Month: May 2011

GM on Wednesday announced the additional shifts and a $69 million investment in tooling and equipment to support the next-generation Impala.

Coachbuilding is an old automotive art that has seen a resurgence thanks to modern technology and processes.

According to a story by TheDetroitBureau.com, one of the engines that General Motors is planning on offering in the C7 Corvette is a European-style turbo V8 that will be slightly larger than 3 liters in displacement. This would mark a turning point for the company which has traditionally offered high-displacement V8s in the sports car. The turbocharged engine is expected to woo the hearts, minds and wallets of European performance car buyers who are usually drawn to the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

TDB claims a senior GM executive confirmed the new turbocharged engine. The 3-liter turbocharged V8 engine would feature an overhead cam design and a dry sump oil system. Power output would be in excess of 400 horsepower or about 125 hp per liter. The turbo V8 will also be an extremely high-revving engine that could handle up to 10,000 RPMs.

The turbocharged V8 will be just one of the engine offerings for the C7 Corvette and that there will still be a big-block OHV V8 to appeal to traditionalists.

GM has toyed with turbo charging in the past and in fact offered a turbocharged option as an add-on with Callaway in the late 80s. Over the four year offering, 321 B2K-optioned Corvettes were built.

TheDetroitBureau.com says that that revelation is in line with recent comments by General Motors North American President Mark Reuss who said earlier this month that the C7 Corvette will be “completely different” from previous Corvettes.

That comment by Reuss has fueled rumors and led others to believe that it means a mid-engine layout is also in the offering. About the only thing we do know is that General Motors will be investing $131 million into the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green as it prepares for the next generation Corvette. The first C7s expected are expected to arrive as a 2014 model.

Source:
TheDetroitBureau via Autoblog

Related:
[RUMORS] Automotive News Proclaims 2012 as Last Full Year of C6 Corvette Production
[Made Up] Rumors of a Mid-Engined C7 Corvette Again
GM to Invest $131 Million in Bowling Green Assembly Plant

 

On this day in 1994, the ashes of 71-year-old George Swanson were placed in the drivers seat of his beloved 27,000 mile 1984 white Corvette. A crane then lifted the sports car and lowered into the 4-plot grave site in Hempfield County, Pennsylvania. George’s widow Caroline Swanson said “George always said he lived a fabulous life, and he went out in a fabulous style.”

Read the entire account at History.com

 

A Look Back at Corvette Racing’s Breakthrough Win in 2001

You never forget your first – especially when it’s the first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today Corvette Racing is recognized around the world as a powerhouse in international endurance racing, but a decade ago, the members of Chevrolet’s factory sports car team were innocents abroad.

Memories of that first Le Mans victory in 2001, contested in a wet and chaotic race, are etched in the minds of the men and women who were there. The lessons learned during that rain-soaked day and night of racing formed the foundation for Corvette Racing’s six GTS/GT1 class wins in the world’s most prestigious sports car race. On June 11-12, Corvette Racing will run for its seventh class title at Le Mans, and its first in the GTE Pro (formerly GT2) category.

Corvette Racing had launched an expeditionary force to Le Mans in 2000, a race contested in searing heat. The American team finished third and fourth, an auspicious result in its first foray to France. Corvette Racing returned in 2001 with updated Corvette C5-R race cars and a revised driver lineup. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Scott Pruett piloted the No. 63 Corvette to victory in appalling conditions, while Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins, and Franck Freon were second in the No. 64 Corvette C5-R, giving Chevrolet the first of its four 1-2 finishes in the French classic. Fellows, O’Connell and Pruett finished eighth overall, equaling the performance of John Fitch and Bob Grossman in Briggs Cunningham’s iconic No. 3 Corvette in 1960.

“The race in 2000 was the hottest Le Mans on record,” said Fellows. “We were fast, we learned a ton, and we had a few mechanical gremlins to overcome. Then one year later, 2001 was one of the wettest races, and it was an adventure.

“One of the very few times I’ve been in an argument with (team manager) Gary Pratt was in the pits prior to the start of the race,” Fellows recalled. “Gary was adamant that I needed to start on slicks like everyone else, but I insisted that I wanted intermediates. I said, ‘I don’t care, I want ‘em.’ So the sister car started on slicks, and I was on intermediates.

“After the first three laps, the track was drying quickly, and I thought I’d made a huge mistake,” Fellows said with a laugh. “Suddenly coming around Arnage, I saw a wall of rain ahead of us. There was a monsoon coming out of the southwest, and cars were going off everywhere.

“The cars around me were floating and spinning, but I could still maneuver because I had grooved tires. Somehow I got through the chaos without getting hit, and we moved way up in the overall standings in first 20 minutes.”

Johnny O’Connell called on his previous experience at Le Mans to get him through the treacherous conditions. “I have a vivid memory of Le Mans in 2001, going out at night in the pouring rain,” O’Connell recalled. “I came out of Tertre Rouge at full chat, hit a puddle, went sideways, caught it, and wanted to lift. Then I said to myself, ‘They’re not paying you to lift, stay in it.’ The spray was blinding, and I drove through the night with one eye looking out the side window to find my braking points. That rainy night was phenomenal, scary, and exhilarating – a spectacular race.”

Fellows agreed: “The level of concentration required to race in the wet was just overwhelming,” said the Canadian ace. “None of us were physically tired, but we were mentally exhausted. The troughs in the pavement left by the heavy trucks on the public roads were filled with standing water, and the puddles were the biggest issue. The straights are normally a place you can relax, but just keeping the car on the road was a real challenge. I attempted slicks in the night, went out and came right back in. It was impossible.”

The Corvette team went to Le Mans riding a wave of confidence after a 1-2 finish and an overall victory in the season-opening Daytona 24-hour race.

“The team had an unbelievable air of confidence after the success that we had at Daytona,” O’Connell noted. “When everything is right in a team you feel it, and there was a very strong, positive energy. The curve ball was the ungodly amount of rain. We’d won in the rain in Daytona, so we knew we were good in the wet. I think everyone had faith that this race was going to come our way, and sure enough, it did.”

While the drivers were sanguine, program manager Doug Fehan had his doubts.

“In those days, we were using a conventional transmission mounted behind the engine, and its reliability was marginal with the horsepower we had,” Fehan revealed. “We were nervous about that. In addition, some type of harmonic vibration was destroying the starter motors; if the car spun and the engine stalled, there was a 50-50 chance that it wouldn’t restart. It was a huge issue.

“The rain worked to our advantage because the race pace was dramatically slower, which reduced the stress on the gearboxes. By the 20th hour, we had an insurmountable lead and a certain victory as long as the cars were running at the finish. We brought the cars in, went through the transmissions, dried out the starters, and sent them back out for the final hour. Then I had a moment of sheer panic when I was told that a GT car was ahead of us, but the officials reassured me that Corvette was still the leader in GTS.”

Another lesson learned was the importance of perfect execution in the pits.

“We missed an overall victory in Daytona by 32 seconds,” Fehan explained. “Thirty-two seconds is pretty easy to find in 24 hours, and not necessarily on the race track. It became vividly apparent that every movement in the pit lane had to be choreographed, every action needed to be as efficient as possible, because a 24-hour race can come down to just a few seconds.”

The team also gained an appreciation of the unique demands of the immense 8.5 mile Le Mans circuit.

“The Corvette C5-R had a fairly narrow body in 2000 – we had tremendous straight-line speed, but didn’t have the cornering and aerodynamic characteristics that come with a wide car,” Fellows noted. “We came back in 2001 with a wider body. The car had a little more drag but a much better aero platform. We were slower on the straights, but quicker overall in 2001.”

With its first Le Mans victory, Corvette Racing reached an objective that had been set years earlier.

“In 1997 I sat down with Herb Fishel, who was then the director of GM Racing, when he laid out his vision and outlined his plan to win Le Mans,” Fellows remembered. “Four years later it came to fruition. I’ll never forget standing on the victory podium in the rain, with throngs of people on the track. It was a breakout year for Corvette Racing, and that first win was very special.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, on June 11-12. The race will start at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). SPEED will televise the race live, supplemented by live video streaming on SpeedTV.com. Check local listings for broadcast times.

Source:
Corvette Racing

Related:
Corvette Racing Completes Successful Test Day in Le Mans
From Long Beach to Le Mans: Corvette Racing’s Overseas Odyssey

 

Automotive News’ product editor Rick Kranz wrote yesterday on the timeline for C6/C7 Corvette production. He says that according to a source at Chevrolet, the C6 Corvette will be offered in 2012 and 2013 while the C7 Corvette is expected in 2014. However, he writes that the 2013 model year may be abbreviated to allow plenty of time to retool the Bowling Green Assembly Plant for C7 production.

With 2013 being the 60th anniversary of the Corvette, Kranz believes (and we concur) that the 2013 Corvette will be offered with a special package to mark the anniversary. Chevy has offered a new special edition just about every year of C6 production so that call is sort of a no-brainer.

However, we did hear an interesting rumor at the C5/C6 Bash at the NCM last month about a 60th Anniversary model in that there is consideration for a White Corvette with Red interior to match the 1953 models.

Just for kicks, I’m gonna throw this speculation out there as well. (If autocar.co.uk can make up rumors, so can I!)

If a white Corvette is offered as an Anniversary model in 2013, we think it will be a special off-white color that matches up more closely to the original Polo White cars of ‘53 as opposed to the bright Arctic White found on the current C6.

While at the Bash, I asked Exterior Designer Kirk Bennion how long it takes to bring a new color to market (the question was in regards to the new Carlisle Blue) and his answer was two years. That fits the time-line of bringing their latest off-white Corvette color – the low-gloss Icy White Metallic paint found on the 2011 Corvette Z06X Track Car – to market in 2013 as the special 60th anniversary color for the last of the C6 Corvettes.

Just saying…

Update:
It seems I’m not the only one anticipating a White/Red special edition Corvette as the C6’s swan song. Check out Scott Teeter’s excellent speculative rendering of a 60th Anniversary Corvette at CorvetteReport.com.

Source:
Automotive News

Related:
Transportation Design Student Renders C7 Corvette
GM to Invest $131 Million in Bowling Green Assembly Plant
2010 SEMA: 2011 Corvette Z06X Track Car Concept

 

A Damascus couple with a history of hitting the jackpot is cashing in again. Joe and Angie Vaeth discovered May 18 that the ticket Joe bought the night before at the Liberty gas station on Ridge Road was worth $1 million.

This “head-turning” traffic accident in El Cajon, California caught our attention as the picture shows the rear-ending of Dodge Neon by an Arctic White C6 Corvette with the Neon actually coming to rest on the hood of America’s favorite sports car. No one was injured in the accident which was allegedly caused by the Corvette driver talking on a cell phone.

The accident happened last Tuesday morning and a witness snapped this photo and sent it to NBC San Diego who posted it on their website. The photographer provided the following insight into the accident:

“A witness said that the person in the white car was talking on the cell phone and driving too fast,” said Kristi Dubin. “I had to snap a picture to show my kids. Maybe if people see this they might not talk on the phone and drive as much!”

California law bans talking on hand held cell phones while driving. California Highway Patrol did not confirm if any of the drivers were talking on their cell phone at the time of the crash.

It is not known if the woman in the picture was the driver of either car.

We’ve had several recent examples of Corvette drivers who should have known that their actions could cause a serious accident. Street racing and drunk-driving are no-brainers when it comes to what you should not be doing in your Corvette. Although the participants in this accident were lucky, it is a reminder that something as mundane as talking on a cell phone can also have disastrous consequences because as the driver your attention is on the conversation and not so much on who or what is in front of you.

Source:
MSNBC

Related:
[VIDEO] Wrecked C5 Corvette Gets Even More Trashed By Tow Truck
[ACCIDENTS] Why You Don’t Drink and then Drive Your Corvette
Why You Don’t Race Your Corvette on the Streets

 

Article contributed by Steve Burns

A couple weeks back we told you about the newest batch of 10 people being added into Bloomington Gold’s Great Hall. Last week our friends at Bloomington Gold announced the 10 cars to be inducted during the June 23rd – 26th event in St. Charles, IL. The cars being inducted this year cover the full spectrum of the Corvette legend from race car, to styling car, to pace car.

The Great Hall began in 2010 and filled the spot formerly occupied by the Special Collection. Over the course of a 5 year run, the Great Hall will annually highlight 10 people and 10 Corvettes which have helped to transform the Corvette hobby into what it is today. Only 50 people and 50 Corvettes will ever reside within the Great Hall.

Here’s this year’s list of 10 honorees:

1. 1955 Corvette – First V8
2. 1956 SR2
3. 1960 Lemans Racer
4. 1960 Route 66 TV Show (Icon only)
5. 1963 Harley Earl Design Vehicle
6. 1965 396/425 “State of The Art”
7. 1967 DeLorenzo L88 Racer
8. 1969 Corvette ZL1
9. 1971 Corvette ZR2
10. 1978 Indy 500 Pace Car (Icon only)

Each year’s inductees are chosen by a selection committee based on their contributions to the Corvette hobby. All of the 2011 inductees will be officially honored on Friday, June 24th at 5pm during the Bloomington Gold show. The ceremony is open to everyone attending the show.

The 39th annual Bloomington Gold event runs from Thursday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 26th 2011 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Il. (about an hour west of Chicago). For complete show information check out the Bloomington Gold website.

Source:
Bloomington Gold

Related:
Bloomington Gold to Host Cubic Knowledge Training Seminars at 2011 Event
Bloomington Gold Announces 10 Inductees into the Great Hall
GoldTour Returns to Bloomington Gold Corvette Show
Racing Legend Tony DeLorenzo to be Reunited with His 1967 L88 Corvette

 

The Pirelli World Challenge held rounds five and six at Mosport International Raceway over the weekend and Mike Skeen of Charlotte, North Carolina would come away with back to back wins in the GT Class with his yellow No. 2 CRP Racing/Cragar Wheels Chevrolet Corvette. Former Corvette Racing driver Johnny O’Connell also earned back to back podium finishes in his Pratt & Miller prepped Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

Skeen won the first race on Saturday with a flag to flag victory and on Sunday, his yellow Corvette duplicated the previous day’s result going flag to flag and finishing in P1 despite the race ending under caution. Patrick Long and the No. 45 Privacy Star Porsche 911 GT3 ran behind Skeen the whole race and finished in 2nd place. Rounding out the podium with a third place finish was Johnny O’Connell and his No 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

“Who would’ve thought it? I’m amazed that this CRP Racing Team came back after a tough start to the year,” Skeen said. “It’s really good to get this double victory here at Mosport. We’re going into the summer break and hopefully we can kind of continue this momentum into the second half of the year and finish out strong.”

O’Connell finished 2nd in Saturday’s race and was looking to get into the hunt for the top spot on the podium when the caution flag fell and effectively ended the race.

“We just didn’t have enough for those guys,” O’Connell said. “I don’t know whether Porsche found another number on their map switch or what, but they showed dramatic improvement overnight. We had a good car. Actually, we might have even run faster than we did yesterday. If they’d gone green, I think I might have had something, because on clear laps, we were pretty darn close, but it didn’t happen. I’m just stoked for everybody at Cadillac. I mean, we have moved forward. We are five races into this gig and to get on the podium twice this weekend, we’re constantly improving and that’s been our objective all along.”

With the back to back wins, Skeen moves into third place in the GT Drivers Championship and is just 10 points behind the leader James Sofronas (626) and two point behind Patrick Long (618). Jason Daskalos is in 4th place with 561 points while Johnny O’Connell is 5th with 537 points. Porsche leads Cadillac in the Manufacturers Championship 45-18 while Volvo is third with 3 points.

Both rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mosport presented by Optima Batteries will air on Versus on Saturday, June 18 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

The Pirelli World Challenge now enters a “summer break” and returns to action with a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 5-7.

Source:
Pirelli World Challenge

Related:
[VIDEO] Johnny O’Connell’s Debut in the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Racer
Johnny O’Connell Makes Transition from Corvette Racing to Team Cadillac