[PICS] Cimtex Rods’ Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette

[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette

While perusing the plethora of flashy rides at Detroit Autorama we stumbled across this simply stunning custom 1962 Corvette dubbed “Sixty-Two Twelve”. The absolutely striking black roadster built by Cimtex Rods in Jarrell, Texas was being shown by Bruce and Judy Ricks of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

I’m a sucker for black cars with red interiors and this one pushes all the right buttons.

From the flawless black PPG paint to the bright red leather interior by Gabe’s Custom Interiors, this car is both subtle and all-up-in-your-grill at the same time. Exterior body modifications are minimal. Only the smoothed and filled body seems are readily apparent to passersby. Behind that all that silky fiberglass there are custom wheel tubs in addition to reshaped inner fenders and a massaged firewall. The gleaming chrome by John Wright’s Chrome Plating puts the bow on this amazing package.

The body rests on a custom Art Morrison chassis. Lurking between the front fenders is a GM Performance crate LS-3 fed by Kinsler fuel injection which puts out a thumping 515hp. All that mojo is transmitted through a Richmond 5-speed to a Ford 9” rear end sporting 3.50:1 gears. A McLeod clutch separates the motor and transmission when it’s time to swap cogs. Red Bear six piston calipers mounted on monster 14 inch cross-drilled rotors are tucked neatly behind the 18” and 20” Schott Performance wheels. Those billet rims are sheathed in Pirelli rubber. A modern C6 suspension with Ride Tech coilovers keeps the Sixty-Two Twelve planted to the street.

You can share my affection for Sixty-Two Twelve in the gallery below.

[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette
[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette
[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette
[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette
[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette
[PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette [PICS] Cimtex Rods Sixty-Two Twelve Custom Corvette

Related:
[PICS] The Corvettes of the 2012 Detroit Autorama
1962 Corvette Wins Great 8 Award at 2011 Detroit Autorama
[PICS] Corvettes at the 2011 Detroit Autorama

 


Chevrolet Is The Top Performance Brand in the USA

Chevrolet Is The Top Performance Brand in the USA

When it comes sports car sales in the USA, Chevrolet is the brand that buyers flocked to in 2011 with Camaro and Corvette accounting for one out of every three sports cars sold last year. To show off their most capable performance cars, Chevy took the Camaro ZL1 and Corvette ZR1 to VIR where the two retail production versions lapped the Grand Course in record times.

But first, here is what you need to know about sales and how the Corvette and Camaro rank in their segments:

Corvette sales in 2011 were more than double that of its nearest competitor, the Porsche 911, which delivered 6,016 cars in 2011 compared with the 13,164 for the Corvette. Corvette’s market share of the luxury sports car segment was 28% while Porsche had 13%.

Camaro sales totaled 88,249 and accounts for a 37% share of the sports-car segment. Camaro outsold its nearest competitor the Ford Mustang by 17,811 cars in 2011. Ford’s Mustang was #2 and accounts for a 29% share of the market.

CHART: Chevrolet Is The Top Performance Brand in the USA

“With the addition of the Camaro ZL1, there are only a handful of brands in the world with two cars that can match the performance, technology, and excitement of Corvette and Camaro,” said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss. “Unlike many competitors’ performance cars, the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1 are appropriate for both daily drivers and track use from the factory – with standard coolers for brakes and drivetrain.”

“And we challenge any company to bring two cars to compete with the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1, dollar for dollar,” Reuss said. “They will discover what enthusiasts already know – that Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette are the world’s best performance cars for the money.”

Chevrolet recently took both the Corvette ZR1 and the Camaro ZL1 to Virginia International Raceway (VIR), the same track that Car and Driver Magazine uses for its annual Lightning Lap shootout, to demonstrate the capabilities of the two sports cars.

Chevrolet engineer Jim Mero drove a full-production version of the 2012 Corvette ZR1 and lapped the Grand Course at VIR in 2:45.6 – a time that was faster than any published lap time for any production car. Here is the video of that lap:

In a 2012 Camaro ZL1, Camaro engineer Aaron Link lapped the Grand Course in 2:52.4 – more than six seconds faster than the published lap time of a 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 on the same track. Here is the video of that lap:

So the Corvette and Camaro outsold their competition in the showrooms and outdrove them on the track. More proof that sports car buyers get more performance for their money from Chevrolet.

Source:
Chevrolet

Related:
Final 2011 Corvette Production Statistics
[VIDEO] 2012 Camaro ZL1 Runs the Nurburgring in 7:41.27
2012 Corvette ZR1 Runs Fastest Time at Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap #6 at VIR

 


Corvette Museum Lists 2013 NAIAS for C7 Corvette Reveal

Corvette Museum Lists 2013 NAIAS for C7 Corvette Reveal

NAIAS C7 Reveal
* January 10-13

That’s what WAS listed on the National Corvette Museum’s Preliminary Events Calendar for 2013 last week. The Corvette Blog’s Bill Connell spied that date on the calendar and wrote about the NAIAS C7 reveal last Friday. However, after checking the NCM’s website again this morning, the NAIAS event has been scrubbed from the calendar.

We always thought that the 2013 North American International Auto Show was considered the most logical venue for the C7′s unveiling and the inclusion of the reveal date on the NCM calendar appears to be the first semi-official confirmation that GM will introduce the 2014 Corvette in Detroit.

The asterisk that was next to date is explained as “Dates and events are preliminary at this time, sign up on NCM eNews to get the latest updates.”.

The 2014 C7 Corvette is expected to go on sale in the 2nd half of 2013. Check out our C7 Category for the latest news and spy photos of the next generation Corvette.

Source:
CorvetteBlog.com

Related:
Corvette Assembly Plant Announces Suspension of Tours
[VIDEO] C7 Corvette Captured on Spy Video
C7 Corvette Prototypes Captured During Cold Weather Testing

 


Consumer Reports: 2012 Corvette Z06 Is America’s Best Car

Consumer Reports: 2012 Corvette Z06 Is America's Best Car

Looking for the best American-made 2012 vehicle you can buy?

Well, according to Consumer Reports, then you need to buy a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

The magazine unveiled its 2012 rankings Monday for the best and worst vehicles from Detroit’s Big Three, and the Z06 was the highest-rated vehicle from the USA.

“The Corvette offers impressive performance, with a relatively comfortable ride and very capable handling,” Consumer Reports said. “The automatic transmission has paddle shifters, and the manual versions have a launch-control feature for smooth takeoffs.”

Overall, the Z06 was the world’s eighth best car, tying with the Hyundai Genesis 3.8 sedan and Toyota Camry XLE V6 with a score of 92/100.

The news wasn’t so good for Chrysler, with the Wrangler Unlimited earning the year’s worst ranking at 20. “It exhibits inferiority in just about every aspect,” the magazine said.

Ford didn’t have any vehicles on the best and worst list.

Consumer Reports uses 50-plus individualized tests and evaluations to come up with the road test score, showing how each vehicle performs in areas such as braking, acceleration, fuel economy, comfort, and cargo space.

The highest-ranked vehicle was the Lexus LS 460L with a score of 99, two points ahead of the BMW 135i.

Source:
Consumer Reports

Related:
2012 Corvette Wins Intellichoice’s Best Overall Value Award
KBB Ranks the 2011 Corvette as Top Holiday Car Deal
2011 Corvette Z06 Scores ‘Best’ Rating by Consumer Reports Magazine