Month: October 2012

The former director of GM Performance and assistant Corvette chief engineer, John Heinricy, offers up his predictions and hopes for the C7 Corvette and reflects on the past generations of America’s Sports Car during the current episode of The Downshift, which appears each Tuesday on the new Motor Trend YouTube channel.

“The experience I had working on the Corvette was probably if not the highlight, one of the best things I did in my career,” Heinricy says.

He also says he’s been driving a 427 Convertible the past few days and calls the 505-hp, 7.0-liter LS7 probably his favorite V8 engine GM has ever produced. Besides the great performance, the “very, very light and compact” engine also offers reduced mass on the front and lower center of gravity.

“The driving dynamics of that engine are really impressive,” Heinricy says, “so when you put it together in a convertible, you know, it makes a really nice driving experience.”

He also believes Chevrolet is going to come out with a seventh-generation Corvette that is really going to step up and have everything it needs to compete very strongly in the market, just like they have in the past.

Heinricy also hopes to see even better weight distribution with more weight at the rear of the car to take advantage of the power of the engine and improve traction and handling dynamics of the car along with even better fuel economy than now with improvements like direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and variable valve timing.

Heinricy also takes a moment to look back at his very special C4 Grand Sport Corvette. It’s actually serial number 1, a pilot car and the first 1996 Corvette made, and he’s owned it since 1995 and says it occupies a very special place in his garage and can’t ever imagine selling it. The one-year LT4 engine “is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen very often in an engineer’s career” and Heinricy points out that only 1,000 were ever made to mark the end of the C4 generation.

After 38½ years with General Motors that included a very successful racing career, Heinricy says he would like to be remembered most for his efforts in vehicle integration to make the overall driving experience for the customer as pleasant and rewarding as possible.

Corvette owners would no doubt say he accomplished that goal.

Source:
Motor Trend on YouTube

Related:
John Heinricy’s SCCA T1 Grand Sport Corvette
[VIDEO] John Heinricy Drives the Hennessey Corvette ZR700
Chevy Sonic Engineer John Buttermore Repeats SCCA National Championship

 

We’ve featured a lot of fast and powerful Corvettes here on CorvetteBlogger.com. Way back in 2009 we first told you about Rod Saboury’s wicked street legal 1963 Corvette drag car. The 2,600 horsepower (no, that’s not a typo) monster will run the quarter mile in a scant 6.75 seconds. That’s just about how long it took the car to earn the title of the World’s Fastest Street Legal Car. If you’re looking for something to drive 1 kid to school, make an ice cream run, or just take a brief ¼ mile drive you’re in luck as the car is currently for sale on eBay.

Rod Saboury is successful northeastern U.S. racer with 3 drag racing world championship and 8 world records to his credit.

His chariot was built over the course 5 years by starting with an $800 1963 Corvette coupe body and a vision. The body was lengthened a total of 12 inches then widened 3 inches in the rear. Underneath the body is a complete chromoly double frame rail tube chassis built to full NHRA specs. The car was originally powered by a 2,200hp twin turbo motor, but has been since replaced by a 2,600hp small block 427, with 1,700 lb-ft of torque force fed through a pair of 88mm turbos. Inside the car features power windows, working interior lights, and even cup holders.

Since it’s street legal it also has working headlights, taillights and turn signals. Check out the eBay ad for a full rundown of all the unique features on this quarter mile terror. We don’t have enough space here to list all of the features here.

As you’d expect this car has won countless awards at numerous shows including SEMA and Super Chevy Shows. It’s been featured in multiple publications around the world including far off locations like Sweden, Australia, and South Africa.

We got see this car firsthand at Corvettes at Carlisle a few years ago. Believe us when we tell you that the pictures do not do this car justice. It’s simply stunning to look at. The paint glows and the craftsmanship is superb.

As you would expect the price tag on this beast is high: $675,000. That’s a pretty good return on investment for an $800 Corvette.

The auction ends on October 22nd at 5:33:39pm PDT.

Source:
eBay via Corvette Online

Related:
Information Sought on 1957 Corvette Drag Car Field Find
1963 Split-Window Corvette Barn Find Covered in 33 Years of Dust
[VIDEO] Tony Meehan’s 1958 Corvette Stands as a Tribute to His Father

 

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