Rumors & Innuendo Archives - Page 26 of 28

January 23, 2014

[PIC] Hansen ART Imagines the 2015 Corvette Z06 as a Convertible

The 2015 Corvette Z06 made its debut last week at the North American International Auto Show and one of the exciting new features on the new super car is that this will be the first Corvette Z06 with a removable roof panel. But that hasn’t stopped rumors of a full-on convertible Z06.

A Milan, Italy based graphic design shop named Hansen ART took that idea and created this beautiful rendering of what a Corvette Z06 convertible might look like.

Compared to the Corvette Stingray, the all-new Corvette Z06 looks like its spent months in the gym to perfect its stance. A wider body and the aggressive aerodynamics really give the car some great curb appeal. But the convertible rendering sort of takes some of that seriousness out of the Z06 and softens it, as if to say that its the perfect sports car for a Sunday afternoon drive.

Based on the success of the 2013 Corvette 427, which was a convertible with the Z06′s potent 7.0 liter LS7 V8, we really thought that a C7 Corvette Z06 Convertible might actually happen. After all, Chevy sold 2,500 427′s during the C6′s final year of production. And although it wasn’t announced during NAIAS, we still think this might be on the drawing board.

Click here to see a larger version of the Corvette Z06 Convertible rendering in Yellow and Silver.

Source:
Hansen Art on Facebook

January 16, 2014

Chevrolet Closes the Door on Building a C7 Corvette ZR1

Who needs a ZR1 when you’ve already got a Z06 capable of providing even better supercar performance?

Autoblog reports this week that its sources at Chevrolet are saying that a ZR1 version of the C7 is not likely.

That makes economic sense really.

After all, the C4 ZR-1 singlehandedly made Corvette the “King of the Hill” for performance cars during its limited run from 1990 to 1995. But the high price tag (and the ever-increasing performance of the base car) kept sales down to a total of just 6,939 units.

It really wouldn’t be unprecedented for Chevy to drop the ZR1 (or ZR-1, depending on the generation) for now. After all, there was no C5 version, with the Z06 carrying the ultra-performance burden for the Corvette faithful.

There might not have been a C6 ZR1, either, had bad economic times not forced Chevy into extending the run for the sixth generation Corvette, giving Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and crew extra time to come up with new toys like the ZR1 and the Grand Sport.

Now, with the just-announced C7 Z06 actually beating the performance of the C6 ZR1 with its 625 horsepower (at least) and 635 pound-feet of torque, even though itâ€™s still in development, Chevy likely believes it canâ€™t justify the additional costs to engineer, test, and certify a new ZR1 â€“ especially since it historically has never sold that many in the first place and probably wouldnâ€™t increase performance that much.

The good news is that the new Z06 will be here soon – and at a price palatable to those who can afford the C6 ZR1. Just as he told folks that if they could afford a C6, they could afford a C7, Juechter is now saying that if someone could afford a C6 ZR1, they can afford a C7 Z06.

Autoblog believes Chevy might wait for what it calls the â€œnext great technological leapâ€ before investing in another ZR1.

Source:
Autoblog.com

January 11, 2014

LEAKED: Images Surface of the 2015 Corvette Z06

Despite Chevrolet’s best attempts to keep the lid on the 2015 Corvette Z06 until the official reveal on Monday morning at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, the cat is now out of the bag after a Jalopnik reader goes sleuthing for the images and finds them courtesy of a Google image search on another automotive news site.

One thing for sure is certain though. The aggressive looks of the new Corvette Z06′s design and the increased performance that most likely goes hand-in-hand will give the competition many sleepless nights as they try to figure out just how Chevrolet can make a 620 hp supercar at half or quarter of the price that supercars normally sell for.

The Corvette Z06 will officially make its debut Monday morning at 10:00 am ET at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Follow CorvetteBlogger on Twitter and Facebook for live updates from the show.

Source:
Jalopnik

January 8, 2014

LEAKED: Check Out the 2015 Corvette Z06 Supercharged Emblem

When Chevy released their teaser pic of the C7 Z06, they shared a picture of the drivers side of the car down low which featured just a little bit of the vent in front of the door. Now a new leaked image has come out via a new C7 Corvette site called the C7 Stingray Forum which purports to show the Corvette Z06′s fender badge.

This leaked picture continues where the teaser photo had stopped by showing a new Z06 logo with the word “SUPERCHARGED” under it. Instead of the emblem being mounted on the fender, this one is integrated into a section of the vent.

The image has also been shared on the Corvette Forum where one user photoshopped the new emblem onto the teaser pic to give it a little more context:

The photo comes on the heels of yesterday’s inadvertent reveal of website meta data on Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 Live Stream webpage which claimed the new C7 Z06 as having 620 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Chevy has since changed that data but this is the internet and once it’s out, it stays out.

The official reveal and our questions about the new 2015 Corvette Z06 will be answered Monday morning at 10am EST at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Source:
C7 Stingray Forum

January 8, 2014

LEAKED: Check Out the 2015 Corvette Z06 Supercharged Emblem

The image has also been shared on the Corvette Forum where one user photoshopped the new emblem onto the teaser pic to give it a little more context:

The official reveal and our questions about the new 2015 Corvette Z06 will be answered Monday morning at 10am EST at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Source:
C7 Stingray Forum

January 7, 2014

LEAKED: 2015 Corvette Z06 to have 620 Horsepower, 650 lb-ft of Torque

As we reported yesterday, Chevrolet will be live streaming the official reveal of the 2015 Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show on Monday morning beginning with a special event at 9:30 am EST. A special live stream page is already live and we checked it out yesterday like good CorvetteBloggers do.

But it seems that our friends at Jalopnik have just found something very interesting on Google relating to the 2015 Corvette Z06 and that official live stream page. If you search Google with the keywords “Chevrolet Z06 Supercar Reveal”, the results shows the website to the Corvette Z06 Reveal page that was made public yesterday, but the meta data on the page spills the beans:

With 620 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2015 Corvette Z06 is the most advanced Corvette ever made. Read more about Chevy’s supercar here.

Website meta data is text hidden in the HTML code of websites and is used to tell search engines what the description of that page is. Unfortunately for Chevrolet, the reveal page for the 2015 Corvette Z06 lists the performance stats as 620 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Now we know why Chevrolet is calling the 2015 Corvette Z06 “the most track-capable Corvette ever, designed to deliver supercar levels of performance through unique powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic features” when it announced last month that it would unveil the performance car at NAIAS.

We’ve speculated the C7 Z06 to come in around 600+ horsepower but I don’t anyone expected 650 lb-ft of torque. After all, the 2013 ZR1 comes in at 604 lb-ft of torque while the previous generation’s 7.0L LS7 powered Z06 is rated at 470 lb-ft of torque.

Although these performance numbers are leaked from an official Chevrolet website, chances are they could be slightly different when the rumored LT4 supercharged engine is officially certified by SAE. We saw that with the Corvette Stingray earlier this year.

The official reveal for the 2015 Corvette Z06, along with Corvette Racing’s C7.R will happen next Monday at 10 am EST. Join the fun by tuning into Chevrolet.com/Z06Reveal beginning at 9:30 am EST for a special event and then watch the reveals following.

Update

Chevrolet has already changed the meta data of the page. It now reads “The 2015 Corvette Z06 is the most advanced Corvette ever made. Read more about Chevy’s supercar here.” The new description is now updated on Google as well. Glad I grabbed those screen shots when I did!

Source:
Jalopnik

December 10, 2013

Report: 2015 Corvette to Get 8-Speed Automatic Transmission

Report: 2015 Corvette Stingray to Get 8-Speed Automatic Transmission

Rumors have been going around for months that the C7 Corvette would eventually have an improved automatic transmission.

Based on a technical paper summary previewed on the Web by the Society of Automotive Engineers over the weekend, a new eight-speed automatic will be available for the Stingray, perhaps as early as the 2015 model year.

The current C7 six-speed automatic already is the most miserly Corvette automatic ever when it comes to fuel economy, delivering a 10.5 percent increase of 1 mpg in the city and 3 mpg on the highway compared to the C6.

But the technical paper summary confirms that the new eight-speed automatic will have plenty of room for increased torque (able to handle 738 lb-ft), while still offering gas mileage of more than 30 mpg on the highway for the first time ever.

We hope to find out more details about this impressive new transmission when the full technical paper will go on sale in April 2014.

Update

The SAE Summary Paper has been pulled from the website but luckily we have the text from the page before it was redacted:

General Motors Rear Wheel Drive Eight Speed Automatic Transmission
Technical Paper
2014-04-01
James Michael Hart, Tejinder Singh, William Goodrich

General Motors Rear Wheel Drive Eight Speed Automatic Transmission General Motors shall introduce a new rear wheel drive eight speed automatic transmission, known as the 8L90, in the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette. The rated turbine torque capacity is 1000 Nm. This transmission replaces the venerable 6L80 six speed automatic transmission. The objectives behind creation of this transmission are improved fuel economy, performance, and NVH. Packaging in the existing vehicle architecture and high mileage dependability are the givens. The architecture is required to offer low cost for a rear drive eight speed transmission while meeting the givens and objectives. An eight speed powerflow, invented by General Motors, was selected. This powerflow yields a 7.0 overall ratio spread, enabling improved launch capability because of a deeper first gear ratio and better fuel economy due to lower top gear N/V capability, relative to the 6L80. The eight speed ratios are generated using four simple planetary gearsets, two brake clutches and three rotating clutches. The resultant on-axis transmission architecture utilizes a squashed torque converter, an off-axis pump and four close coupled gearsets. The three rotating clutches have been located forward of the gearsets to minimize the length of oil feeds which provides for enhanced shift response and simplicity of turbine shaft manufacturing. The transmission architecture features a case with integral bell housing for enhanced powertrain stiffness. A unique pump drive design allows for off-axis packaging very low in the transmission. The pump is a binary vane type which effectively allows for two pumps in the packaging size of one. This design and packaging strategy not only enables low parasitic losses and optimum priming capability but also provides for ideal oil routing to the controls system, with the pump located in the valve body itself. The transmission controller is externally mounted, enabling packaging and powertrain integration flexibilities. The controller makes use of three speed sensors which provide for enhanced shift response and accuracy. Utilization of aluminum and magnesium components throughout the transmission yields competitive mass. The dedicated compensator feed circuit, used in GM six speed designs, was supplanted by a lube-fed design in order to simplify oil routing and enhance shift response. Packaging is within that of the GM 6L80 design, allowing for ease of application integration. The overall result is a robust, compact, and cost effective transmission which offers significant fuel economy and performance benefit, over its six speed counterpart, and shall provide an attractive balance of overall metrics in the automatic transmission market.

Source:
AutoEvolution.com

December 6, 2013

[PICS] 2015 Corvette Z06 Photoshopped and LT4 Engine Photo Leaked

With the news that Chevrolet will be introducing the 2015 Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month, speculation about the car’s details have ramped up from whispers to a dull roar. Leading the rumor mill over the last two days is this photoshop of a C7 Corvette Z06 which was reportedly done by a Corvette Forum member, as well as a leaked photo allegedly showing the performance car’s new supercharged engine dubbed the LT4.

Despite earlier stories suggesting the high performance variant of the C7 Corvette would be called the Z07 as homage to the 7th generation of the sports car, the press release by GM cleared that rumor immediately and we are happy that they are sticking with the Z06 nameplate which first appeared 50 years ago on the first Sting Rays in 1963.

Actual details of the new Corvette will be revealed at NAIAS, but its really no surprise on the progression the body of the Corvette Stingray will make as its recast as the Z06. The teaser pic released by GM on Wednesday shows an exaggerated front fender and rocker panels which we assume will be available in light weight carbon fiber like the car’s C6 predecessor.

From that teaser pic which also shows the Corvette wearing Michelin’s Pilot Sport PS2 Cup tires on unique black wheels, we can deduce that the C7 Corvette Z06 will have a wider stance, front spoiler and a larger rear spoiler for increased downforce at high speeds like the photoshopped Yellow Stingray shown above.

Let’s not also forget that recent spy photos published by Automobile Magazine show the Z06 will have massive carbon ceramic brake rotors which are most likely sourced from Brembo and the rear brake vents to keep those brakes cool which appear behind the doors are shown as well.

As for the leaked LT4 engine, its a much better photo than the one with the red supercharger cover that previous make headlines in October. The design of the supercharger cover shows the words “LT4″ and CORVETTE” and the white lines down the center of the cover are reminiscent of the design from the C4′s LT4 which appeared for one year only in 1996 Corvette models.

2015 Corvette Z06 Photoshopped and LT4 Engine Leaked

We previously estimated the power of the forthcoming Corvette Z06 to be 600+ hp and it will need that kind of power to live up to Chevrolet’s claim that the C7 Z06 “will be the most track-capable Corvette ever, designed to deliver supercar levels of performance through unique powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic features.”

So stay tuned as we’re sure there will be more to come before the Corvette Z06′s official launch at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2014.

Source:
Autoblog

December 2, 2013

2014 Corvette Stingray Was Nearly Designed by Brazilians

All along, Chevy has made no secret that with the C7, it was aiming to entice a younger breed of buyer to supplement its already loyal, but graying customer base.

That meant Ed Welburn and his crew were willing to listen to all possibilities when it came time to design the seventh generation of the Corvette a few years back.

In fact, Welburn gave every GM studio designer in the world the chance of a lifetime, the opportunity to show him their vision of what the new C7 should look like.

After sorting through hundreds of drawings, the field was finally narrowed to two: one from the Corvette studio design team and the other from GM do Brasil.

None of the “contestants” could look at anyone else’s ideas, and only Welburn and the other design bosses were allowed to see all the entries.

As we all know now, the Corvette design team, in the end, convinced Welburn that it had come up with the right stuff to convince younger and more affluent buyers to come into the Corvette fold.

It’s wild to think that the design of America’s sports car – seventh edition- was nearly penned by an artist in Brazil.

Source:
GM Authority

November 10, 2013

[VIDEO] Corvette Racingâ€™s C7.R Testing at Daytona

Via CorvetteVideos.TV

A short video showing the all new Corvette C7.R running laps at Daytona International Speedway. The car will make its inaugural debut in the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26th.

Visit CorvetteVideos.TV for the best selection of hand-picked Corvette videos.