Tag Archives | Corvette ZR1

Camaro ZL1 To Offer Auto Transmission, Have More Horsepower Than CTS-V

By on June 13, 2011 in News

By Carl Malek

Earlier this year, Chevrolet chose the 2011 Chicago Autoshow as the backdrop to unveil the 2012 Camaro ZL1 supercar. Designed as the range-topping model in the Camaro family, the ZL1 was created to take on the best from Ford and Shelby. Despite these initial statements, Chevrolet remained silent on the exact details of the car except for stating that the car would have at least 550 horsepower and a six speed manual gearbox.  However in a statement at an event at the Camaro plant in Oshawa Ontario, Al Oppenheiser, director of concept and vehicle integration for GM’s Performance division, has revealed new information and details about what potential buyers can expect from this potent Camaro.

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Report: C7 Corvette May Get Small Overhead Cam, Turbo V8

By on May 26, 2011 in News

By Chris Haak

TheDetroitBureau.com dropped a few bombshells yesterday about the C7 Corvette, which is scheduled to hit the market in two years.  News has been fairly silent on the Corvette front for the past few years, with long periods of no news followed by a rumor here and there.  The rumor of a mid-engine C7 comes up (just as there were rumors of a mid-engine C4, C5, and C6), and word leaked out that the debut of GM’s Generation V small-block V8 would occur with the next-generation Corvette.  The Gen V small block would displace about 5.5 liters, but would include additional technology such as direct injection to get its output figures similar to today’s 430-horsepower base engine, while moving what is theoretically a smaller, lighter car.

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Quick Drive: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

By on December 23, 2010 in Reviews

By Chris Haak

Having driven several hundred new and used cars during my 17 years with a driver’s license, and especially in recent years as I’m afforded the opportunity to sample cars and trucks from all corners of the automotive market, I’ve become a bit jaded, particularly in terms of what I feel is enough power for me to call it “enough.”  My own 304-horsepower Cadillac CTS sedan feels quick at times, but its slow-witted six-speed automatic and lack of low-end torque compared to V8s often makes it feel a bit flat-footed.  I’ve gotten to the point that almost any car – even those with 400-plus horsepower V8s – feels to me as if it could be just a little faster.

So as it happened, at a recent media event, I was standing near a parking area containing several Chevrolet models – a Cruze LTZ (which I had the chance to drive for the first time), a Camaro SS, and a few other random cars.  The folks loitering nearby were atwitter with talk that a pre-production Chevy Volt would be arriving within moments.  “Cool,” I thought; I’d love to get some seat time in Chevy’s media darling.

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Chevrolet Launches New Corvette Ad

By on July 19, 2010 in News

By Charles Krome

About six years ago, in what seemed to me like another gratuitous anti-Detroit effort, auto safety watchdogs convinced GM to pull its latest Corvette commercial. The spot, showing a young boy hooning it up in a ‘Vette while his schoolmates gaped in astonishment, was knocked for encouraging underaged, over-the-top driving, though the scenes were clearly—clearly—meant to be the product of the kid’s imagination.

And that was pretty much the last time you saw a Corvette commercial on TV—until late last week. That’s when Chevrolet debuted a new ad showcasing the Corvette ZR1, with a suitably patriotic “It’s nice to know America still builds rockets” tag line.

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GM to Allow Corvette Buyers to Build Their Own Engines

By on July 12, 2010 in News

By Chris Haak

A few years ago, I wanted to buy a new Corvette in the worst way.  I stalked the Internet forums about them, visited dealer websites daily, went to Corvettes at Carlisle, and even contacted my insurance agent to get a quote on how much comprehensive and collision coverage would cost on one.  Then I looked in the rearview mirror and saw two little boys sitting in their car seats, looked to my right and saw my wife’s smiling face next to me, then looked at my bank statement, and realized that this was a dream to be realized later in life.  So I bought a Cadillac CTS instead; it has four doors, after all.

In my year-plus of online Corvette research, I learned about several of the programs that GM offers for buyers of new Corvettes.  You can watch your specific car be built in the company’s Bowling Green, Kentucky plant, and you can have your new Corvette delivered to you at the adjacent National Corvette Museum, then you can drive it home.  Also, buyers of new ZR1s receive a two-day driving instruction course as part of the car’s purchase price at one of two official driving instruction schools.

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Honda Cancels V10 NSX Supercar, Cuts Outlook, Tightens Belt

By on December 17, 2008 in News

By Chris Haak

12.17.2008

Honda President Takeo Fukui has undertaken several dramatic actions today as Honda begins to feel the effects of the global recession and the terrible new car market.  Fukui has cut operating profit forecasts again, saying they will fall 81.1% – less than two months after saying they will fall 67.3%.  Further, in a move to be mourned by gearheads everywhere, Fukui canceled the NSX supercar program, which was tantalizingly close to being production ready, having already run several hot laps around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

The news conference at which Honda made these and other announcements was hastily moved up two days ahead of its originally scheduled time because of the urgency of the situation.  Part of Honda’s problem is that the value of the yen has climbed 18% against the US dollar since August – hurting margins on exports from Japan to the US that Honda depends on – while sales in the US also collapsed outright. Continue Reading →

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