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Chevy Recalls Corvettes for Rear Hatch

In a recent Detroit News story, "General Motors Company said Saturday it is recalling 6,006 new Chevrolet Corvette Coupes in North America, that might fail to meet a federal safety standard covering rear hinges. The issue was discovered in early September, and GM halted shipment of the vehicles for three days as it investigated.

"The recall covers 2011 and 2012 models — including 5,755 in the United States and 217 in Canada. GM said the issue could allow the rear hatch to separate from the vehicle in a crash.

"Dealers will replace both rear hatch hinges. GM notified dealers last month of its plan. The issue was discovered in testing for a future European regulation. GM is unaware of any crashes, injuries, or customer complaints related to the issue.

"Most of the models — about 4,000 — are 2011 vehicles. The hatch being replaced is from Milan Metal Systems LLC of Milan.  Letters to customers will be mailed Oct. 14 with instructions on how to have their vehicle repaired."

As an update to the Detroit News story, dealers have not yet received the parts needed for the repairs.

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Corvette Auction Results: 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas

Corvette Auction Results: 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas

A ton of excitement was generated on Saturday afternoon at Mecum’s inaugural auction in Dallas. Of the 116 L88 Corvettes that were built in 1969, the black coupe that hit the auction block this past Saturday may be one of the finest examples of them all. An all original Corvette, the Black L88 coupe dominated the attention of bidders and its stong selling price at $562,500 set the high sale of the entire auction.

The Black 1969 L88 Corvette Coupe comes with a provenance that puts it above all others in its category. The Black on Black coupe holds an NCRS Regional Top Flight award with a score of 98.4. It’s also been Bloomington Gold certified and holds Survivor status. The Black L88 has also been featured as an NCRS training seminar display vehicle. And when we say everything on the car is original, we mean everything – paint, interior, engine, tires. Documentation includes the tank sheet, delivery sheet, Protect-0-Plate and original owner history. Even the original keys were part of the Saturday’s sale.

1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas
1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas
1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas
1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas 1969 L88 Corvette Sells for $562,500 at Mecum Dallas

L88 Corvettes don’t come to market all that often and the last few that we have seen generally sold in the quarter-million range. Mecum sold a Fathom Green 1969 L88 Coupe at the Indianapolis auction in May 2011 for $222,600. As a general rule, the L88 Corvettes that we have seen that have sold for more than the market average of $250,000 usually have a racing pedigree. But there is an old saying that goes “they are only original once” and the new owner of this 1969 L88 Corvette was buying that originality.

Source:
Mecum Auctions

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[VIDEO] Tommy Milner’s Helmet Cam from Night Practice at Petit Le Mans

[VIDEO] Tommy Milner's Helmet Cam from Night Practice at Petit Le Mans

Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner once again takes up behind the wheel to give us the driver’s perspective of lapping the 2.54 mile circuit at Road Atlanta in the dark during the Thursday night practice session. Milner and his #3 Compuware Corvette C6.R reach speeds up to 160 mph on the backstretch and its all captured in glorious HD!

Unfortunately for Tommy and his co-drivers Olivier Beretta and Antonio Garcia, the #3 Corvette C6.R suffered a gearbox box problem during the first part of the race and was unable to continue. The #4 Corvette C6.R with Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen and Richard Westbrook finished 4th in class.

Source:
@TommyMilner on Twitter

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GM Recalling 6,006 Corvette Coupes for Rear Hatch Issue

GM Recalling 6,006 Corvette Coupes for Rear Hatch Issue

The Detroit News is reporting that General Motors will be recalling 6,006 2011 and 2012 Corvette Coupes in North America due to failure to meet a federal safety standard covering the rear hinges. GM said the issue could allow the rear hatch to separate from the vehicle in a crash.

GM will be mailing letters to the owners with the affected hinges on October 14th. Dealers will replace both rear hatch hinges.

The issue came to light during testing for a future European regulation in early September, and GM halted shipment of the vehicles for three days as it investigated. GM says its unaware of any crashes, injuries or customer complaints related to the issue.

The recall affects 5,755 Corvettes in the United States and 217 in Canada. Most of the rear hatch hinges – about 4,000 – are on 2011 Corvettes.

Source:
David Shepardson/Detroit News

Related:
Service Bulletin: 2008-09 Corvette Convertible Tops May Tear at High Speeds
Bowling Green’s UAW Local 2164 Starts Corvette Customer Feedback Blog
2005-2006 Corvettes Recalled for Steering Column Issue

 


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DVR Alert: West Coast Customs’ VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project

West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project

West Coast Customs kicked off season two of their show on the new Velocity network with a project built around a custom 1958 Corvette for the Black Eye Peas’ Will.I.Am. If you missed it, you’re not alone, but the good news is that after consulting my TV guide, it looks like the final episode of this project will be shown on Sunday at 8:00 pm EST. You’ll want to set your DVRs now because this looks like a really cool project.

The VETT.I.Am Corvette features a 1958 Corvette fused with the modern amenities of a 2008 Corvette. The front end was custom hand-fabricated with custom “White Wall” wheels and inside, the interior is from a 2008 Corvette. An integrated touch screen computer and West Coast Customs’ sound system were also included in the custom buildup.

West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project
West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project West Coast Customs' VETT.I.AM Custom Corvette Project

The shop was made famous for its custom builds on the MTV show Pimp My Ride and TLC’s Street Customs. Check out Inside West Coast Customs, Sunday at 8:00 pm EST on Velocity.

Source
West Coast Customs

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