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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM Click above for our high-res ZR-1 burnout gallery Some Corvette fans and avid forum members over at GM Inside News have already asked the unfathomable question of what automaker should take over the reigns of America's longest-running sports car if its parent company were to lose custody. Their answer , rather shockingly, was Toyota. We sure hope it doesn't come to that. Still, tough questions deserve thoughtful answers, and Motor Trend is asking away. Even if The General survives, what does the future hold for Team Corvette, which has seen its ranks diminished in the past few weeks with the loss of key players including Vehicle Line Executive Tom Wallace and John Heinricy , test-driver extraordinaire and director of the performance division? With such important personalities retiring from the 'Vette project, one might wonder if GM's iconic performance car will lose out on planned development. That seems like a real possibility...
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Filed under: Etc. , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM For many, General Motors' Mr Stephens' Engine Shop online game is full of metallic looking stuff, none of it discernibly purposeful. What you're working with are extracted parts of the LS9 engine that powers the Corvette ZR1. Unless your ZR1 is in the shop for catastrophic engine failure, these components aren't usually seen out on their own. The General's little game has you correctly identify the major pieces and awards a prize after three rounds of correct answers (or lucky guesses). So many people, not just kids, are ignorant about the inner workings of the complex machine known as the car, so we applaud this effort to shed light on the mysteries that lie beneath the bodywork. Watch out for that fuel rail, we found it a little tricky to place. If anything, we're eager to get home and have the young ones begin learning auto anatomy. Thanks for the tip, Eden! [Source: General Motors ] For the kids: Help Mr. Stephens...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Coupes , Chevrolet , GM Click above for a high-res gallery of the LS9 General Motors has announced that the blown beastie that lives under the hood of the Corvette ZR1 will be available as a crate motor next fall and our head is spinning with the swap possibilities. With 639 hp and 604 lb.-ft. of twist available from the 6.2-liter supercharged V8, and dimensions shared by the LS3, any number of vehicles could make a happy home for the LS9. According to GM, the engine comes fully dressed, with an ignition system, exhaust manifolds and supercharger, and only needs an external oil tank and coolant tank (for the charge cooler), an ECU and wiring harness. So, the question is: what would you fit the LS9 into? We've put together a poll after the jump, but feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments. Gallery: The Chevrolet LS9 V-8 [Source: GM via MotiveMag ] Continue reading SEMA Preview: GM Performance Parts 638-hp LS9 Crate engine SEMA Preview...
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Filed under: Supercars , Chevrolet , GM Click above for high-res gallery of Corvette ZR1 burnout When we got behind the wheel of the 638-hp Corvette ZR1, we were pleasantly stunned at the raw, violent pull exhibited by the 3,364-lb supercar. Motor Trend was equally impressed during a recent trip to Chrysler's Arizona proving grounds where they brought their considerable testing equipment along to add their own cold hard stats to a growing list of platitudes. Motor Trend tested the ZR1 at the Chrysler Proving Grounds because its 5-mile loop is one of the few places that has the space to test the ZR1's top speed. The mag was able to crest 200 wind-adjusted mph, and MT computers showed that the ZR1 was still pulling when that magical number was achieved. Hitting 200 mph puts anything on four wheels in the supercar club, and a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds ranks the ZR1 near the top of any exclusive car club. MT testers also needed only 11.2 seconds to travel a quarter mile and crossed the...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Plants/Manufacturing , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM , Rumormill The rumormill is a funny thing, and sometimes, it can run amok. This appears to be one of those times. The DigitalCorvettes.com forum posted a note earlier this evening suggesting that Corvette ZR1 production has been halted and that the ZR1 may be cancelled. A post on dealer Rick "Corvette" Conti's blog , linked in the referenced DigitalCorvettes thread, added to the intrigue. Autoblog has contacted GM's Terry Rhadigan, who handles global communications for the Chevrolet brand. We presented the DigitalCorvettes link and asked for an official resonse. His was very clear: "Not true." Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. , Cadillac , Chevrolet , Dodge , GM Click above for a gallery of the Top Gear crew in the U.S. The blokes from the real Top Gear are back in the States to test what us 'Mericans do best - big V8s, rear-wheel-drive and powerslides. Clarkson, Hammond and May flew into San Francisco on Wednesday and then made a B-line for Reno before heading south, reportedly to test the out a trio of American muscle at the Bonneville Salt Flats. If you're just as obsessed as us, you don't have to look at the photos in the gallery to know who snatched the keys to a Corvette ZR1, Dodge Challenger and Cadillac CTS-V. But we'll spoil the (lack of) surprise for you anyway. Clarkson grabbed the 'Vette, Hammond is getting his retro kicks in the Challenger and May - the consummate stately sedan man - is piloting the CTS-V. Top Gear is rumored to be back on the air towards the end of October, and we're hoping this segment kicks off the next season. Thanks for the tip, Ben...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Videos , Chevrolet , GM Click above to watch video after the jump Video clips of the Corvette ZR1 strutting its stuff on track can be found virtually anywhere on the internet. But that doesn't mean we're tired of seeing the beast in action, particularly if the video happens to feature another new staple of GM's sporty lineup. The latest internet discovery is a grainy, sometimes barely audible, clip of the Chevrolet Camaro SS tackling the twisties with a guest appearance by a jet black ZR1. The video begins with the new muscle making a go on the course all alone. Then later, it appears trailing behind the infamous supercharged 'Vette. From what we can see, the Camaro's chassis seems to be nicely tuned. The body roll is not substantial and the pony car takes a seat quickly when entering a turn with no floaty oscillations. Hopefully the short but sweet video tease is a direct indication of the production setup. Follow the jump to view things for...
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Filed under: Etc. , Tech , Videos , Chevrolet , GM Automobile Magazine was invited into General Motors Performance Build Center to watch and lightly assist in the buildup of a ZR-1's internal combustion heart. It takes four-and-a-half hours of real time to go from a bare block to a fire-breathing, supercharged LS9, but through the magic of sped-up video, it only takes seven minutes of your life. You won't come away with anything productive for that time, unlike the people in the video, who get the pleasure of creating a small-block V8, but it's a neat picture of how it all comes together. We just hope that some other poor sucker gets the motor that the magazine intern fiddled with. Video posted after the jump. [Source: Automobile ] Continue reading VIDEO: Birthing an LS9 Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupes , Plants/Manufacturing , Videos , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM Click above to view video after the jump This morning General Motors released all the official numbers for the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 including its price ($103,000), 0-60 mph time (3.4 sec), quarter-mile (11.3 sec at 131 mph) and top speed (205 mph). It's the fastest, most powerful and most expensive vehicle GM has ever built. So how does it get built? Why, at the Corvette's Bowling Green production facility in Kentucky. Put together by the same people who lovingly assemble your garden variety Vettes, the ZR1 is nevertheless a very difficult vehicle than the bang-for-the-buck coupe on which it's based. Watch the video after the jump to see a ZR1 go from a frame to full-fledged supercar in about four and a half minutes of time lapsed video interspersed with interviews of the plant workers who have the privilege of assembling this King of Corvettes. Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 [Source: GM...
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Filed under: Supercars , Chevrolet , GM Click above for a high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1. Corvette ZR1 chief engineer Tadge Juechter recently sat down to participate in a live chat on GMNext to answer questions about Chevy's new supercar, with topics ranging from fuel-economy to production numbers. GM hasn't run its fuel economy test yet, but in a previous release from the General, it expects the ZR1 to be the most fuel-efficient 600-hp vehicle on the market. Juechter did say that the ZR1, "will be somewhat less [fuel-efficient] than a Z06," which is currently rated at 15/24 by the EPA, "and we expect a small gas-guzzler tax [on the ZR1]." Production will be limited to 2,000 units each year for worldwide consumption and pricing will be revealed sometime this month. Juechter went on to say that ZR1 accessories wouldn't be made available for lesser Corvette models, so buyers won't be able to option up for carbon-ceramic brakes or Michelin tires on...
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Filed under: Coupes , Chevrolet , GM The new CAFE regulations might spell the end for big V8s, but future Corvettes will be packing a similar performance punch with a smaller footprint. Automotive News sat down with the Corvette's vehicle line exec, Tom Wallace, to discuss the future of the iconic coupe and he said that a 700 hp 'Vette is off the table. Instead, Chevy is looking to lighten the Corvette's weight and utilize a smaller V8 in order to keep the same power-to-weight ratio of the current generation models. Although Wallace didn't get into details, that didn't stop AN from speculating that the next Corvette could go on a 300 to 400 pound diet and get motivation from a 4.7-liter V8 (making 150 hp less). However, Wallace's own words are more telling, saying that the next 'Vette could be "more fuel efficient [and] even nimbler than it was before. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Tech , BMW , Chevrolet , GM It used to be that American muscle cars were competing against themselves when it came to power. But rumor has it that, in the case of the Chevrolet ZR-1, the domestic horsepower war has a new international benchmark: the BMW M-division V10. Word is that "German competition is driving the higher horsepower and torque numbers coming to the Corvette." Chevy engineers said that the new LS9 was created to "match up favorably" with the V10 found in the M5 and M6. The supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 has 620HP and 595 lb-ft of torque, with 535 lb-ft available from 2,600 RPM and a 6,200-RPM redline. The high-revving, naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10 has 507 HP and 385 lb-ft of torque, and goes all the way up to 8,250-RPM. It's good to see Chevrolet taking its cues from the best, no matter whether its domestic or international. Especially when it's applied to an engine created with a different philosophy (large...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Videos , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM click above image to view video Our reaction to the official press shot of the Corvette ZR1 was a little guarded. The bright blue car that accompanied the lifting of the embargo left us thinking a bit more about Hot Import Nights than we were comfortable with. 0-60 Magazine recently had a photo shoot with another ZR1, and this one dressed nice. All the tungsten instruments around 0-60's ZR1 really play up the surface detailing of the C6 Corvette, and the handsome metallic gray hue made this particular ZR1 a stealth bomber. There's the minor detail of that polycarbonate skylight in the hood, and the humongous brake package peeking from behind equally huge rims is far more striking in person than pictures will ever convey, too. So, even in a subdued color, the ZR1 still manages to announce to the world that it's packing something special. There's nothing of any consequence in the video, it's a few walkarounds...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Supercars , Chevrolet , GM GM thinks that the Corvette ZR1 is pretty much the baddest machine on four wheels, period. This was driven home today in a post on the Fastlane Blog by Chevy general manager Ed Peper. Seeing him advocate his brand's (and GM's) flagship is far from surprising, and as he rattles off the car's positives, it seems like pretty standard-issue public relations fare. It's only as he wraps up that he seems to get a little exercised over some folks' habit of turning all Corvette-related conversations into pushroad vs. overhead-cam arguments. In response, he namechecks some very heavy hitters -- the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 GTB, and the Lambo LP640 -- as he casually pulls the gloves off, matter-of-factly stating that the ZR1 has a better power-to-weight ratio than all of them. Then, in his parting shot, he dons the brass knuckles and calls out any and all comers who would challenge the Corvette ZR1's...
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