Corvette Loaner During Volt Swap?

Leave it to the entertaining folks at the Jalopnik website to put this together!  Their post yesterday suggests that Chevy Volt Advisors will attempt to arrange Corvette loaners while Volt battery systems are being examined.

Vette fans would clearly be interested in such a thing, but as the blogpost suggesated: how many Volt lovers are also Corvette enthusiasts?  If you are a Volt owner seeking a Corvette loaner, please let us know.

Click the link for the lengthy story here.

O’Connell, Corvette to be Inducted into Sebring Hall of Fame

O'Connell, Corvette to be Inducted into Sebring Hall of Fame

Two icons of sports car racing will be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame in March. Johnny O’Connell and the Chevrolet Corvette were named as part of the 2012 group of inductees into America’s greatest sports car race hall of fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, March 16 at the Chateau Elan Hotel which overlooks the historic race circuit.

Johnny O’Connell is Sebring’s all-time winner with seven class wins and an overall victory in 1994. He holds the Sebring record for class podium finishes at 12. His string of 20 consecutive starts is also a Sebring record. Although best known for driving with Corvette Racing, his early victories came driving for Nissan.

The Chevrolet Corvette has been proven itself time and again over six decades of racing at Sebring. Since its first appearance at Sebring in 1956, Corvette has earned an incredible 17 class wins. Corvette joins Porsche, Audi and Ferrari as automotive makes to be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame.

The other inductees into the 2012 Sebring Hall of Fame include drivers Hans Herrmann, Geoff Brabham and Jim Downing as well as driver turned journalist Denise McCluggage.

Induction ceremonies will take place Friday, March 16, during a luncheon at the Chateau Elan Hotel and Conference Center, overlooking Sebring’s famous Hairpin turn. The luncheon is open to the pubic with admission proceeds benefiting the Sebring Hall of Fame. Derek Bell will serve as emcee for the event. Tickets are $200 and must be purchased in advance by calling 800-626-7223 x218.

Source:
SPEED

Related:
Corvette Hall of Famer Betty Skelton Passes at Age 85
[VIDEO] Unveiling the 2012 Ron Fellows SEMA/Spring Mountain Corvette Z06
Corvette Museum to Showcase Racing’s Past and Future During Anniversary Celebration

 


If Your Chevy Volt Scares You, GM Will Loan You a Corvette

If Your Chevy Volt Scares You, GM will Loan You a Corvette

The latest news in the ongoing saga that is the Chevy Volt is that there have been two instances where the battery packs have caught fire following crash testing by the NHTSA. Yesterday, General Motors stepped up to the plate with an unprecedented damage-controlling offer: Volt owners concerned about the safety of their electric ride can request a free GM loaner vehicle until the issue is resolved. Apparently, that offer includes the Corvette.

Our friends at Jalopnik had a copy of the letter that GM’s North America President Mark Reuss sent to all current Chevrolet Volt owners announcing the loaner program. As the text included the sentence “We will provide you a GM vehicle to drive until this issue is resolved”, Jalopnik’s Editor Ray Wert called up a few folks at GM and asked “Can you get a Corvette loaner if you’re scared your Chevy Volt will explode?”

GM responded to the question with an absolute yes. They will put you in a Corvette loaner if that’s what you desire.

“Theoretically if you wanted to get into a Corvette, the customer’s Volt Advisor will work to get them into one,” said GM spokesperson Greg Martin.

“Obviously the intent of this program is not to provide a long-term Corvette test drive, but our priority is to make sure the customer is satisfied.”

Martin says they are not anticipating a huge rush of Volt owners to request a Corvette or Camaro because they presume that the type of personality that buys a Volt isn’t interested in horsepower.

We are glad to see GM step up here and do the right thing with its customers come first strategy. But truthfully, the thing that surprises us the most is the fact that GM and Jalopnik are still on talking terms following Los Jalops outing earlier this month of the 2014 Corvette in these renderings.

Here’s the full letter from GM NA President Mark Reuss


Dear Volt Owner,

You may have seen the recent news articles regarding the NHTSA’s (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) safety investigation of the Chevrolet Volt. I’m writing you today with more details that, I think, will put things in perspective and make you feel better about your Volt.

First and foremost, I want to assure you of one very important thing: the Volt is a safe car. The Volt continues to have a 5 star overall vehicle score for safety in NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. It was also given a Top Safety Pick Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

There are good reasons the Volt is safe. Our team has put more than one million miles into making the Chevrolet Volt as safe as it is remarkable. After all, our families, neighbors, co-workers and friends are among those who own the cars we’re tasked with designing, engineering and manufacturing.

Here are the facts behind the most recent news articles. In May, the NHTSA ran one of its most severe crash tests at a test facility in Wisconsin. The Volt battery was damaged and the coolant line was ruptured. Three weeks later, an electrical fire involving the test vehicle occurred.

NHSTA, working with GM engineers, has been running a program of severe impact and intrusion tests on Volt battery assemblies as part of its effort to understand and replicate the May 2011 incident. Thanksgiving night, NHTSA told us that one of the batteries tested was involved in an electrical fire similar to the one that took place in Wisconsin. As a result NHTSA has begun a preliminary investigation of Chevrolet Volt battery assemblies.

We are aware of no real world consumer incidents that have produced a similar result. These recent tests show a very rare set of circumstances: A severe impact resulting in the battery and coolant lines being compromised. And then the passing of a significant amount of time before an electrical fire may take place.

The Volt is as safe as conventional vehicles for its occupants – before, during and immediately after a crash. When electrical energy is left in a battery after a severe crash it can be similar to leaving gasoline in a leaking fuel tank after severe damage. It’s important to drain the energy from the battery after a crash that compromises the battery’s integrity. GM and NHTSA’s focus and research continue to be on battery performance, handling, storage and disposal after a crash.

Even though there have been no customer incidents, we’re taking steps to ensure your peace of mind. If you are in any way uncomfortable driving your Volt as a result of this information, we want to make it right. We will provide you a GM vehicle to drive until this issue is resolved. Contact your Volt Advisor to make arrangements or to answer your questions. If you are not aware of your specific Volt Advisor, the contact information is: phone: 877-4-VOLT-INFO (877-486-5846) email: Voltda101@gmexpert.com.

We take enormous pride in Volt and what it represents-a new era of electric vehicles that can reduce dependence on gas, reduce air pollution, and more. On-going collaboration between the government, manufacturers and other stakeholders will enhance post crash protocols and accelerate acceptance of electric vehicles.

There is nothing more important to us at General Motors than the safety of our customers. We will continue to aid the NHTSA investigation in every way possible.

We stand 100% behind the quality and safety of the Chevrolet Volt – now and always.

Thank you for being a Volt owner. By the way I am also a Volt owner, my daughter drives it every day and she will continue to do so.

Mark Reuss
President GM North America and Volt Owner (#1457)

Source:
Jalopnik

Related:
GM Recalling 6,006 Corvette Coupes for Rear Hatch Issue
Bowling Green’s UAW Local 2164 Starts Corvette Customer Feedback Blog
2005-2006 Corvettes Recalled for Steering Column Issue

 


GM Builds a Corvette ZR1′s LS9 as its 100-Millionth Small Block Engine

GM Builds its 100-Millionth Small Block Engine

General Motors has celebrated a major milestone today at Wixom’s Performance Build Center by building its 100-millionth small block engine. The engine chosen as the milestone motor is none other than the Corvette ZR1′s 638 horsepower LS9. Since 1955, the small block has been used in GM vehicles around the world and can also be found marine and industrial applications as well.

The current GEN-4 small block V8s power some of Chevrolet’s most popular vehicles. In addition to the three used in Corvettes (LS3, LS7 and LS9), you can it under the hood of the Camaro, Silvarado pickup and Tahoe SUV.

GM Powertrain held a live chat today on Fastlane Blog to answer questions about the engines. According to small block Chief Engineer Jordan Lee, the small block V8 is defined as having 4.4 inch spacing between cylinder bores. The big block V8, introduced in 1965 has a 4.8 inch distance between cylinder bores. Lee added this later in the chat about the bore spacing:


The distance essentially lays out the architecture of the cylinder block, it defines how big we can make the cylinders, how big we can make the bearings, etc. So it does not directly define the performance of the engine, but it allows us to design for bigger cylinder bores, bigger valves, etc. which directly affect power. It’s always a balance with how big you can make the engine, for max power, while still keeping the engine small enough to fit in the cars we want to put it in. A few years ago we had a Maserati 4.7L engine on an engine stand right next to an LS3 Small Block. The 4.7L was HUGE, yet made less power than the LS3 which was quite compact by comparison. Yet the Small Block still has large bore size which gives us the ability to efficiently make power.

On hand for the milestone celebration was David Cole, founder and emeritus chairman of Center for Automotive Research. David Cole’s father was the late Ed Cole, chief engineer at Chevrolet who oversaw development of the original small block engine.

The LS9 represents the pinnacle of performance for GM’s small block. With a rating of 638-horsepower, the LS9 can power the Corvette ZR1 to 205+ miles per hour. The 100-millionth LS9 that was built today will be preserved as part of GM’s historical collection.

GM also gave a hint to what’s in the works with the GEN-V engine – a new direct injection combustion system that will enhance the efficiency over the current engine. In the fifth-generation small block, the all-new direct injection combustion system will work with a higher compression ratio and other technologies to enhance efficiency. That means greater performance using less fuel than comparably sized GEN-4 engines.

“Direct injection is a vital progression from conventional port fuel injection that enables an advanced, new level of engine management. The precise control of combustion afforded from direct injection makes it almost entirely an engineering ‘win-win’ – you get enhanced power and torque in addition to better fuel efficiency,” said Bill Visnic, analyst and senior editor at Edmunds.com.

“The evolution to direct injection should be as significant for the next-generation small-block V-8 as perhaps any single engineering upgrade in this storied engine’s nearly 60-year history,” Visnic said.

Source:
General Motors

Related:
[VIDEO] AOL Auto’s Translogic Focuses on Chevy V8s and the Corvette ZR1
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[VIDEO] Corvette Crashes During Autocross Event

[VIDEO] Corvette Crashes During Autocross Event

Autocrossing your Corvette is great way to have some fun in your car in a safe and controlled environment. Most courses are laid out to keep speeds down and drivers rely on technique to complete the course. But just because speeds are lower than other track events doesn’t mean that one wrong move can come back to bite you as one Corvette driver found out at the Speed Ventures autocross event.

According to the YouTube post, the driver was making his first run since returning from a break. With cold tires and a cold track, the back end of the Corvette got loose and spun the sports car around through some cones. The slow speed spin-out ended with a gut-wrenching crash into a curb that lifted the entire Corvette off its wheels and dropped it heavily back on the track.

The YouTube post again says the driver was pretty shaken after the crash but walked away unhurt. Too bad that can’t be said about the Arctic White C6 Corvette which looks to have sustained major damage to the passenger side wheels and suspension.

Source:
Autoblog.com

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MCACN 2011: Corvette and Muscle Car Photo Gallery

MCACN 2011: Corvette Photo Gallery

Last weekend hundreds of the country’s finest Corvettes, muscle cars, and customs stormed into Chicago for the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. We had a blast on our inaugural trip to this show. We’ve already shown you the Motion Maco Corvette, Mid America’s prototype C5′s, and the LS6’s in the Class of 1971 display. Click past the break to see more of the fantastic Corvettes from the 2011 MCACN.

Corvettes-a-plenty were in attendance throughout the MCACN show floor. ProTeam’s Stars and Stripes L88 was front and center in the lobby greeting visitors as they arrived at the Stephens Convention Center. There were 6 additional Corvettes in the Baldwin-Motion display including 2 of their rare Spyders. One of which had just been recently discovered and was shown in unrestored form. The Ed Cole ’67 L89 was presented as part of the COPO display while an awesome gasser and a big brake fuelie showed up in the Class of 1961 invitational. Also in there was a 1961 racer formerly piloted by Dick Guldstrand. A separate display showcased 16 Corvettes owned by one person. Included in the collection was a set of 1958 fuelies consisting of 1 in each available color that year. Elsewhere, the Triple Diamond Corvettes shined as the judges poured over them checking for correctness, originality, and cleanliness.

Vendors like Corvette Central setup shop to help connect patrons with the parts and accessories they were looking for. They also hosted a seminar each day with their neat cutaway C4. Adam Boca and the NCM insurance team gave free quotes and answered questions throughout the weekend. Those getting a quote were given a free Corvette poster.

In addition to the Corvettes, there were GTO’s, Shelby’s, Cobra’s, and even a display of AMC’s. Our favorite non-vette displays were the collection of 16 (of the 69) ZL-1 Camaro’s and the display of the 4 (of the 11) 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles. Tuners like Yenko, Mr. Norm’s, Berger, and Nickey all had phenomenal displays with both old and new cars showing off their work.

The overall quality of the cars at this show was amazing. It seemed like every car there was a “1 of” some low production number. If you have the chance next year, make it a point to get to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.

We’ve given you a sneak peak of some of the cars from MCACN on our Facebook page, but you can see more from the show in our gallery below.

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Related:
MCACN 2011: The Corvette Class of 1971
MCACN 2011: Mid America’s Prototype C5 Corvettes
MCACN 2011: Motion Maco Corvette Unveiling
The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals Blow into the Windy City this Weekend