car who had to be worked by a tunner, it's not a out of the factory model. So the Nunburgring's lap worths nothing against the porsche or the GT-R!

Hugo, Lisboa, Portugal

The ZR1 is the fastest around Nurburgring bar none (seven seconds faster than the GT-R). That says a hell of a lot about what's gone into it. At a hundred grand it's an absolute bargain. Knocks a 997 Turbo into the dark ages - where it belongs (engine over the back axle - it'll never work)!

Graeme, Holmfirth, UK

Bankruptcy only means that the company's financial obligations go on hold while they sort out their business. They never stop operating. The reason the politicians are fighting against this is because the first thing any bankruptcy judge will do is cancel all the company's expensive social programs.

Jim W, Tallahassee, FL, USA

About as reliable as buying a sub-prime mortgage as an investment oppertunity.

Bob, Prestgon, UK

About as reliable as a buying a sub prime mortgage as an investment oppertunity, by the sound of it.

Bob, Preston, UK

Corvettes used to have auto gear boxes, light power steering and a leaf spring suspension. More like the Chevy Malibu or truck than a sports car. All motor and nothing else. They have been making this car for 50 + years and never got it near right.

Good luck with spare parts when GM goes bankrupt.

John McAndrew, Los Angeles, US

Why are US posters so obsessed with stats? Blah blah blah BHP, 0-60 yadda yadda... Over here in the UK we have wicked corners and a range of road situations and the way the power is applied is of more interest to the involved driver. Come over and give it a go here, you'll have a hoot!

Kim, London, UK

106k for a car that isn't built very well and developed faults after 3 days?! How can that be a good car?

adrian huck, bristol,

Corvettes used to be great cars. Compare a 1967 Sting Ray small block 327 V8 (esp. with fuel injection--375 bhp!) to its competitors at that time. See Top Gear on vintage Aston Martins and Jags (season 6, episode 5). Does anyone seriously think they could have matched the Sting Ray?

George, Lutz, FL, USA

Wow; never mind the ZR1, you hit a sweet spot with S12E08 of Top Gear. AIm for that again & again!

Derek Bell-Morris, Bayswater, West Australia

Mr. Clarkson dogs the Audi RS6 because it has gobs of "useless" power, is AWD and can seat five humans while hauling their luggage? Has he gone mad? <whistling>

Brooke Fairbanks, Spooner, WI, USA

The ZR1 body panels are composed of carbon fiber. The only plastic body panel is the rear fascia, as on all Corvettes for weight reduction. As for depreciation; Only 2000 ZR1's produced world-wide per year. This car will NEVER depreciate. With that said; 106k = AMAZING DEAL.

Aaron, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Setting aside the inevitable question about pricing disparity between Europe and the USA (why do European cars cost less over there?) when Jeremy tells you an American car is his car of the year, it must be brilliant just to overcome his strong anti American streak. Oh and Leon, this car eats 599s

David Slocombe, Huddersfield, United Kingdom

I'm sorry but 107k for a Vette? Plastic body, interior made from plastic you get in a box of chocolates. The car itself looks like a kit car from the 1980's.Laughable build quality and depreciation to make you cry. If you can afford this then you can afford a proper car like a Ferrari 430 Scuderia..

Leon Varvitsiotis, Derby, England

To increase the green credentials of the Prius you remove the batteries. The loss of weight makes it more fuel efficient, and would reduce the price considerably if it was sold without them and the electric motors . That is why it is so pointless.

Izzy Freal, Cleethorpes, England

Prius? Peppy!? You might like 'peppy', but some of us prefer real performance. And frankly there's a whole lot more of 'what I want in a car' in a Corvette than a 'lacking in all departments' Toyota Prius. If you want to be 'eco', you be eco... but keep it to yourself.

Darren Ward, Aylesbury, United Kingdom

LDL you make me sad because you and those like you are the harbringers of the end of the world. The Toyota Prius is the automotive equivalent of farting in church.

Andy, Sparta, USA

My choice would have been the Toyota Prius. It is peppy, fun to drive, environmentally friendly, not a gasoline guzzler and gets you where you want to go. What more could you ask of a car?

LDL, Bismarck/Mandan, North Dakota, USA

Life is too short for big macs, or cars that emulate them. Not a Corvette, never a Corvette. They have been over promising and under delivering for just too many years and the depreciation on these things make them some of the most expensive cars to own in the world.

Doug Witt, noxville, USA

Reading one of Clarkson's article for information other than acceleration and speed is like watching an adult film for the plot and character development. There are plenty of people willing to dedicate articles to the cupholders or button layout, yet I think most of us are here to read Jeremy's stories and his unnatural love for speed.

CJ, Ocean City, MD, USA

I just saw a new ZR1 in Cannes and it looked great. I have a Porsche 997 right now and may trade. New Corvettes have a cool image in Europe with people who know cars. Its Ferrari an Aston that are loosing their image for real car enthusiasts who actually drive their cars.

John Collins, Nice,

"Anyone else as tired as I am of hearing Clarkson drone on about acceleration and muscle....."

well then stop reading

Zintradi, tacoma, usa

On the subject of car seats here's a mystery. Which new cars costing under £10K offer passenger seat height adjustment? To my knowledge only Suzuki's Splash and the Skoda Roomster. Most offer driver's height adjustment (for left and right hand drive) so they have the seats. Why no passenger option?

Kevin Miller, Tonbridge, Kent

Thirty times cheaper is not the same as a thirtieth of the price. The Caterham costs a thirtieth of the price of the Bugatti. Thirty times less than something is minus twenty nine times the amount.

Andy Cole, Cleethorpes, England

Anyone else as tired as I am of hearing Clarkson drone on about acceleration and muscle.....

Bill Atkins, Rehoboth Beach, USA

On the potholed streets of Bucharest - the X6 is more common than the old Dacia. In a car mad country, SUVs rule.

Note Porsche would not have been able to acquire a majority shareholding in VW without the Cayenne, a car that everyone loves to hate.

Richard, Bucharest,

"Even at $1.46 to the pound that's GBP 85.5K. Where does the extra 20 grand come from?"
10% import duty and 15%vat...

James, London, England

Andy Cole, if a Caterham is just above £30k and a Veyron is below a million, then Clarkson is right. It is 30 times cheaper. How did you come to the figure of £24.339.265?

I would be embarrassed to drive a Corvette anywhere near to Europe. Even in parts of the US. Further, how about depreciation?

Andras, Winchester,

The GTR is a great car. But bang for buck? $106,00 plus tax for the ZR1 is not as bad as the $230,000 Ferrari it beat( and the GTR) in Motortrend. I havent driven this model. I have had three and driven many more. If I could afford that, I would own one.

Landon, Georgia, U.S.

Jeremy "the little Caterham, which is faster round the Top Gear track than the Bugatti Veyron . . . even though it costs about 30 times less" means that Caterham give you the car AND about £24,339,265 free. That must be enough for all of us to buy at least one.

Andy Cole, Cleethorpes, England

Why is the cost so high in the UK? The MSRP is $106,520 in the US or 73,188.12 GBP. Are cars taxed that much? 55k in taxes? The 'Vet is one of the best!

Bob, Boston, MA, USA,

Why not buy a VXR8? Half the price, 4 doors, built just as poorly and it's still got a crazy v8. If you want more power, then add 10k of supercharger to it. You're still almost 50k short of the Vette... That's a lot of big macs.

Chris, Melbourne, Australia

It only comes with left-hand drive -- which makes all that power fairly useless since overtaking, particularly when driving alone, is going to be somewhat chancy.

RAS, Birmingham, USA

Mark Peterson,

answer is car taxes
in Finland ZR-1 price is $365000 (260k EUR) and there's even higher taxation level in Denmark, Norway and Turkey IIRC.

Paul, Hague,

I traded in my MGA for a new 67 'Vette, but, I got drafted before it arrived. Life is impossible, it is not just the economy, it is everything, except pizza.

Al Marcy, Dallas, usa

This car retails for $114K in the US. Even in CA with tax that's about $125K on the road. How come its GBP 106K in the UK? Even at $1.46 to the pound that's GBP 85.5K. Where does the extra 20 grand come from?

Mark Peterson, San Jose, CA, USA

The Corvette is also mind numbingly expensive. I'd go for the Nissan GTR best effort since the Skyline R32 or if I wasn't going any further than from Parsons Green to Sloane Square and back the Fiat 500 Arbarth.

CHARLIE, LONDON, United Kingdom