Month: September 2011

It has spent most of its life stored away as the 92,000 miles – or less than 2,000 miles a year – on its clock attest.

In our latest edition of Corvette Vanity Plates, we walked row after row of parked Corvettes at Corvettes at Carlisle to bring you some of the best custom plates we’ve seen yet. After photographing hundreds of Corvette vanity plates over the last year, I’ve come to the conclusion that Corvette owners with custom vanity plates fall into one of two camps. The first are those with plates that describe the car, like “ZRRR-1″ and “505HP Z06″ and then there are those that express the owner’s state of mind as in “LIFES GD” and “EZ LIVIN”. Corvette owners have no shortage of creativity which you’ll see on full display after the jump.

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Corvettes at Carlisle: Hurricane Irene Pays a Visit
[PICS] Corvettes at Carlisle
[VIDEO] Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Walk-Around of the 2012 Corvette
Corvettes at Carlisle: Keith’s Choice Award
Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Honors Carlisle Events on 30th Anniversary
Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Shows Off New GCA Torque 2 Wheels and Stripe Package
Corvettes at Carlisle: Meet the Original American Idol

 

On the touring side of things is the Mercedes-Benz SL, which remains boulevard-smooth even when shod with full AMG battle gear.

The winning raffle ticket for this 2010 Chevrolet Corvette with a suggested price of $65,720 will be drawn Sept.

Corvettes Quick on Downtown Street Circuit After Abbreviated Practice Sessions

BALTIMORE, Sept. 2, 2011 – A late start and a scant 75 minutes of practice meant that the learning curve for the American Le Mans Series Baltimore Grand Prix was a steep one. Jan Magnussen and Tommy Milner proved to be fast learners when they qualified Corvette Racing’s twin Compuware C6.Rs second and fourth respectively for Saturday’s two-hour street race through downtown Baltimore.

Magnussen was quickest in the abbreviated final practice session, and then turned his fastest lap at 1:31.950 (79.869 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R on his fifth qualifying lap on the 2.04-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit. Milner turned a time of 1:32.224 (79.632 mph) on his fourth lap, the fifth quickest in GT. The No. 45 Porsche of Patrick Long, which was third on the provisional qualifying list, was subsequently excluded for “unjustifiable risk,” moving the No. 3 Corvette up to fourth on the GT grid. The No. 55 BMW M3 GT of Dirk Werner was the fastest qualifier in the category at 1:31.362 (80.384 mph).

“We didn’t have a lot of time to make changes or to find a good rhythm, so I’m very pleased with the work that the Corvette Racing engineers did,” Magnussen said. “All in all, I’m happy with the car. Now we have to work with the extra bit of data we have, and I think there is more speed to come. The walls get closer and closer the harder you push – that’s all part of it.

“There are some massive bumps out there, and the cars are taking a beating worse than Sebring,” Magnussen added. “It’s still good fun to drive this circuit, and you’re really feel that you’re racing in the heart of the city with the tall buildings all around. It’s cool, and I enjoy it.”

Milner agreed: “I’m really happy with the car here, no complaints. With so little track time, I’m sure we can make the car a little better here and there, but it’s good just to get some laps in and get comfortable with the track.

“I had a qualifying lap that would have been quicker, but I got into Turn 10 a little wide in the dirty part of the track and had a big, big moment. I was basically drifting through the turn!

“The track’s fun to drive and it will race well, too,” Milner predicted. “There are two good passing spots. It’s going to be tough to pass in GT because everyone is so close, but everything is slow enough that you can rub some fenders and make things happen. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

The two-hour Baltimore Grand Prix will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 3. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the U.S. and americanlemans.com for international users. ABC will televise the Baltimore Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4, at 4 p.m. ET.

Baltimore Grand Prix GT Qualifying (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time

1. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 1:31.362
2. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 1:31.950
3. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 1:32.010
4. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:32.224
5. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:32.772
6. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:34.151
7. 99 Junqueira/Wilden, Jaguar XKR, 1:34.360
8. 48 Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:34.609
9. 98 Jones/Moran, Jaguar XKR, 1:35.911
10. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:38.674

Related:
Corvette Racing: Links for ALMS Baltimore
Corvette Racing at Baltimore Grand Prix: The Science of Street Racing
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Series Episode 8: Preparing for Baltimore
Corvette Racing Takes Fifth at Road America

 

The second generation Chevrolet Corvair began in 1965. With an all new body style that took its influence’s from the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the 1963 Buick Riviera.

Article and pictures contributed by Steve Burns

Last weekend team at Carlisle Events welcomed thousands of Corvette fans to eastern Pennsylvania for the 30th anniversary of Corvettes at Carlisle. Unfortunately, one other guest paid a visit as well. Hurricane Irene had passed by on her way up the east coast. Before we headed home, we stopped by the fairgrounds Sunday morning to see if we could find any last minute treasures. Regrettably, we didn’t find anything other than a mess.

As we drove through Gate 3, it was apparent the show was going to be pretty sparse on its final day. Little did we know that the gates had been closed to everyone except those with weekend passes. What we found inside the fences was reminiscent of 2007. The winds and rain from Irene’s outer bands that passed through the area overnight had beaten up the fairgrounds once again. The good news this time was that nearly all of the vendors, dealers, and patrons had packed up early to avoid Irene’s arrival. As of lunchtime on Saturday, teardown was in full swing. Any damage appeared to be minimal. The field held maybe 50 cars when we were there and only a few more slowly trickled in as we pulled out. The famous hill held 3 lonesome Corvettes. Like 2007, tents had been upended, porta johns were blown over, debris had blown around everywhere, and braches fell from trees. This time, though, the carnage was very minor. We’re not aware of any injuries other than those sustained by some of the tents on the property. We’re pleased to report that cleanup was well underway and that it didn’t appear that is was going to take very long.

You can check out some of Irene’s aftermath below. Meanwhile, we’ll keep counting down to next year’s Corvettes at Carlisle. Just 51 weeks to go!

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[PICS] Corvettes at Carlisle
[VIDEO] Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Walk-Around of the 2012 Corvette
Corvettes at Carlisle: Keith’s Choice Award
Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Honors Carlisle Events on 30th Anniversary
Corvettes at Carlisle: GM Shows Off New GCA Torque 2 Wheels and Stripe Package
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The American Le Mans Series returns to the Atlantic seaboard with the first running of the Baltimore Grand Prix. The circuit in downtown Baltimore will run along the city`s Inner Harbor, making the venue one of the most picturesque in ALMS history.

Event:	The Inaugural 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix
Location:	Streets of Baltimore, MD
Race Length:	2 Hours
Track Length:	2.0 Mile
Turns:	13

The Inaugural 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix:

• Entry List
• Spotters Guide
• Track Map
• Schedule
• Live Timing
• Live timing – Mobil Devices
• Radio Le Mans

Baltimore Grand Prix TV/Streaming:

• ESPN3 (USA)
• ALMS.com (Outside USA)

  The ALMS sent out a notice regarding a change in today’s practice and qualifying schedule. (Baltimore is having trouble getting the circuit ready due to rains and heavy traffic. Some part of the track is still undergoing paving. So, times for practice and qualifying have been changed)

  Live Practice: Friday at 1:20 PM ET to 2:35 PM ET (ALMS)
  Live Qualifying: Friday at 5:50 PM ET to 7:00 PM ET (Updated)
  Live Race: Saturday at 4:30 PM ET to 6:30 PM ET
  Replay: Sunday at 4:00 PM ET to 6:00 PM ET on ABC TV

Pit Notes:

• Corvette Racing on Twitter
• ALMS Notes on Twitter

Discuss the race with other ALMS Fans:

• Digital Corvettes
• American Le Mans Fans
• Ten-Tenths.com

Related:
Corvette Racing at Baltimore Grand Prix: The Science of Street Racing
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Series Episode 8: Preparing for Baltimore
Corvette Racing Takes Fifth at Road America

 

AOL Auto’s Translogic series focuses on transportation technology and for the last couple of episodes, host Bradley Hasemeyer has been taking a closer look at the Chevrolet Corvette.

AOL Auto’s Translogic series focuses on transportation technology and for the last couple of episodes, host Bradley Hasemeyer has been taking a closer look at the Chevrolet Corvette. Last week’s video had Bradley exploring the evolution of the small-block Chevy V8 with the help of a 1960 Corvette. In this week’s installment, Bradley takes a Torch Red Corvette ZR1 on a road tour around Detroit with stops at two destinations that played a pivotal role in the 205 mph super car’s development.

In Translogic 68, Hasemeyer grabs an American flag, a baseball bat and an apple pie as he explores the evolution of the Chevrolet small-block V8, the engines that are now synonymous with Corvette performance. With a security guard along for the ride, Bradley takes a beautiful 1960 Corvette roadster to Wixon’s Performance Build Center and speaks with GMPP’s Dr. Jamie Meyers who is more than happy to show the evolution of the Chevy V8 starting with a 265 cubic inch V8 that made its first appearance in the 1955 Corvette.

In Translogic 69, Bradley hits the other end of the performance spectrum in the 638-hp Corvette ZR1. The road tour starts with the ZR1 spinning some wheels on its way to a quick 3.4 second 0-60 mph launch and then Bradley steers the supercharged Corvette down the road to New Hudson, Michigan – the home of Corvette’s racing partner Pratt & Miller Engineering. Bradley talks with Corvette Racing’s Technical Director Doug Louth about the evolution of transferring technology from racing starting 11 years ago with the C5-R GT1 Corvettes to today’s GT C6.R which is the most production based car the team has ever raced.

Bradley then takes the Corvette ZR1 back to Wixom’s Performance Build Center where the Corvette’s LS9, LS7 and selected LS3 engines are assembled by hand. GM’s Performance Parts product integration manager Dr. Jamie Meyer is on hand to give Bradley a tour of the facility where Corvette owners can come build their LS7 or LS9 engine for their own Corvettes as part of the Engine Build Experience.

You can read more on the performance technology behind the Corvette ZR1 from AOLAuto’s Translogic.

Source:
AOLAuto’s Translogic

Related:
[VIDEO] 2011 Corvette ZR1 Lap Time on Top Gear USA
[VIDEO] Hotlap with Jim Mero in a Corvette ZR1 at GM’s Milford Proving Ground
[VIDEO] GM Returns to the Nurburgring with the 2012 Corvette ZR1