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Tony Roma, chief engineer for the global Corvette and performance cars team, acknowledged that horsepower standards have reached astronomical heights. Yet the debate over horsepower -- and what's acceptable -- has been going on for years.

\"I worked on the C5 Corvette when it made 405 hp in 2002. And we had this exact same dialect, 'OMG 400 hp in a Corvette, OMG it's uncontrollable,'\" he told ABC News. \"Then we did 500 hp on the C6. The ZR1 is crazy fast ... and 1,000 hp is a silly number. I think tire technology, suspension technology, the aero -- the other things we've done -- when we get it right and the chassis can handle the power you're making, it's a joy to drive. If you would have put 1,000 hp in that C5, it would scare people to death.\"

He added, \"The numbers are so intimidating that the ZR1 keeps a lot of people in check. If you put your right foot down, it goes really fast. That's a choice the driver gets to make.\"

Hagerty said if an enthusiast had to decide between performance bragging rights or a primal driving experience, he expects the latter to win.

\"Nürburgring lap times were everything a few years ago,\" he said. \"People now want to go out and have the wind in their hair. It doesn't have to be the ultimate anymore.\"

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