Month: January 2012

For Corvette fans, we have some good news/bad news from the 2012 North American International Auto show in Detroit. The good news is that Chevy introduced two new concept cars sporting cross-flags logos. The bad news is that neither of them is a Corvette.

First, congratulations to Chevy for today’s introduction of two new coupe concepts – the Tru 140S and the Code 130R. The concepts are Chevy’s attempt to lure back youthful car buyers with sporty styling at a low price.

The Tru 140S is powered by a 1.4-litre Ecotec turbocharged DOHC engine and GM calls it the “affordable exotic”. Shown in an all-new matte white with Chevy performance chrome wheels featuring “crossflag emblems”, the Tru 140S is designed to look confident, exotic, expensive and fast. It’s based on a FWD Cruze platform and sort of reminds us of the Honda Civic coupe.

The Code 130R is the aggressive-looking red four-seat coupe RWD concept powered by the 1.4L Ecotec turbocharged DOHC engine. The coupe has what Chevy calls “heritage performance-inspired styling” which also includes the “Chevy crossflag emblem”.

Chevy can call their crossflag logo anything they like, but seeing an emblem with the checkered flag and the red Chevy logo flag is and will always be a symbol of the Corvette, (regardless that the red flag is missing the Fleur-de-lis).

I thought badge engineering was a thing of the past. Putting the C6 Corvette emblem on the new concepts doesn’t automatically grant them “heritage performance-inspired styling” for the same reasons that slapping a Cadillac badge on a Chevy Celebrity and calling it the Cimarron made for an affordable luxury sedan.

Reaction to the Tru and Code’s new badges have been met with disdain in the Corvette community. Corvette Conti ask why would Chevy put a Corvette badge on a 4-cylinder coupe? Another friend of ours texted us last night asking what was the deal with these logos on the new coupe concepts. I reiterated GM’s official line that they are part of the “heritage performance-inspired styling” cues to which he replied, “Looks boring”.

While we’re sure everyone at GM recognizes that the Corvette needs more youthful buyers, it doesn’t start with affordable concepts raiding the Corvette’s parts bin and only taking away the logos.

You can read more about the two new concepts on the General’s media site.

Source:
General Motors

Related:
[VIDEO] Tadge Juechter Talks About the C7 Corvette; Calls Out Automobile Magazine for Misinformation
C7 Corvette Rumors: Is A Twin Turbo V6 In The Mix?
Corvette: The Next Four Door Sports Car?

 

Article contributed by Mitch Talley

Corvette fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that John Fitch, driver of the 1960 Briggs Cunningham Le Mans winning Corvette and the first manager for the Corvette racing team, has been found since being reported missing on Sunday.

Mr. Fitch enjoyed an 18-year racing career, winning several times,including the 1951 Argentine Grand Prix, 1955 Mille Miglia, Dunrod Tourist Trophy, the Sebring endurance race, and numerous lesser races. He may be best known to Corvette Racing fans as one of the drivers behind Corvette’s first class win at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans in the #3 Briggs Cunningham Corvette.

His driving efforts have not been limited to just cars, though. He piloted a P-51 in World War II and was reportedly one of the first pilots to shoot down a German jet fighter.

Family members became concerned about Mr. Fitch’s safety since the 94-year-old didn’t have his oxygen with him and is dependent upon it because of his emphysema. He also has mild dementia.

Fortunately, Connecticut State Police and the Stockbridge, Mass. Police Department combined efforts to locate Mr. Fitch Monday morning and say he is in good condition.

“We had done several things,” Lt. Paul Vance, spokesman for the Connecticut State Police said “including notifying all law enforcement agencies in Connecticut and over the line into Massachusetts, telling them that he was missing and the facts and circumstances. We had great cooperation and are pleased he was located in good health.”

Mr. Fitch is also known for his inventions that made driving safer on the race track and highway, including the portable impact-absorbing barriers used on race tracks and highways. He also pushed for better safety on race tracks and offered his knowledge on vehicle handling and dynamics to many research and government organizations.

Source:
CountryTimes.com

Related:
Christmas and Corvettes: “The Quest” DVD is the Ultimate Stocking Stuffer
[VIDEO] 1960 #3 Le Mans Corvette Historic Return Documentary Trailer
[VIDEO] 1960 #3 Le Mans Corvette Prepares for Historic Return to France

 

Article contributed by Dave Salvatore / Kerbeck Corvette

This past summer, Mark Reuss visited the Bowling Green Assembly Center – the home of the Corvette – and announced a significant, multi-million dollar investment to upgrade the plant. During his remarks, Mark told the audience that there were two model years (2012 and 2013) remaining for the current generation of Corvette.

Recently, Alan Batey, GM Vice President of Chevrolet sales, informed dealers attending the regional Chevrolet dealer meetings what their sales goals would be for Corvettes in the 2012 calendar year and what Corvette training requirements would have to be completed to be eligible for initial production of the next generation Corvette. This is based on the anticipated limitations that will be applicable to the initial production of the next generation Corvette.

These announcements make evident that one of the most exciting Corvette generations is coming to a close. Kerbeck Corvette would like to take some time to share with you some details around the 2012 and 2013 model can be prepared for the end of the C6 Corvette.

Information Regarding 2012 Corvette Model Run

The current 2012 model run which features the Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette will end in May 2012. The final consensus for 2012 Corvette is scheduled to occur during February 2012 period, and the last cycle to submit orders for the 2012 model run will occur in March 2012.

The completion of the 2012 Corvette model run is also the last opportunity for dealers to order the current Chevrolet Centennial Edition Package (RPO: ZLC) featuring the Carbon Flash metallic paint, and Carlisle Blue exterior color (RPO: GLF). The Centennial Edition package, and the Carbon Flash and Carlisle Blue exterior colors will NOT be offered for the 2013 model, and will end production BEFORE the rest of the 2012 Corvette model run. Under the current schedule the last time we will be able to order Carlisle Blue is 02/09/12 and the last chance to order the Centennial Package will be 03/01. The last week to order ANY 2012 Corvette will be 03/15.

Keep in mind that these dates are flexible and could change a week or two in either direction. If you are interested in either of the Centennial Edition Package or the Carlisle Blue exterior color, it is suggested you contact us now to check current availability or to order your desired 2012 Corvette model.

Information Regarding 2013 Corvette Model Run

The 2013 model run is scheduled to start production in May 2012. New model year Corvettes usually don’t start production until the last week or so of June so this signifies a move up in production.

The 2013 model run is the final model run for the C6 Corvette. This means for many customers, the 2013 model run will be the last opportunity to purchase the current Corvette models, including Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1 In addition, the 2013 model run marks the 60th Anniversary of this Great American Sports Car. GM will be sending us information about the exciting changes for the 2013 Corvette and we will be sharing it with you in the coming weeks.

The 2013 Corvette production period is expected to run for approximately nine months with production to end sometime around February 2013. This does not mean that the C7 Corvette will be out early. The next model run will NOT immediately follow the end of the 2013 model run since the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, KY will need a few months to retool the assembly lines for production of the 7th Generation Corvette.

The Coming of the Next Generation Corvette

Suffice it to say the introduction of any next generation Corvette is one of the most highly anticipated introductions in the automobile industry. The expected arrival of a new generation Corvette generates a lot of showroom excitement and traffic. It also requires the dealership’s sales and service teams to sharpen and improve their performance and technology skills to meet the needs of the Corvette customer. It is for this reason that any Chevrolet dealer seeking to sell and service Corvette must agree to invest in special tools and training for the dealership’s personnel. Since we have been the World’s Largest Corvette Dealer for 18 years in a row, Kerbeck Corvette is ready to meet all of Chevrolet’s requirements and the Corvette community’s expectations!

The next two years promises to be two of the most eventful years in Corvette’s nearly 60 years of existence and we hope that you will join us on this journey.

This article was contributed by Dave Salvatore of Kerbeck Corvette, the world’s largest Corvette dealer since 1994. Looking for a new 2012 Corvette? Call Dave at 877-537-2325 or visit them on the web at www.Kerbeck.com.

Related:
GM to Offer Another Mystery Corvette at Barrett-Jackson?
Download the 2012 Corvette Brochure
Update from GM on 2012 Corvette Production

 

The month of January means one thing to avid car collectors – the January auctions. Each year thousands of eager buyers and sellers convene on Arizona and Florida to take in all of the intense auction action. Read on to check out our summary of all the major January auctions, when they occur, and how Corvettes they’ve currently got consigned.

As of this writing there are roughly 300 Corvettes up for grabs this month combined across the 5 major sales. We’ve already shown you a few of them including Nolan Adams’ “Stamp Car” at Russo and Steele, 1953 VIN 005 at RM, and the Ungurean Collection at Mecum. We’ll highlight some more of the other significant cars available coming up over the next couple of weeks. They include, L88′s, LS6′s, L71′s, Pilot cars, and racecars.

All 5 of the January events take place within the last 2 weeks of the month. The transactions will begin on January 17th when the first car rolls across the familiar black Barrett-Jackson stage. Auctionmania wraps up on January 28th when Mecum shuts off the lights in Kissimmee. In between Russo and Steele, RM, and Gooding and Company will be selling as many cars as the can.

Below is a brief summary of the all the major January auctions, when they occur, media coverage, and just how many Corvettes you can attempt to buy at each event. Make sure your DVR’s have plenty of room as SPEED and Velocity will have a combined 71 hours of auction coverage.

We’ll be following of the action this month so, keep an eye on CorvetteBlogger.com as well as our Facebook page for updates and sales results.

Related:
Russo and Steele to Auction Noland Adams 1953 Stamp Car
1953 Corvette VIN #005 Heading to RM Auction in Arizona
Mecum Kissimmee to Feature 12 Corvettes from the Chuck Ungurean Collection

 

Article contributed by Mitch Talley

For those of you who believe it’s time for the current C6 Corvette to be replaced by the highly anticipated and shrouded-in-secrecy C7 edition, a video test by the British auto magazine Autocar offers plenty of ammunition.

Admittedly, the results were skewed a little since Autocar tested an automatic Grand Sport, the slowest of the 2012 GS lineup, but the competition, a 2012 Nissan GT-R and Jaguar XKR, both were, alas, still considerably faster than the Vette.

Still, video host Vicky Parrott had lots of kind words to say about the Corvette, saying there’s really nothing else like it on the road today.

“Outright pace isn’t the problem with the Grand Sport,” she says. “What is a problem is that despite all its kind of swagger and character that you get from the noise and the looks, which is just brilliant, it still feels outdated particularly in terms of its interior finish and even with the paddle (shifters) and the adaptive suspension that you’ve got in sport and tour modes, it just doesn’t match the best of the European and Japanese rivals.”

Despite the criticism, it’s easy to see that Parrott is a fan of the drama, character, and charm that the Grand Sports delivers, and she points out that if Chevrolet can just modernize the car (in the upcoming C7 edition) and address a few small issues, it’s got a winner on its hands.

The three cars are so different in their personalities, though, that they each have their own particular kinds of owners. It’s hard, for example, to picture a Corvette owner giving up his ride for one of these two competitors, and vice versa, perhaps, no matter the half-mile drag race results.

Source:
Autocar via CarBuzz.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Japan’s Better Motoring Pits LFA vs. GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3
[VIDEO] Corvette Z06 vs GT500 vs GT-R: Motor Trend’s 5-Figure Supercar Shootout
[VIDEO] Car and Driver Tests a Corvette Grand Sport against the Porsche Cayman S and a Lotus Evora

 

We’ve all heard tales of those rare finds discovered in a friend’s or relative’s nearby garage or barn. Sometimes, however, those treasures aren’t quite so close. Here’s a very rare right-hand-drive 1963 Z06 that was living in Australia since new. It will be returning back home to the USA courtesy of our friends at Proteam Corvette next month.

Just 199 Corvettes had RPO Z06 on the options list in 1963. Far less than that are known today and they carry a healthy six-figure price tag with them. Z06’s were factory racecars. They were equipped with heavy duty brakes and suspension, the 360hp fuel injected 327CI engine, and a 4 speed transmission. A 36 gallon fuel tank was available for a portion of the production run. The option package added $1,818.14 to the base Corvette price of $4,252.

According to the listing on Proteam’s website and a thread we read last month on the NCRS discussion board the car spent its entire life overseas. The conversion to right-hand-drive likely took place in Australia shortly after it landed there. Its early years were spent as a GM show car. Outings included appearances at the Sydney and Melbourne Motor Shows in 1963. The original owner took delivery of the car through R.C. Phillips Sports Car World. Check out the dealer’s tag that’s still riveted to the back of the car above the license plate. In 1980 it won best of show at the First Corvette Car Club of Australia convention. Since 1964, it’s had just one additional owner prior to be acquired by Proteam who was one of 4 recent suitors for the car.

The car today remains in a highly original state and shows only 22,723 miles. Only normal wear items like belts, hoses, tires, and the battery have been replaced. An aftermarket radio and antenna were added at some point during its lifetime as the Z06 was originally radio delete. As you can see in the photos, all of the other Z06-specific items remain including the brakes, suspension, and fuel injection unit.

The full story of this car is not yet fully known and the folks are Proteam are looking for your help. They’d like to find (1) information regarding the car’s build and purpose by Chevrolet/GM as well as (2) the April 1980 Melbourne Sunday Press article concerning the Corvette convention and this Z06 Corvette.

If you have some information on this truly unique car contact Proteam via emai at terry@proteamcorvette.com.

The right-hand-drive 1963 Z06 should arrive on our soil sometime next month.

Sources:
Proteam Corvette and NCRS

Related:
Road Warrior: Australian 2009 Corvette ZR1 Gets Right Hand Drive Conversion
Mirror Image: Aussie Converts 1964 Corvette to Righthand Drive
Information Wanted on Barn Found Mystery 1963 Corvette Split-Window Coupe