Month: June 2012

We’ve seen plenty of on-board videos from Le Mans but this one from Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor lap during a nighttime practice session before this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is simply amazing for both its clarity and perspective.

This was the first trip to Le Mans for the rookie driver and he appeared to make the most of the experience. Despite going into a tire barrier during a practice session, Taylor’s driving during the 24 hour race was one of the bright spots of this year’s Le Mans campaign for Corvette Racing. During the overnight hours, we even watched the 21 year old driver from Central Florida performed a triple stint – not an easy thing to do considering the amount of focus and concentration it takes to drive just one lap of the famous Circuit de la Sarthe at night.

If this lap wasn’t enough for you, here is this video featuring another night lap in the Corvette C6.R by Taylor.

Source:
MotorSportsMedia via Jalopnik.

Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing ‘Flat Out’ – 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans “The Drivers”
Corvette Racing at Le Mans Test Day: Rites of Passage for Rookie Jordan Taylor
How Virtual Racing Helped Jordan Taylor Secure a Driver Seat With Corvette Racing

 

Last weekend Bloomington Gold formally inducted the 2012 honorees into The Great Hall. The 3rd class of cars features the earliest known production Corvette, 2 very famous racecars, and arguably the most famous Corvette styling car of all time. The diverse list of people and organizations consists of a Lemans winning racer, the founder of Corvette Central, and a former Corvette Chief Engineer.

The Great Hall will honor 10 people and 10 Corvettes annually until 50 people and 50 cars have been recognized. The Great Hall’s intent is to salute the pioneers of our hobby – the people, organizations, and the cars that helped create the phenomenon we know and love today. It’s their passion and drive that helped build the hobby for all of us.

This was the best collection of significant Corvettes assembled in quite some time. The grouping covered nearly 40 years of Corvette styling and performance. In addition, a recently discovered 1967
white/red 427 coupe with just 2,996 miles on it (that’s not a typo) greeted attendees before they even got to the honorees. We can’t wait to see what The Great Hall comes up with next year to top 2012.
The only disappointment was that 1953 VIN 003 couldn’t make the event. Its original frame, which was separated from the car after development testing, attended its place. Maybe one day it will be reunited with the actual car.

The cars inducted this year are:

• 1953 Corvette s/n 003
• 1956 Corvette – The Real Mccoy
• CERV I
• 1961 Mako Shark
• Original Stingray Racer
• 1967 Corvette SURVIVOR
• 1967 Corvette Coupe Le Mans L88
• 1970 Corvette LT1
• 1969 Corvette L88 Coupe BFG “Stars & Stripes” Racer
• 1990 ZR-1

This year’s people/organization honorees are:

And here are how the 2012 Great Hall Inductees were displayed at Bloomington Gold:

Related:
The Cars of the 2012 Bloomington Gold Great Hall
Bloomington Gold Announces 2012 Inductees into The Great Hall
[PICS] The 2012 Bloomington Gold Corvette Show

 

Last weekend Bloomington Gold formally inducted the 2012 honorees into The Great Hall. The 3rd class of cars features the earliest known production Corvette, 2 very famous racecars, and arguably the most famous Corvette styling car of all time. The diverse list of people and organizations consists of a Lemans winning racer, the founder of Corvette Central, and a former Corvette Chief Engineer.

The Great Hall will honor 10 people and 10 Corvettes annually until 50 people and 50 cars have been recognized. The Great Hall’s intent is to salute the pioneers of our hobby – the people, organizations, and the cars that helped create the phenomenon we know and love today. It’s their passion and drive that helped build the hobby for all of us.

This was the best collection of significant Corvettes assembled in quite some time. The grouping covered nearly 40 years of Corvette styling and performance. In addition, a recently discovered 1967
white/red 427 coupe with just 2,996 miles on it (that’s not a typo) greeted attendees before they even got to the honorees. We can’t wait to see what The Great Hall comes up with next year to top 2012.
The only disappointment was that 1953 VIN 003 couldn’t make the event. Its original frame, which was separated from the car after development testing, attended its place. Maybe one day it will be reunited with the actual car.

The cars inducted this year are:

• 1953 Corvette s/n 003
• 1956 Corvette – The Real Mccoy
• CERV I
• 1961 Mako Shark
• Original Stingray Racer
• 1967 Corvette SURVIVOR
• 1967 Corvette Coupe Le Mans L88
• 1970 Corvette LT1
• 1969 Corvette L88 Coupe BFG “Stars & Stripes” Racer
• 1990 ZR-1

This year’s people/organization honorees are:

And here are how the 2012 Great Hall Inductees were displayed at Bloomington Gold:

Related:
The Cars of the 2012 Bloomington Gold Great Hall
Bloomington Gold Announces 2012 Inductees into The Great Hall
[PICS] The 2012 Bloomington Gold Corvette Show

 

America is sitting up and taking notice that the Chevrolet Corvette will be celebrating a major milestone next year.

In fact, USA Today – “The Nation’s Newspaper” – is asking its readers if they want to show off their Corvette as “America’s Sports Car” turns 59 this year.

The newspaper is ready to join the celebration a year early by gathering a gallery of reader photos showcasing their beautiful Corvettes that will be displayed on their website.

If you’d like to take part, send your first and last name, hometown, model year of the Corvette, and a brief description of the photo and where it was made. Then send all your materials to pmarinova@usatoday.com by June 29 and put “Corvette” in the subject line.

Your submission means that you are ensuring that you have permission to send it, that it is original and unique, and that USA Today has the right to use it as stated above.

Source:
USA Today

Related:
Drive Your Corvette To Work Day is Friday, June 29th!
Corvette Ownership Still a Dream For Many Drivers
[PICS] Canterbury Corvette Fest 2012

 

You can’t please everyone – even when you take away a drug dealer’s car.

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Department in Atlanta, Georgia is under fire from some citizens for keeping a confiscated Corvette ZR1 that it is using for promotional and educational purposes.

Clarence E. Cox, the sheriff’s department’s director of constituency services, points out that the car was not paid for by taxpayers, and in fact, it’s clearly marked on the back: “Donated by a Local Drug Dealer.”

Cox says the car was used as a cocaine transporter, with the illegal drug sometimes even hidden in a taillight. When the drug dealer was busted, the sheriff’s department took possession of the car.

The car has not been repainted but is covered with removable wrapping with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department logo on it. It’s not used for patrol or chases.

However, at least one taxpayer, Menyon Epps, is worried about the amount of money she says it costs to take care of a luxury car, apparently unaware that many Corvette owners, including this writer, spend less money on upkeep than they do on a relatively mundane vehicle like a Suburban.

“I just think there are better things the department could do with that money,” Epps told CBS Atlanta News Channel 6.

Cox begs to differ.

“(The car) sends the message that one, we’re not going to have drug dealing in our communities,” Cox said, “(and) two, if you do that, we’re gonna take your goods and put them to use in a law enforcement purpose.”

He says the car would just be sitting in a parking lot if it was not being used in anti-drug educational appearances aimed at young people in particular.

Cox has already seen the influence the car can have on the community, he says, and that if just one individual can be influenced to do the right thing, then it’s worth the tank of gas it costs taxpayers.

We’re sure a ZR1 is much more effective than a Cruze would be, for example.

Source:
CBSAtlanta.com

Related:
C5 Corvette Seized From Drug Dealer is Now a DARE Car
[VIDEO] A Corvette Grand Sport is Madison Alabama’s Newest Police Cruiser
APB: Po-Po Driving a Confiscated Corvette Z06 in Raleigh, NC

 

If you’re looking for a 1978 Corvette Pace Car that is a great candidate for NCRS or Bloomington Gold certification, then Mike Yager at Mid America Motorworks has just the car for you.

Mike and his team bought the car for just those reasons, but he says they’ve just been too busy restoring other cars and don’t have room for this Pace Car.

They’re currently offering the ‘Vette for sale on eBay Motors, where the current bid is up to $11,500.

Mike notes that the car is 100 percent original and has only 4,121 miles on the odometer. Better yet, it even includes the highly sought L-82 motor, and since this was the era of Smokey and the Bandit, it has a CB radio, too!

He rates the interior as a 9 out of 10 and the exterior an 8.5 out of 10 (because of some minor stress cracks on the right front fender).

Other desirable options include air conditioning, power windows and door locks, mirror glass roof panels, tilt-tele steering column, AM/FM/CB, cruise control, and polished aluminum rally wheels with white letter radials.

If you have any questions about this very collectible Corvette, e-mail Michael.yager@mamotorworks.com

Source:
eBay

Related:
Corvettes on eBay: 1953 Corvette #244 Unrestored Survivor
Corvettes on eBay: 1961 Corvette is a True Barn Find
1991 Callaway Corvette Speedster For Sale in Arizona

 

The 2012 version of the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show took place last weekend in St. Charles, Illinois. Chamber of Commerce weather, a fantastic setting, and spectacular cars all combined to produce yet another memorable late-June celebration of Corvettes.

We rolled into town late Thursday afternoon and made a quick run through the GoldMine Corvettes for sale and the GoldMarket swap meet. With Thursday being largely for setup, the Cubic Knowledge seminars, and judged vehicle check-in, the crowds were pretty sparse by the time we got there.

We got up early Friday and headed straight to the judging field. The field was packed with Gold Certification candidates including over 30 cars alone in the 1967 class. The judging field was full of legendary Corvettes like a 1957 airbox fuelie, a 1963 big tank Z06, a 1971 ZR2, and a 1972 ZR1 with just 300 miles on it. This was the first Bloomington Gold to feature the new engine stamp pad judging guidelines announced earlier this year.

Next up for us was lunch and a trip through the vendor areas where our sponsors Corvette Central, Mid America Motorworks, and Corvette America were setup at various locales for the weekend.

We checked out all the new Corvettes for sale by local dealers and spent some time in GM’s booth checking out the new 2013 Corvettes. GM engineers were present there to answer questions anyone had regarding the new models.

Saturday was headlined by the Mecum Auction and Survivor and Benchmark judging out on the golf course. Due to some messy road construction in the area, the 20 mile Survivor road tour was eliminated this year. The top sale at the auction was a 1967 427/435 roadster at $115,000 while the highest no-sale went to an unrestored 1969 L88 coupe at $385,000. We’ll have more on the auction a little later this week.

As the auction wound down we headed back over to the show field to catch the awards ceremony and see all the winners drive up to received their accolades. This was also a great opportunity just to wander around the grounds and look at all of the great Corvettes in the club and general parking areas. We don’t ever remember seeing that many Corvettes on the golf course before.

We finally made it over the The Great Hall where 10 people/groups and 10 Corvette where being saluted for their respective contributions to the Corvette hobby. This was one of the best collections of significant Corvettes we’ve seen in a long, long time. Keep an eye out for a full wrap up from The Great Hall coming soon. Although we weren’t able to make it this year, the GoldTour departed for its annual jaunt through the Illinois countryside a bit later on Saturday evening.

Sunday we stopped in at the new Survivor Collector Car show. This show is strictly for unrestored cars and all makes and models are welcome. We love these time capsules and it was oddly refreshing to see some other makes after swimming in a sea of Corvettes for 3 days. We’ll have a review of that event later this week as well.

This was somewhat of a transitional year for Bloomington Gold. It was the final year in St. Charles after a decade-long run there before next year’s move to Champaign, IL next year. It was also the first show under the leadership of new owner Guy Larsen as well as the first use of the new engine judging standards. With a new generation of Corvette coming late next year, we’re definitely looking forward to the 2013 Bloomington event.

Our wrap up of the 2012 Bloomington Gold show is just beginning so check back here often for more stellar coverage from this year’s event. Meanwhile enjoy some pics from last weekend. We’ve also uploaded a mega gallery of images up on our Facebook page as well. Check them out!

* All photos © 2012 Steve Burns for CorvetteBlogger.com

Related:
Bloomington Gold Corvette Show Moving to Champaign, IL in 2013
Bloomington Gold Announces New Standards for Engine Stamps
Corvette Auction Preview: Mecum at Bloomington Gold