January 2012 - Page 3 of 15 - C6Performance Journal

January 25, 2012

Gulf States Region Supports Corvette Caravan 2014

Glenn & Andrea Johnson, Gulf States Region Captains for the 2014 Corvette Caravan have aksed CorvetteBlog to invite all of you Corvette enthusiasts in Southeast Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle to join their great migration of Vettes to the National Corvette Museum in late summer 2014!

The activities fall into two time periods:

August 25-27, 2014 – Gulf States Region Festivities & Caravan
August 28-30, 2014 – NCM 20th Annual Anniversary Celebration

The 2014 Gulf States Region Caravan is open to every Corvette Club and Corvette Owner in the Gulf States Region (Southeast Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and NW Florida Panhandle).

All Gulf States Region Area Caravans will arrive at the 2014 Gulf States Region Headquarters, on Monday, August 25. Although participants are certainly not required to travel with the area caravans, it is encouraged, as it does make the overall experience more enjoyable and exciting.

At this time, only the Southern Area Caravan (Houston, TX to Birmingham, AL) has been set up, but other regional groups will be established as time passes. Area caravans are needed in Northern Louisiana, Central & Northern Mississippi, Northern Alabama and the Northwest Florida Panhandle. Those wishing to organize in this way should contact Glenn & Andrea.

Additional information follows below the jump.

Our previous blogpost on National Corvette Caravan 2014 can be read here.

Our previous blogpost on Pacific Northwest Region Caravan can be read here.

The tentative agenda for the first part of the week is still sketchy, but specific details and times are being developed. On Monday and Tuesday, August 25 & 26, Gulf States Region area caravans & individual participants will begin to arrive, register, and enjoy local activities. The drive to the N.C.M. will begin on Wednesday, August 27.

The tentative combined 2014 Gulf States Region Corvette Caravan Route will begin in Birmingham, Alabama, and travel via Interstate 65 to Nashville, TN. Lunch to be determined. The caravan will then continue on Interstate 65 to the Kentucky State Line. Exit into the Kentucky Welcome Center and stage for our arrival at the NCM. We will then be escorted to the National Corvette Museum for our arrival parade.

Regional planners are identified in Glenn & Andrea’s linked PDF.

Prior to the event, a Gulf States Region Route Book will be mailed to all participants of the 2014 Gulf States Region Caravan. Ads are available for sale in the route book. For more information, please contact a Regional Leader or the Gulf States Region Captain.

Assistance needed at this time includes the following opportunities: a volunteer to serve as the Mississippi Regional Leader, volunteers to serve as Local Leaders throughout the GS Region, and sponsors. If you know an individual or a business that may be interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Glenn & Andrea. Sponsorships are available from $25 up. The Johnsons will be glad to make the contact, and present the sponsorship information.

January 25, 2012

Jordan Taylor Joins Corvette Racing

The 2012 Corvette Racing Team roster is set. In addition to these familiar names and faces – Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Richard Westbrook, and Antonio Garcia – there’s a new young lad who will take over the endurance driver duties at Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans. His name is Jordan Taylor. The twenty-year-old Jordan Taylor, that is!

As son of Wayne Taylor, who twice won the Rolex 24 Race at Daytona, Jordan grew up in Apopka, Florida. He made his name on the track in the 2009 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the 2011 Rolex GT Championship. It’ll be exciting to watch him this year on the tracks of the three Corvette Racing endurance races, as well as at the 2012 Rolex Series.

“Corvette Racing is one of the most iconic names in motorsports, and joining this team is a huge opportunity for me,” said Taylor, a student at the University of Central Florida. “There are certainly going to be challenges as I learn the capabilities of the Corvette C6.R race cars, become familiar with the team, adapt to new tracks, and race with new competitors. It’s going to be amazing to race a Corvette at Sebring, Le Mans, and Road Atlanta, and I can’t wait to get started!”

January 25, 2012

1967 Chevrolet Corvette

Complete numbers matching car! 327 / 300 HP numbers matching V-8 motor, M-21 4 speed manual transmission, original 984 Sunfire Yellow car, original 455 Black/White interior car, factory power steering, factory power brakes, FACTORY AIR CONDITIONING, factory power windows, factory 4 wheel disc brakes & more.

January 25, 2012

2012 Corvette ZR1 Runs Fastest Time at Car and Driverâ€™s Lightning Lap #6 at VIR

2012 Corvette ZR1 Runs Fastest Time at Car and Driver's Lightning Lap #6 at VIR

Over the past six years, Car and Driver has brought 115 production cars to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) 4.1 mile Grand West Course. The result is an American-style Nurburgring-like timed lap test called the Lightning Lap. Currently, the 2010 Corvette ZR1 sits 4th fastest on the list with only a Viper ACR and two Moslers that have run faster. We were excited to see how the 2012 Corvette ZR1 tested with the new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires would compare to its previous lap time and the results do not disappoint.

The 2012 Corvette ZR1 Centennial Edition with the new Michelin Sport Cups ran a blistering fast lap of 2:50.7 – a second faster than the previous time of 2:51.8 set by the 2010 Corvette ZR1.

The ZR1 was the fastest car overall of the 20 vehicles that were tested. The Nissan GT-R (2:53.2), the Porsche Cayman R (3:03.9), the Audi TT RS (3:0438) and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG (3:04.9) round out the top five of those cars tested in the LL3 class. That’s not a big surprise to Chevy fans considering the 638-horses and an overall weight of 3,363 lbs gives the C6 King of the Hill a ridiculous 5.3 on the pounds per horsepower chart.

Corvette Team members Harlan and Tadge have both mentioned the Car and Driver Lightning Lap previously in their talks with Corvette enthusiast so you can count on them to tout the improvement as validation to the changes made to the latest model.

There is a wealth of information about the Lightning Lap and the cars tested on the Car and Driver website. Click here for the Feature Intro or jump straight to the video of the 2012 Corvette ZR1′s Lightning Lap. There is also a page where you can see the Historical Lap Times.

The feature can also be found in the February 2012 issue of Car and Driver.

Source:
Car and Driver

January 24, 2012

[VIDEO] 1971 Corvette LS9 Engine Swap

Perhaps it’s only appropriate that a modern-day ZR1 Corvette engine would be placed in the original body style that started the ZR-1 (yes, with a hyphen back then) craze way back in 1970.

We first told you about this monster of a 1971 Corvette in July 2011, and now our friends at High Tech Corvette have put together a video that shows just what the modern LS9 ZR1 engine can do when planted in a 1971 Corvette. The LS9 even peeks out from under the hood through a clear opening that marks the C6 ZR1s.

Their testing shows modern-day special creation manages 536 horsepower and 480 ft-lbs of torque, way better than the original ZR-1 ever did. The owner also added modern ZR1 power seats and Bluetooth radio to increase creature comforts, which just goes to show you that in the 21st century, anything goes! Also upgraded, of course, to handle the added power were the brakes, suspension, and drivetrain.

By the way, the original ZR-1 was a $1,221 option package that added an LT-1 engine but also deleted such niceties as power windows, air conditioning, and a radio â€“ since this was, after all, a serious race car! Only 53 such cars were ever built from 1970 to 1972 since most folks didnâ€™t want to do without those things.

This site in the past few days has featured 1963 Split-Window and 1971 models updated with super ZR1 power. What do you think is next â€“ a C5 or a C4 or maybe even a 1953?

Source:
High Tech Corvette via Corvette Online

January 24, 2012

Corvette Auction Preview: Mecum Kissimmee

The sun has barely set on all of the Arizona collector car auctions, but weâ€™ve still got one more event to go before the 2012 calendar rolls over to February. Mecumâ€™s monster 2,200 car Kissimmee, Florida auction begins Tuesday, January 24th at 11am and runs through Saturday, January 28th. Velocity will have 32 hours of live coverage starting on Wednesday the 25th.

Of the nearly 2,200 cars consigned, almost 300 are Corvettes. To put that in perspective, thatâ€™s more Corvettes for sale than at Barrett-Jackson, Russo and Steele, RM, and Gooding combined. Hereâ€™s how the Vettes breakdown by generation:

Generation	No. of Corvettes
C1	49
C2	77
C3	100
C4	22
C5	15
C6	6

As usual, thereâ€™s everything from factory-correct restored cars to racecars to high-end customs available for purchase. If youâ€™re into rare C1â€™s you can take your pick from 5 big brake fuel injected cars. Thereâ€™s 1 from each year:

If youâ€™re looking for a top-shelf custom Corvette, then check out Split Personality, a wild 1963 split window coupe which consumed 15,000 hours of labor during the build. Late model fans will be lining up for Lot S187, a 600hp 2006 Z06 Corvette massaged by Ligenfelter and Spectre Werkes. Be sure to not miss the 11 low-mile cars from the Pam Lambert collection and the 12 Corvettes from the Chuck Ungurean collection.

The sheer volume and quality of the Corvettes at Mecum Kissimmee made assembling this auction preview very difficult. Here are the ones that made it on to our must-have list.

Lot #S95 – 1961 Corvette Gulf Oil SCCA National Champ
Ordered new by Don Yenko for Grady Davis (the VP of Gulf Oil), it won the 1961 SCCA B-Production National Championship with Dr. Dick Thompson at the helm. It made 11 trips to Victory Lane that year. Other famous drivers include Don Yenko and Ben Moore. It was uncovered in 1990 and restored to its 1961 racing livery. Accolades include: NCRS American Heritage Award, Bloomington Gold Special Collection, Corvette Hall of Fame, and the Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame. Big racing history + big name drivers = big bucks at auction time around 2:10pm on Saturday.

Lot #S184 and Lot #T188 â€“ 1965 and 1967 Bloomington Benchmark Roadsters
These 2 original big blocks have a lot in common. Theyâ€™ve both attained the Bloomington Gold Benchmark and NCRS Top Flight awards. Both are matching numbers cars with 4 speeds and hardtops. The white / black â€™65 has also claimed the coveted NCRS Bowtie award. The triple blue â€™67 wears side pipes while the â€™65 has traditional undercar exhaust.

Lot #F199 and Lot #S189 â€“ 1969 L88 Convertibles
Question: Whatâ€™s got over 1,000 horsepower and costs more than most houses? Answer: This pair of rare 1969 L88 roadsters. Like the previous 2 lots above, this duo also have a lot in common. Both cars are documented, numbers matching cars with Bloomington and NCRS credentials. The yellow on black car shows just 20,000 miles from new. The white on saddle car has been verified by David Burroughs and Tim Thorpe. Given the recent strong sales of L88 Corvettes, weâ€™re sure to see big numbers when these 2 cross the block on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Lot #S175 and Lot #S190 – 1971 LS6 Convertible and 1971 LS6 Coupe
Just 188 LS6 cars were built in 1971. Both the Sunflower Yellow roadster and Warbonnet Yellow coupe here are NCRS Top Flight award recipients. Both cars sport 4 speed transmissions. The coupe features the deluxe interior while the convertible has the standard interior. Both cars will be selling during the 5pm hour on Saturday and both cars will likely have 6 digits in the final bid.

As you can see, the Mecum team has assembled together an impressive catalog of Corvettes for the Kissimmee event. The vehicle auction gets underway Tuesday January 24th at 11am and continues through Saturday, January 28th at the Osceola Heritage Park.

Velocity will have 32 hours of live coverage of the event so set your DVRâ€™s accordingly. All times are Eastern:

Wednesday 1-9pm
Thursday 1-9pm
Friday 2-10pm
Saturday 2-10pm

You can also follow the action on Mecumâ€™s website, www.mecum.com

Source:
Mecum Auctions

January 24, 2012

First 2012 Corvette Garners $600,000 at Barrett-Jackson

The prototype was shown, but it looks much like the car that will be purchased later this year, when VIN #1 goes home.

The purchaser will get to option his car as he wishes, but one thing’s for sure: the 2013 Corvette Convertible built on that future day will have Chevy‘s historic small block 427 cubic inch, 7.0L V8 engine. Rumors are that this engine will be gone, once the final C6 Corvettes have been replaced in fall 2013 with the C7! It is hard to imagine, but the day approaches.

Video of the auctioning of this Corvette treasure is available at this link to AutoBlog. Barrett-Jackson secured $600,000 for the car last week, and the proceeds will go to charity.

January 24, 2012

Cars That Caught My Eye at the Detroit Auto Show

While I was enjoying the sights at the North American International Auto Show last week, several vehicles caught my eye that were not Corvettes. I don’t see any of these is a direct competitor to the Corvette, but they are all coupes or convertibles.

This Acura NSX Concept, which is said to be close to the planned production model, is quite a looker.

One has not been able to buy a new NSX for some years, but production of this slick coupe will definitely result in sales for Honda’s luxury division. How many will be determined by the price.

And then I saw the BMW i8 Concept, which is not exactly the same car as in Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol, but is certainly close:

The Audi R8 GT Spyder was pretty sweet, too:

And then, we were told that this Falcon F7 is the very first production model, already sold and committed to a buyer. The website suggests a price around $200,000, so it reminded me of how remarkable the low price of the Corvette ZR1 truly is!

The foot pedal arrangement is unique:

January 23, 2012

[VIDEO] Zoraâ€™s 1989 Corvette Sells for $27,000 at Russo and Steele

Zora's 1989 Corvette sells at the 2012 Russo and Steele auction

At Saturday’s Russo and Steele auction in Scottsdale, a very special 1989 Bright Red Corvette was driven up on the block. With 26,412 Corvettes built during the 1989 model year, what could be so special about this particular Corvette that would give it a coveted Saturday evening auction slot? This ’89 Corvette Convertible was owned and driven by the Godfather of Corvette: Zora Arkus-Duntov.

With his name on the title and the gold script “Zora” painted on the doors, there was not doubt that this Red C4 was originally owned by the Corvette’s first Chief Engineer. Zora put most of the 35,000 miles on it himself as he was known for attending Corvette-related events across the country.

Bidding on the Corvette was fairly strong considering we are talking about a 1989 Corvette convertible. But Zora’s name worked its magic on the crowed and the Corvette was hammered sold for $27,000.

Documentation of the Corvette includes the signed original Owners Manual, correspondence, articles and an information binder. The original title of the Corvette is still in Zora’s name. When the Red on Red Corvette entered the Russo and Steele auction, it was announced that the Corvette would be sold on a bill of sale to retain Zora’s signature on the title for the future owner.

Here is the video of Zora’s 1989 Corvette from Russo and Steele’s Saturday night auction:

If you’ve been to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, one of the well-known cars on display is Zora’s blue 1974 Corvette. Zora sold his ’74 Corvette in 1989 for a reported $100,000 and used part of the proceeds to purchase the Red 1989 Corvette. He drove the C4 Corvette until he passed away in 1996.

After Zora passing, the Corvette joined the collection of Chevy dealer and collector Bob McDorman. McDorman sold the Corvette at a Mecum auction in 2010 for $20,000.

Source:
Russo and Steele