Thursday, February 28, 2013

March Unveiling: 2014 Stingray Corvette Convertible


In January at the North American Auto Show, General Motors stole the show with the introduction of the 2014 Corvette Stingray. It not only made a huge buzz among the public but it also was one of the biggest buzzes of the week amongst the internet, media and the automotive world.

The completely redesigned Corvette will become available for order as soon as this summer. But for the most part the public has been kept in the dark about the convertible. Well, not no more, General Motors has plans of unveiling the new looking convertible at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The actions for the international unveiling is fitting considering that GM wants to be more of a global brand and not just a national brand.

GM insures that the Corvette will have the same balance of great style, technology and performance as the Stingray coupe does. They also ensure that as long as everything stays on schedule, both the coupe and the convertible will be available at the same time in the summer.



 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Choose The Right Used Sports Car: 2010 Corvette ZO6 vs. 2010 Ferrari F430




To decide which one of these sports cars you can picture yourself in. First, you need to know a little bit about them. One of the biggest differences between the 2010 Corvette ZO6 and the 2010 Ferrari F430, outside of the fact that the Corvette is American-made, and the Ferrari is made in Italy, lies right in the price tag. 

You can purchase a Corvette ZO6 for just a little over $70,000. If you are looking to purchase a Ferrari 430 expect to shell out anything from around $187,000 to $217,000, that's quite a difference. So I guess the ultimate question should be is the extra 100k plus worth it to stand out in the crowd by driving an Italian-made sports car.


Here are some of the specs.

 
Corvette ZO6 

 









Weight 3175lbs
MPG City 15/Hwy 24
HP 505@6300
Torque 470@4800
Wheelbase 105.7 (in)  
Length 175.6 (in)
Width 75.9 (in)
Height 48.7 (in)

                                                                                                            




Ferrari F430  










Weight 3197lbs                            
MPG City 11/Hwy 16
HP 490@8500
Torque 342@5250
Wheelbase 105.7(in)
Length 175.6 (in)
Width 75.9 (in)
Height 48.7 (in) 
          
                                                                                                                                                                    
So here are some of the specs for both cars, as you can see they are pretty well matched. The Corvette gets a little bit more horsepower and a lot more torque all while getting a little better gas mileage, and in this day and age who doesn't need that.


When it comes to styling, I would have to say it is a tie. Both cars have a very aggressive sports car look and both cars have the similar recognizable curves that have been used by their respective car designers for years. 

There is one styling advantage that the Corvette has over the Ferrari, and that is you will have more exterior colors to choose from when choosing your color. 

The reason is probably that when you buy a Ferrari, I don't know why anyone would want any other color than the famous bright red that Ferrari is best known for. Since its company’s existence, red has always been it, although the yellow is pretty flattering. 

The interior is also another toss-up as both cars have top-of-the-line everything and is said to make anyone feel like they’re in an extremely comfortable race car. One option that the Ferrari has that the Corvette does not offer is the manual paddle-shifting on the steering wheel. With it only taking 150 milliseconds for the Ferrari to change gears, I can imagine that someone could have a lot of fun in one of these cars.

In the end, with a price tag that is much more reasonable and with more horsepower, torque, and a top speed of 195 mph, I would have to say, I would rather own the American-made Corvette, especially when thinking about these important points. 

If you live in the U.S., you are probably never too far away from a dealership where you can order, purchase and pick up a ZO6. When it comes to Ferrari, it will not be that easy, in fact, you might even have to tack on a little more to the price tag for delivery. 

Also, like any car, cars need maintenance and even sometimes need replacement parts, but have fun finding an affordable qualified technician to work on your Ferrari. 

Even living overseas in a country known for building exotic cars, dealerships will still not be a dime a dozen. The point is, getting maintenance done on your Ferrari or any other exotic car will always be a little bit on the expensive side, and probably a bit of a hassle.  







GM's New Interior

Out with the old


In with the new 

 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Friday, February 8, 2013

The 2013 Camaro ZL1: A Camaro Lovers Dream

 

Since 1967, the Camaro has been nothing less than an aggressive sports car that America has grown to know and love. Through the years General Motors has offered an economy efficient basic version for a reasonable price for reasonable people, and also has always offered a hyped up version for those people who want a little bit more out of their Camaro. For the year 2013, GM gives the consumer another set of great choices when choosing what Camaro is best for them, including one of GM's most powerful Camaros ever, the ZL1. Yes, maybe the ZL1 Camaro has a price tag that reaches Corvette prices, but it also has room to fit four people comfortably, trunk space and performance stats to compete with those Corvettes.






ZL1 Engine and Transmission


The Camaro holsters an all aluminum 6.2. V-8 with heat-resistant aluminum cylinder heads and a 4-lobed 1.9-liter Eaton intercooled supercharger, all of which helps produce 580-horsepower and 556-lb.ft of torque.

The Camaro will be utilizes a dual mass flywheel and a two disc high performance clutch to transfer the power to either a TREMEC 6-speed manual transmission with a short throw shifter or 6L90 Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. Even though it's a very common thought that stick-shifts are better for performance, the 6L90 automatic is nothing short of a great competitor. The 6L90 implicates an electronic paddle shifting system that helps reduce shift times and has the ability to recognize more aggressive throttling in turn staying in lower gears when someone is trying to have more than just a daily driving experience. Whichever transmission you decide on, you will be getting a transmission specially designed to handle all of the power and torque that is delivered to the tires and wheels in the most efficient way as possible.

These combinations are good for 12 second quarter-mile times, a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 184 mph.



Fuel and Oil Cooling System

Fluid coolers are not something commonly found on your typical sports car. The ZL1 comes standard with a liquid-to-liquid engine cooler and an air-to-oil heat exchanger. The engine, transmission and the differential all benefit from the capabilities of these systems. Keeping all of these components cool under stressful conditions such as racing around a racetrack is vital to consistent performance-packed lap times, lap-after-lap.




Suspension

GM is one of the first car companies to use Magnetic Ride Control on their vehicles starting with the Corvette. Now the ZL1 will be the first vehicle in North America to be outfitted with the Generation 3 Magnetic Ride Control. The system gives the driver the choice of three different options to be chosen from the cockpit - tour, sport and track. The three different options are designed for optimal control on the roughest roads, extreme comfort for everyday driving, and when you're ready to hit the track and put the ZL1 to the test - the track option will be ready and waiting for the challenge.

Thanks to the Magneto-Rheological fluid system, the shocks provide damping levels up to 1000 times per second which helps with better wheel control through cornering during heavily acceleration and braking. To help prevent active role control and the loss of control, stabilizing bars are placed in the front and in the back, both of which are accompanied with high performance bushings, mounts and dampers.



Tires, Wheels and Brakes

When it comes to brakes, the ZL1 gets the same treatment as the Corvette. A Brembo brake system is installed that includes 14.6 inch rotors, 6-piston front and four piston rear Monobloc Calipers. It also includes brake cooling ducts that route cool air from the fascia to the rotor and caliper. With this system the driver is able to choose between five different performance settings which are set up for everyday driving, tough racetrack driving and everything in between.

You have two factory wheel options to choose from - black 10 spoke 20 inch rims or chrome 5 spoke 20 inch rims. Those wheels will be wrapped with top of the line Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar Generation 2 tires. The F1 tires are track tested and ranked as one of the best tires in the world for tread wear, noise reduction, wet handling and mass and roll resistance.



Interior

Inside the ZL1, much like the rest of the car has nothing but the best. Seats and door panels are wrapped in leather and suede along with the steering wheel and shifter. The steering wheel has a race car like design sporting a flat bottom and is smaller in diameter then standard to support leg movement while engaged in aggressive shifting.

A 7 inch LCD screen displays the Chevrolet MyLink system. This will give you fingertip access to your Boston Acoustics speaker system, your OnStar Navigation, your wireless Blue Tooth access and mobile apps that include iTunes and Android Market Place. The Chevrolet MyLink also allows you to start your car from here, contact roadside assistance, check diagnostics and get routine maintenance tips and reminders.

For the drivers safety and convenience, a head-up-display will be standard along with a rear-view camera display. The head-up-display also has a conveniently located shift light so that the driver does not have to look down when in race mode to check for anything.




Safety

The Camaro not only excels at power and comfort, but GM also takes great pride in its safety. The Camaro is outfitted with an Electronic Stability Control System (Stabliltrak), which has anti-lock brakes and a traction control system with a control module that can since when a driver is in trouble and can make corrections to help prevent the loss of control. A six station air-bad system is implicated to help protect the passenger and driver in the event of an accident. All of this helps give the ZL1 five-star safety ratings in just about every category possible.
 


Price Tag

With great exterior looks and nine different exterior colors to choose from, the Camaro still holds the aggressive sports car look that it was first known for and held on to through the years. With an 9.2 out of 10 overall rating from KBB consumers and a EPA estimated 19 mpg on the highway, the Camaro ZL1 has a MSRP price tag of $54,350.






Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Cadillac CTS-V: A Great Alternative to Owning a Sports Car



Depending on where you live, your financial situation, the type of job you have, and how many people you may be forced to cart around on occasion – owning a sports car may not be something you can accommodate in your life no matter how much you want one. If you’re a person who wants the fun of a sports car but the convenience of a luxury car, then General Motors has an option for you. The Cadillac CTS-V is the best of both worlds – combining luxury, technology, engineering and raw sports car power to give consumers the perfect car.



The Power of a Sports Car Power Plant



First, GM starts out with putting a 6.2 liter supercharged V-8 engine in the Cadillac for the power – and then gives consumers the option of TR6060 six-speed manual transmission with a dual-disc clutch or a Hydra-Matic 6l90 six-speed automatic transmission.
From the transmission, the power leads back to limited-slip differential with an axle ratio of 3.73 for the manual transmission or a 3.23 for the automatic transmission, both of which successfully handles the massive power that the Cadillac produces. This combination is responsible for a documented 556 horsepower and 551-lb.ft of torque and helps launch the Cadillac to an impressive 3.9 second sixty foot time.





Suspension and Brakes

For the suspension, GM uses the Stabilitrak, an electronic stability control system that has the ability to perform on the track successfully, but also performs like a top-notch luxury car in everyday driving. The Stabilitrak includes a low-mass aluminum short and long arm LSA front suspension, a multi-track rear suspension, and a fully isolated sub-frame for greater control and stability. 
 
Also, to help keep control of the Cadillac, there is a fully functioning traction control system that is integrated with the engine and the four-wheel ABS break system. High performance V. Brembo rotors and 4 piston calipers are used to cap off the impressive brake system.

The exterior



The exterior sports a beefed up looking hood and a beefed up spoiler, both of which helps with the CTS-V’s high speed aerodynamic engineering. Functional fender mounted vents help the big V-8 breath a little better and also helps give a little bit of an intimidating look. And to help with intimidation are ten-spoke 19 inch aluminum wheels that can be purchased in a polished, satin or graphite finish. The wheels are wrapped in competition track approved Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires specifically made for the CTS-V.




Cutting Edge Interior


The interior is all cutting edge, outfitted with nothing but the best technology for the driver and other passengers to enjoy comfortably. An eight inch LCD touch screen control center puts everything the driver and or the co-pilot will need right at their finger tips. From there you can control your ten speaker Bose 5.1 surround sound system with ipod connectivity, hard drive space for music storage and Seattleite radio. 
 
The control center also has a 3-D color imaging voice guidance navigation system that also contains a rear-view back-up camera that will alert the driver of possible hazards that a driver would not normally see. 
 
When it comes to the front seats, the buyer will have the option of purchasing high performance Recero seats. To help comfort and stability, the Recaro seats are heated and ventilated with fourteen different adjustable settings, pneumatic bolster controls and thigh extenders to accommodate tall people, short people and everyone in-between.




Documented Track Performance

The CTS-V has no real documented quarter-mile times. But I personally have had the chance to watch it perform at the track and have seen various times that fall between – high 12 second to high 11 second quarter-mile times – and top speeds that reach about 190 mph. The big differences between the quarter-mile times are the effect of some drivers who know how to drive a stick, those who don't, the drivers who chose the standard automatic transmission and possible after market parts that may have been installed.



Last Words

With a MSRP price tag between $64,515 and $74,910, the Cadillac is a great option for the sports car enthusiastic who just can't find a way to fit one into their life. With an EPA gas mileage rating of 18 city/27 hwy, plenty of room for passengers and plenty of trunk space for any occasion – you can use the CTS-V for a road trip or a fun day at the road course.