Month: August 2009

There was a time when the Pontiac Firebird wasn’t a cliche. There was a time when, if you wanted to empty a bar in New Jersey, you didn’t call out, “Hey, Vinnie, somebody hit your Firebird!” There was a time when General Motors was proud of the Firebird and wanted to see it thrive, rather than letting it die a slow, lingering death.

As we learn more about the GT2 Corvette C6.R race cars, it’s becoming more apparent that Corvette Racing’s unsung hero is the technological know-how that allowed the team to go from concept approval in September 2008 to race-ready in August 2009. In this next press release from GM Racing, we get a look at the technical insights on the new production GT Race Car and what the engineers faced in designing the next-generation Corvette C6.R. [More]

Chevrolet introduced the new ZR1 homologated GT2 Corvette C6.R this afternoon. The new GT2 car is based on the ZR1 Corvette which Corvette Racing’s Program Manager Doug Fehan says looks identical to the production ZR1 except for the required fender flares. Johnny O’Connell, driver of the #3 car was in on the teleconference and says the new Corvette C6.R is amazing and is very comfortable to drive. He did say the car has less aero and the steel brakes vs carbon brakes will be one of the biggest adjustments. O’Connell reiterated that drivers want to go where the competition is and in the ALMS, that’s GT2. GM Racing Manager Mark Kent summed up the move to GT2 the best:

Moving to GT2 is a big step for the Corvette Racing team and allows us to compete on the track with the same competition that Corvette competes with in the marketplace.

Check out the new GT2 Corvette C6.R photos and the official press release after the jump. [More]

General Motor’s new test track, located in Yuma, Arizona, held its grand opening on Wednesday, July 22. To celebrate, the Arizona Corvette Enthusiasts car club brought an array of Corvettes to initiate the track’s grand opening.

"We heard about the grand opening and suggested we get our Corvettes out to the event to support GM and its employees," said Thomas Counts, AZ Corvette enthusiast.

The Yuma track itself was originally built to replace GM’s 50-year-old track in Mesa. The $100 million new track was constructed within the Yuma Proving Ground and occupies 2,400 acres of land. Fortunately, the track opened just in time for the busy season in hot weather testing.

So now, the next time you’re in Arizona, be sure to visit the new Yuma track. I’m sure it’s worth the ride!

[ Examiner.com ]

We got a sneak peak on a new Corvette video series coming from the creators of Vette Girl and Vette Dogs. Vette Garage: The Series will be filmed entirely in HD and will debut on DigitalCorvettes.com sometime this fall. I’m sure we’ll have more details as the series gets closer to launching, but in the meantime enjoy this preview:

Vette Garage: The Series

 

Admission: Viewing cars at the meet is free; on Saturday, visitors may tour the museum for half price – $3 for adults and $1.50 for children More information: To inquire about registration or weekend events, call 643-2024. Take a ride down memory lane.

Corvette sales took a bit of dip last month as GM reported 966 deliveries in the month of July. The 966 units is the lowest since January’s 842 deliveries and was 30% lower than the 1,396 Corvettes sold in June 2009. However, based on July sales of Corvettes in 2007 and 2008, the decline is most probably due to smaller dealer inventories and consumer anticipation for the 2010 model which the factory started building last week. [More]

A week ago we introduced you to the SV 9 Competizione, the new Corvette-based custom coach from SV Motor Company. The SV 9C was conceived, designed and assembled in just 10 months which is an amazing feat in the automotive industry. To make the concept happen, SV Motors teamed up with an all-star team that included Pratt & Miller, Corvid Technologies and others. Today we’re happy to present you with real-world pics from the car’s debut last week in San Francisco. [More]

Paint/body and built the engine myself.. have a trick electronic boost controller setup with a wastegate on the intake side..High numbers are for high boost setting, 18-20psi depending on outside temps.

Our friends at BadBoyVettes have alerted us to a GM Press conference on Tuesday August 4th at 1pm EST for the introduction of the new ZR1-homologated GT2 Corvette C6.Rs. BBV says the new Corvettes will be sporting a new livery created by the GM Design Center. [More]