Month: February 2012

Spy photographers have once again caught up with the 2014 C7 Corvette as it’s undergoing cold weather testing in Ontario, Canada. Instead of just pictures, we have video of what appears to be two C7 prototypes testing in the cold and one segment of tape actually captures the exhaust note coming from the engine.

The reactions to actually seeing and hearing the next generation Corvette have been interesting. On GM Inside News, the conversation centers on whether or not the C7 has AWD. Corvette Forum members are discussing the pros and cons of the apparent lengthening of the wheelbase, but overall they’re happy to finally get LED taillights.

Here’s the video courtesy of InsideLine.com:

I am very much liking what I see so far and am now understanding the earlier Ferrari references made by Lutz and others. That front nose is pretty long though. Is the Corvette Team pursuing an AWD system? After you watch the video, make sure you check out the conversation on our Facebook page as we take a closer look at the 2014 C7 Corvette.

Source:
InsideLine.com

Related:
C7 Corvette Prototypes Captured During Cold Weather Testing
Jalopnik to Reveal ‘Real’ C7 Corvette on Monday at Noon; Updated with Photo of 2014 Corvette ZR1
Bob Lutz: C7 Corvette is a “Much Bolder and More Dramatic Design”

 

Continuing our recap of the January 2012 Corvette auctions, we bring to you the no-reserve sale of the first Corvette ZR1 to be produced in 2010. First VIN Corvettes have always been a hot commodity among collectors, highlighted by the purchase of the 2009 VIN 001 Corvette ZR1 for $1 million by Dave Ressler. Unlike the first year ZR1, this 2010 Corvette ZR1 is meant to be driven as the first owner put 3,934 miles on the Jetstream Blue sports car.

The Corvette comes from the Richard Hubbard collection and Richard took to the mic to introduce the Corvette on the auction block. Like Dave Ressler, Richard is also a Chevrolet dealer and a collector of America’s favorite sports car. In the introduction, Richard makes reference to the owners of the 2009 VIN 001 ZR1s, Dave Ressler and Jay Leno (yes, there is more than 1 2009 ZR1s with VIN 001) and suggests the addition of the 2010 as a companion.

So how much did the very first 2010 638-hp Corvette ZR1 sell for? The Corvette hammered for $185,000 and with commission, the out the door price was $203,500. SPEED provides us video of the auction:

Considering the 3,634 miles on the gently used Corvette ZR1, we think the $203,500 paid was a great deal for the both the buyer and the seller. Do you agree or disagree? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Source:
Barrett-Jackson via Streetfire.com

Related:
Barrett-Jackson 08: [VIDEO] 1st 2009 Corvette ZR1 Sold for $1 Million
[PIC] President Obama Checks Out the 2012 Corvette ZR1 Centenntial Edition
[VIDEO] LMR Claims Title as World’s Fastest Corvette ZR1

 

We’ve finally reached the end of a frenzied month of collector car auctions in Florida and Arizona. Our DVR is still smoldering from the 72 hours of recording over the last couple of weeks. Since Top 10 lists can be a little cliché, we’ve sifted through all of the results and compiled a list of the top 11 January Corvette sales.

The top Corvette sale of the month went to the 1968 L88 convertible we told you about last week. Second place went to a 1969 L88 convertible which hammered at $610,000 at Mecum Kissimmee. The most notable non-sale went to the 1961 SCCA National Champion racer which bid all the way up to $850,000 without reaching reserve. The Noland Adams “Stamp Car” bid to a no-sale at $390,000, but later showed up as sold on Russo and Steele’s website as sold at $467,000.

Over the course of the month we noted a few observations:

• Overall, values are slowly continuing to recover from the lull of the previous few years.
• Average cars will still bring average money. Their recovery is still slow. Entry level bargains can still be found.
• Buyers are willing to pay more for desirable, high quality, documented cars
• L88’s are red hot on the market right now.
• Restomods and customs are becoming highly sought after items.

Here are the Top 11 sales from the January 2012 auctions:

As you can see, there was no shortage of money floating around. The top 11 cars totaled $4,122,000 in sales before the respective commissions are factored in. What really surprised us was the big money repeatedly bid for custom or restomodded cars. It appears that collectors are really starting to appreciate all the modern conveniences wrapped up in classic Corvette style as well the labor that goes into such creations.

The January events tend to set the tone for each year’s auction calendar. Based on what we saw, it appears that 2012 will be a pretty good year for both buyers and sellers.

Related:
1969 L88 Corvette Roadster Sells for $610,000 at Mecum’s 2012 Kissimmee Auction
1961 Corvette Gulf Oil Race Car a No-Sale at Mecum’s 2012 Kissimmee Auction
1953 Corvette VIN #005 Sells for $445,500 at RM’s Scottsdale Auction
[VIDEO] Zora’s 1989 Corvette Sells for $27,000 at Russo and Steele
[VIDEO] 1968 L88 Corvette Roadster Sells for $625,000 at Russo and Steele
[VIDEO] 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Sells for $700,000 at Barrett-Jackson

 

What would a 1959 Corvette look like if it was introduced as a new model in 2015?

No one knows for sure, but retired GM designer Nelson Barros recently used his considerable talents to create his own futuristic concept interpretations of a few classic cars from the last century.

He shared his concept drawings of a Jaguar XK 120, 1950 Studebaker Commander, 1973 Ford Maverick, and 1959 Corvette with CarBodyDesign.

Barros definitely had plenty of experience to draw upon for his imaginative creations. After all, he worked for GM from 1969 to 2006, serving as design studio manager for General Motors Brazil.

Each of his new designs builds on the car’s original look but brings it into the 21st century with modern touches. The Corvette keeps its red-white design, for example, and the Studebaker retains its bullet nose grille, the Jag still has the original’s classic grille and stacked “V” shaped lights, and the Maverick offers a muscular front end.

You probably won’t ever see these designs in your local Chevy or Ford showroom, but it’s nice to see how the old look can be updated and brought into today’s world. Who knows, maybe a customer car builder might be inspired enough to build one of these looks for a customer whose pockets are deep.

Source:
DigitalTrends.com

Related:
Rare Corvette XP-819 Prototype Heading to 2012 Ameila Island Concours
Dreaming Big: Five Cool Corvette Concepts
GM’s Welburn Selects Two Corvettes in List of Top 10 Chevrolets

 

What would a 1959 Corvette look like if it was introduced as a new model in 2015?

No one knows for sure, but retired GM designer Nelson Barros recently used his considerable talents to create his own futuristic concept interpretations of a few classic cars from the last century.

He shared his concept drawings of a Jaguar XK 120, 1950 Studebaker Commander, 1973 Ford Maverick, and 1959 Corvette with CarBodyDesign.

Barros definitely had plenty of experience to draw upon for his imaginative creations. After all, he worked for GM from 1969 to 2006, serving as design studio manager for General Motors Brazil.

Each of his new designs builds on the car’s original look but brings it into the 21st century with modern touches. The Corvette keeps its red-white design, for example, and the Studebaker retains its bullet nose grille, the Jag still has the original’s classic grille and stacked “V” shaped lights, and the Maverick offers a muscular front end.

You probably won’t ever see these designs in your local Chevy or Ford showroom, but it’s nice to see how the old look can be updated and brought into today’s world. Who knows, maybe a customer car builder might be inspired enough to build one of these looks for a customer whose pockets are deep.

Source:
DigitalTrends.com

Related:
Rare Corvette XP-819 Prototype Heading to 2012 Ameila Island Concours
Dreaming Big: Five Cool Corvette Concepts
GM’s Welburn Selects Two Corvettes in List of Top 10 Chevrolets

 

General Motors issued their sales report and if you haven’t heard the news, it was a pretty dismal month for sales across the board for GM brands. While overall Chevy sales were down only -1.2%, sales of the Corvette dropped nearly -13% to 629 for the month, a number we haven’t seen since February 2010.

Over the last few years, a January drop in sales has been the norm. In fact, from looking at our chart below, every single January has seen a drop in sales compared to the previous year’s December sales figure.

What we do know is that there were some pretty good incentives that went away on January 2nd and that may have contributed to the larger than expected decline. Another factor is that production at the plant dropped off as well, from 1,011 Corvettes made in December 2011 to only 793 in January. With the plant canceling many of the tours during the month and production levels down, we know that many Corvette owners will be taking delivery of their new Corvettes this month instead of last month.

As far as incentives go, Corvette buyers can get a $1,500 dealer cash rebate or you can finance for 60 months at 3.9% APR or 4.9% APR for 72 months. Chevrolet is still running the $2,000 non-GM lease conquest rebate and there is a $1,000 Owner Loyalty Rebate if the household already owns or leases a 1999 or newer GM product. The loyalty rebate cannot be combined with the lease conquest.

Bowling Green Production:

• 2012 Model Year Production in January 2012: 793
• 2012 Model Year To Date Through January 2012: 7,791
• 2012 Calendar Year to Date through January 2012: 793

Our monthly GM sales reports are sponsored by Kerbeck Corvette in Atlantic City, NJ. If you’re interested in a new 2012 Corvette, talk to one of Kerbeck’s Corvette Specialists about a custom order to meet your specifications. Visit Kerbeck Corvette on the web at www.kerbeck.com or call Dave Salvatore at 877-537-2325.

Source:
GM.com

Related:
December 2011 Corvett Sales
November 2011 Corvette Sales
October 2011 Corvette Sales

 

General Motors issued their sales report and if you haven’t heard the news, it was a pretty dismal month for sales across the board for GM brands. While overall Chevy sales were down only -1.2%, sales of the Corvette dropped nearly -13% to 629 for the month, a number we haven’t seen since February 2010.

Over the last few years, a January drop in sales has been the norm. In fact, from looking at our chart below, every single January has seen a drop in sales compared to the previous year’s December sales figure.

What we do know is that there were some pretty good incentives that went away on January 2nd and that may have contributed to the larger than expected decline. Another factor is that production at the plant dropped off as well, from 1,011 Corvettes made in December 2011 to only 793 in January. With the plant canceling many of the tours during the month and production levels down, we know that many Corvette owners will be taking delivery of their new Corvettes this month instead of last month.

As far as incentives go, Corvette buyers can get a $1,500 dealer cash rebate or you can finance for 60 months at 3.9% APR or 4.9% APR for 72 months. Chevrolet is still running the $2,000 non-GM lease conquest rebate and there is a $1,000 Owner Loyalty Rebate if the household already owns or leases a 1999 or newer GM product. The loyalty rebate cannot be combined with the lease conquest.

Bowling Green Production:

• 2012 Model Year Production in January 2012: 793
• 2012 Model Year To Date Through January 2012: 7,791
• 2012 Calendar Year to Date through January 2012: 793

Our monthly GM sales reports are sponsored by Kerbeck Corvette in Atlantic City, NJ. If you’re interested in a new 2012 Corvette, talk to one of Kerbeck’s Corvette Specialists about a custom order to meet your specifications. Visit Kerbeck Corvette on the web at www.kerbeck.com or call Dave Salvatore at 877-537-2325.

Source:
GM.com

Related:
December 2011 Corvett Sales
November 2011 Corvette Sales
October 2011 Corvette Sales

 

President Obama can’t resist the allure of the mighty Corvette ZR1 and took the opportunity to take a seat in the 638-hp Carbon Flash Centennial Edition during a visit to the Washington Auto Show on January 31, 2012. The Washington Auto Show is held at the Washington Convention Center and will run through Sunday, February 5th.

The picture was taken by Pablo Martinez Monsivais for AP and posted on The Washington Times.

Thanks to Chris at Zip Corvette Parts for the heads up!