Month: September 2012

No one likes having to pay high insurance bills, but the latest status report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers some good news for Corvette drivers.

For the 2009-11 model years, the Z06 and the Corvette convertible were the lowest among all sports cars rated in the category for property damage (which insures against physical damage caused to other vehicles and property).

The convertible also had the lowest claim frequency for medical payments and bodily injury liability, and the second lowest claim frequency for personal injury protection.

The Insurance Institute tables contain results for hundreds of passenger vehicles grouped by class and size under six insurance coverages: collision, property damage liability, comprehensive, personal injury protection, medical payment and bodily injury.

All results are stated in relative terms, with 100 representing the average for all vehicles under a given coverage type. For example, a result of 122 is 22 percent worse than average, and 96 is 4 percent better than average.

That means, under property damage, the Z06 was much better than average with a score of 23 and the convertible was right behind with a score of 31. Even the base Corvette had an outstanding score of 40, the fourth lowest sports car rating.

The base Corvette had a collision rating of 84, just better than the convertible’s 87 and the Z06’s 98. However, the ZR1 had a poor collision rating of 196.

Of course, it’s all relative. The Ferrari California convertible had a collision rating of 748!

In the tables, vehicles are displayed with others from the same size and class. Similar models can generally be expected to have similar losses. These tables help consumers identify vehicles whose results are substantially better or worse than others like them.

The results are adjusted to reduce possible distortions from other nonvehicle factors – operator age, calendar year, density, gender, marital status, model year, risk (standard or nonstandard), and state.

Source:
BusinessInsider.com

Related:
[VIDEO] NCM Insurance Agency Launches iPhone/iPad App
[VIDEO] Insurance Industry Group Names The Top 10 Most Stolen Corvettes
IntelliChoice Names 2012 Corvette “Best-Bet” in Cost of Ownership Survey

 

A long-time friend has stepped up to the plate for the National Corvette Museum’s proposed Motorsports Park.

Rick Hendrick recently made a $100,000 donation to the park through his Hendrick Automotive Group.

Hendrick says he is proud to be associated with the track’s message of education and safety and called the addition of the Motorsports Park “an exciting next step” for the facility.

“The Museum is already a very special place for Corvette and racing enthusiasts, and this new project will grow that reputation even more,” Hendrick said.

Hendrick knows a thing or two about racing. His teams have won 10 Sprint Cup Series Championships and more than 200 NASCAR victories.

The museum has already paid $3 million cash for the land for the Motorsports Park and has raised about $1 million to help with construction. Officials are hoping that most of the facility can be built by the museum’s 20th anniversary in 2014.

They’re also hoping that they can get enough major commitments to service a $10 million debt, which would require about $750,000 a year in sponsorship commitments.

Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode said NCM is “grateful” for Hendrick’s “generous” donation and “thrilled” by what it means.

“Coming from one of the most successful individuals in NASCAR history, this is a real confirmation that all of our hard work, planning, and fundraising activity is beginning to get the attention of people who understand and appreciate the full potential of the NCM Motorsports Park,” Strode said.

“As we continue to move forward, we are confident that validations like this one will lead to increased involvement from sponsors, race teams, and motorsports organizations who will want to be a part of this exciting project.”

NCM officials and architect Steve Crawford hope to have the design for the park done by the end of the year, and it’s expected to take another three months to prepare bid documents.
Whether work starts in 2013 will depend on how fundraising efforts go, Strode said.

The motorsports park will be used for education, recreation, and training of Corvette enthusiasts. The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County has approved most of the requirements that will be needed for construction, though a building permit won’t be issued until the results of a study by a sound engineer are obtained. That was one of the stipulations the museum agreed to after residents nearby expressed concerns over potential increased levels of noise from the track.

Strode is confident the park can be designed so that noise won’t be a problem for neighbors.

Source:
National Corvette Museum

Related:
Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park Hires Architect; Looks for Sponsorships
Corvette Museum’s Zoning Request for Motorsports Park Clears Next Hurdle
Corvette Museum Gets Zoning for Motorsport Park

 

Here is the fourth video in the Corvette Generations series from the Corvette Time Line at Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise. In this latest segment, Corvette Product Manager Harlan Charles pays tribute to the C4 Corvette which was produced from 1984-1996.

The C4 Corvette marked a new turning point for Chevrolet. With an emphasis on technology, performance and aerodynamics, Corvette broke away from the previous generation with a more angular design, a unique 1-piece clamshell hood and another first for the model that is still with us today – the removable roof panel.

New technologies during the model run included an all-electronic instrumentation, anti-lock brakes, traction control and run-flat tires.

In 1990, the Corvette ZR-1 was introduced. With an all new dual-overhead cam V8 that could generate 375 horsepower, the ZR-1 was affectionately known as the “King of the Hill”. The ZR-1 also set a world endurance record which stood for 12 years by running at high speed for 24 hours and averaging over 180 mph.

The model run came to close in 1996, and Chevy celebrated that milestone with not one, but two special editions – the 1996 Collector’s Edition and the 330-hp Corvette Grand Sport.

Source:
Chevrolet’s YouTube Channel

Related:
[VIDEO] Harlan Charles Takes a Look at the Milestones of the C3 Generation
[VIDEO] Milestones of the Corvette “Sting Ray” Generation
[VIDEO] Harlan Charles Talks About the C1 Corvette at the Woodward Dream Cruise
[PICS] The Corvettes of the 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise
[PICS] The Corvette Timeline at the 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise

 

With recent reports that GM engineers have set up shop in in the town of Red River, New Mexico to test the 2014 C7 Corvette, it was only a matter of time before the shaky and blurry images of the prototypes taken by average citizens were replaced with high-resolution shots from professional spy photographers. AutomobileMag.com published a new round of photos and this time we get a peek inside the new Corvettes and a preview of its upgraded interior.

One photo in particular shows the headrest of the new seats which bare a striking resemblance to racing seats. One of the common features of racing seats are openings above the shoulders where a racing harness would go – if the owner was inclined to add them. We can’t see the lower area of the new seats so no idea how bolstered up the sides are.

Another really great shot of the interior shows what may be the new steering wheel. You can see the “hamster bumps” at the 10 and 2 position, and the areas on each side of the wheel looks to have upgraded controls that are laid out vertically and surrounded by silver trim. One thing is for certain – this isn’t the same steering wheel that you’ll find on the 2014 Impala.

Another point of that steering wheel photo shows a huge A-pillar. You can see that the door panel looks to get wider as it joins with the A-pillar and then transitions into the dash. Following the Corvette’s history of the dual-cockpit design, it really looks like the designers are trying to “wrap” the interior around the driver. Chevy has the dash covered up pretty tight so everything else we’d like to mention would be conjecture at this point.

However, that huge A-pillar could be a sign that all the base Corvettes will have an aluminum frame. If the frame is aluminium, that pillar could be larger due to the structural reinforcement needed to hold down the body-flex when the roof panel is removed as well as in the convertible version that will be coming at a later date.

One of the AutomobileMag.com spy shots shows a C7 prototype next to a Camaro ZL1 and the Corvette looks quite a bit smaller in comparison. Like the hood vents in the ZL1, a couple of the shots that look down on the front of cars appear to show similar styled hood vents in the prototypes.

And finally some parting shots. We’ve seen three different types of wheels on these numbered prototypes so far. The chrome 5-star wheels looks vaguely similar to the wheels on the Corvette Stingray concept. A couple of the photos show round tail lights through the covers but AutomobileMag.com tells us that these aren’t the final version. Expect the squared-off tail lights similar to the Camaro they said. Some of the roofs seem to have different finishes on them. The #31 prototype makes us wonder if carbon fiber roofs have made their way from the C6′s ZR1 down to the base Corvettes in C7. After all, weight savings is one of the design priorities of the new Corvette.

What we still don’t have is really any confirmation of what’s under the hood. AutomobileMag.com says expect the 5.5L Gen V V8 with 440hp. We still believe that to be incorrect as we say it will be a 6.2L with 440-480 base horsepower and it will be coupled to the buyer’s choice of a 7-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission.

For more on these Corvette spy photos from New Mexico’s testing session, head over to AutomobileMag.com to see all the photos. I would also suggest that if you really want to dive into the pool of C7 speculation, head over to the Corvette Forum’s C7 section where the eagle-eyed enthusiasts are pointing out and questioning every minor detail.

Source:
AutomobileMag.com

Related:
[VIDEO] C7 Corvette Prototypes Testing in New Mexico
C7 Corvette Spied Again in Michigan Plus a Trip Around the Rumor Mill
Jalopnik: This Image Will Make You Fall In Love With the 2014 Chevy Corvette