New York man revives 1990 Corvette ZR-1 with just 580 miles on it after it was left forgotten for 30 years
Published on Oct 10, 2025 at 4:56 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Oct 10, 2025 at 5:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This long-forgotten 1990 Corvette ZR-1 was recently rescued from a garage and given its first wash in 30 years.
The ZR-1 was the top tier package available for the 1990 Corvette.
It came with a special 5.7-liter V8 engine that had been designed in partnership with Lotus and offered 375 horsepower.
The 1990 Corvette ZR-1 was a much rarer beast than the standard ‘Vette, and now one has just been unearthed after years in storage.
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The 1990 Corvette ZR-1 was in a need of some TLC
There are few things as satisfying as watching a long-neglected car get its first wash in years, like this poor Mercedes 190SL that was cleaned for the first time in 60 years, or this Ferrari 512BBi that was spruced up after more than a decade of neglect.
Over in New York, detailer Larry Kosilla from AMMO NYC YouTube channel was called in to help clean up this recently-rescued 1990 Corvette ZR-1 that had just 593 miles on the clock.
The classic Corvette ended up on Facebook Marketplace following the death of its elderly owner.
It was quickly snapped up by a man called Rick who hauled the Corvette ZR-1 out of the garage it had been kept in for 30 years and put it on a trailer.
However, after seeing the sorry state the car was in, he enlisted the help of Kosilla to help restore it to its former glory and he had a mammoth task on his hands.
The car was covered in a thick layer of dust, which you’d expect from being parked for so long, but the problems didn’t stop there – he found a nest, acorns in the vents, and pawprints that made it look like a family of raccoons had once called the Corvette home.
Thankfully, Kosilla and AMMO NYC do not shy away from a challenge, and bust out soap, jet washers, vacuum cleaners, and a whole arsenal of cleaning products and equipment to get it looking good again.
By the time they were done, both the inside and outside of the car looked brand-new.
Would the classic Corvette run again?
The work didn’t stop there.
As well as getting the car looking as good as it did the day it left the factory, Kosilla and the team made some fuel system repairs, added fresh oil, and were able to bring the engine roaring back to life.
With the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 back up and running, there was only one thing left to do – celebratory burnouts.
Incredible stuff.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
