Wednesday, April 25, 2018

New Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to Pace the Indy 500 - Here’s Why It Gets the Honor!

Image result for 2019 corvette zr1 Indy 500 pace car



Corvette ZR1 Indy 500 Pace Car


With its aggressive look and big bold front end and rear spoiler, this Corvette looks like it’s ready to take on every supercar on the planet, and with its overwhelming power and handling abilities, it is.

Let’s take a look at some of the 2019 Corvette ZR1 hard hitting numbers and influential features that helped it earn its right to be this years Indy 500 Pacecar.
The monster 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that sits under the aggressive looking hood of the Corvette ZR1 cranks out 755 horsepower. That horsepower combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission or a seven-speed rev-matching manual transmission pushes this ZR1 from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds at 134 mph. If that still leaves you a little under impressed, then maybe the 212 mph average top speed at the track in Papenburg, Germany can open your eyes to just how well this Corvette performs.  

What makes this LT5 ZR1 6.2-liter engine so much more potent than the Corvette Z06 6.2-liter V8? The engine the ZR1 gets has been upgraded with a bigger Eaton supercharger, bigger throttle body, a beefier camshaft and uses both port-and-direct fuel injection for an increase of 105 ponies over the Z06.

Image result for 2019 corvette zr1Helping this massive LT5 engine perform well even at high speeds for long periods of time is a much larger front fascia than the average Corvette. The ZR1 front fascia includes huge air dams and fender vents to help push as much cool air into the 13 radiators as possible. The ZR1 also offers plenty of other large exterior features. The front splitter is noticeably bigger than the Z06 front splitter and the ZR1 rear spoiler just dwarfs the ZO6 rear spoiler. Along with some other awesome carbon fiber add-ons, the 2019 ZR1 Corvette creates 950 pounds of downforce. Now it should be noted that if you don’t plan on doing any major competition circuit racing, you probably won’t need the massive rear spoiler, and if you think it looks intrusive, you can order your new ZR1 with a Z06 rear spoiler for a more reasonable look.    

So how does this turn-key race car drive as a daily driver with an average driver behind the wheel? When the Corvette is switched to Touring mode, you will get to enjoy a quieter exhaust, looser steering characteristics and a softer suspension. Outside of being very careful with the aggressive acceleration, this new 2019 Corvette ZR1 has the ability to offer you a very easy driving powerful supercar that leaves you confident in your driving abilities. And if you do want to test your driving skills at high speeds, the Michelin Super Sports tires and magnetic suspension offers you the same easy handling attributes at high speeds as it does in everyday driving situations. For a car that can reach 200+ mph and go 10 seconds in the quarter-mile, its ability to let you handle the car at ease at any speed is incredible. And of course, stopping has never been an issue with Corvette’s high performers. Six-piston carbon ceramic Brembo brake calipers are used in the front and four-piston calipers are used in the rear.  

Obviously, the interior of the Corvette ZR1 cabin is just as high-tech as the exterior and drivetrain. An eight-inch touchscreen infotainment center host all of the goodies and connectivity capabilities you would expect out of a high-end General Motors vehicle. Included with that system is a rearview backup camera, a front end camera so you don’t mash up your front splitter, and a powerful Bose system so you can jam away on long car cruises.

Coming Soon
The most powerful and capable Corvette ever built is now available at select dealerships. The full load of the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupes and convertibles should be coming to all qualifying dealerships later this year/early next.

So what can you expect to pay for this 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1? Around $122,095 for the coupe and $126,095 for the convertible (no word on the extra cost for the Indy 500 Special Edition).


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To see this 2019 Corvette ZR1 in action, tune into ABC, Sunday, May 27 for the official Indy 500 Race.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Yenko Camaro: Rare 1981 Turbo Z

 1981 Camaro Yenko Turbo Z


1981 Camaro Yanko Turbo Z


Car enthusiasts, including knowledgeable Camaro enthusiasts, may believe one of two things: the last Don Yenko specialty car was the 1971 Chevy Nova Yenko, or it was the 2010 Chevy Camaro Yenko, but neither one of these beliefs would be true.

2010 Chevy Camaro Yenko - Not A True Yenko
The 2010 Chevy Camaro Yenko is in fact not a true Don Yenko car at all. Chevy obtained the rights to use the Yenko name on the 2010 Yenko Camaro, but that does not make it a Don Yenko car. Instead, unlike true Don Yenko cars that were customized at his dealerships, the 2010 Yenko Camaro is just a special edition factory produced Camaro, the Yenko franchise had nothing to do with it.

Stage I & II 1981 Camaro Yenko Turbo Z
The 1971 Chevy Nova Yenko may be the last memorable Yenko specialty car, but there is a true Yenko edition that came after the ‘71 Nova. The very rare Stage I & II 1981 Camaro Yenko Turbo Z may not have come out in the muscle car era when cars were known for their power, but like most of Yenko’s cars, these Camaros would be customized to be much more powerful than what they were when they were ordered from the factory.


Image result for 1981 Camaro Yenko

Thanks to emission regulations, the 1981 350-ci.-in. Camaro Z-28 was choked down to a mere 175 horsepower, not nearly enough to be called a muscle car anymore. Don Yenko decided that one of his last adventures in car building would be to give the Chevy Camaro some much needed modern power that could be respected.


1981 Yenko Camaro Stage I & II
There was 19 Stage I & II Yenko Camaros built at Don Yenko dealerships. Three of those were the Turbo Z Stage II Camaros making them some of the rarest Camaros in existence. All 19 of these Camaros are still considered extremely rare and came with an abundance of visual and performance upgrades.

Not only did the 1981 Yenko Camaro come with enough performance upgrades to knock off about three seconds from its original Z28 quarter-mile time, it also came with all of the luxuries that could be ordered from the factory like leather, air condition, tilt steering wheel, and more. The only thing it did not come with was a radio - in place of the radio was a “Yenko Turbo Z” plate.


Chevy 350 cu-in. Turbo











1981 Yenko Camaro Upgrades:

  • 7 PSI. Turbocharger Added to the 350 cu.-in. Engine 
  • 350 Turbo Trans
  • G80 Positraction
  • 3.08:1 Rear Gears                      
  • Koni Shock Absorbers
  • Stiffer Stabilizer Bars 
  • IROC Front Spoiler
  • Turbo Z Logo Specific Decals and Floor Mats
  • Leather Racing Steering Wheel

Image result for 1981 Camaro Yenko

So how much horsepower does this turbocharged 1981 Camaro Yenko produce? Well, no one is for sure, but experts estimate that it is probably somewhere around 210-225 horsepower.


Heading To Mecum Auto Auction
If you were thinking about shopping for one of these rare Camaros, especially the 1-of-3 Stage II editions, have fun finding one


But....


The upcoming Mecum Auto Auction does offer you a chance to bid on a Stage II. The week of Jan. 5-14, 2018, Mecum will have one of these rare gems rolling across the auction block - expect a price tag around $140,000.00.  

Thursday, December 21, 2017

2019 Corvette ZR1 Spits Out Flames Like The Batmobile






Corvette ZR1 Spitting Flames


In recent admissions from Chevrolet - they claimed that the new 2019 Corvette ZR1 will be capable of shooting flames out the exhaust pipes. No one really knew what that meant - would it shot out puffs of flames when you let off the throttle, would it shoot out flames at full throttle, or did it have some kind of flame-throwing device on it?  


Our questions are answered with this Chevrolet 12 second video. When the ZR1 LT5 powerplant is running at open throttle, beautiful whitish, blue flames shot out of the exhaust pipes. When the throttle is released, aggressive sounding pops are said to follow as the flames disappear.


All this can be contributed to the dual overhead cams on the 6.2-liter engine that promotes a 52 percent larger supercharger than what you will find on the current LT4 Z06. Also contributing to the light show is Chevrolet's first duel-fuel-injection system. And flames aren’t all this exhaust system does.

Image result for 2019 Corvette ZR1 at Nürburgring


The new sound flap that Chevrolet has installed gives the ZR1 an amazing sound, one of which is so loud, in some of the videos of the ZR1 running the track at Nürburgring in Germany, you can see that the exhaust system has been altered to point in a certain direction. The conclusion that can be made for the odd-looking extended exhaust is to point the exhaust sound away from the noise emissions meter.  Nürburgring has strict noise pollution levels that can’t be exceeded.  

Image result for 2019 Corvette ZR1

  

Friday, December 15, 2017

2018 Cadillac V-Series Championship Edition



2018 Cadillac V-Series Championship Edition


2018 Cadillac V-Series


When Cadillac returned to the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech Prototype Manufacturers Championship Series after a 14-year hiatus, the Cadillac team and drivers dominated the class winning the Champion for the season. To celebrate this achievement, Cadillac has announced a 2018 V-Series Championship Edition for the ATS-V coupe and sedan and the CTS-V, the same models they used to race their way to the winner circle.

The brand new Cadillac V-Performance DPi-V.R Prototype hit the circuit with a vengeance winning seven straight races out of ten, including the Rolex 24 of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring to complete the “36 Hours of Florida”. Cadillac used three cars - the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R driven full-time by Jordan and Ricky Taylor, the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Eric Curran and Dane Cameron - to come in 20+ points above the 2nd placed Nissan team for the year.

Upgrades for the 2018 Cadillac V-Series Championship Edition Models    
 
CTS-V Championship Edition
  • Cadillac Black Raven or Crystal White Tricoat exterior paint
  • Cadillac V-Performance graphic on the hood and rear spoiler
  • Red Obsession mirror caps
  • Cadillac DPi-V.R graphic on quarter windows
  • Serialized Certificate of Authenticity (sent after retail delivery)
  • 19” V-Series wheels in polished Alloy with Midnight Painted Pockets
  • Image result for 2018 Cadillac CTS-V Championship Edition
    Morello Red Package
    • Morello accented high gloss carbon-fiber interior trim
    • Split-folding rear seats with Morello Red stitching



  • Carbon Fiber Package
    • Carbon fiber front splitter
    • Carbon fiber hood vent
    • Carbon fiber rear spoiler
    • Carbon fiber rear diffuser
  • Luxury Package
    • Tri-zone climate control
    • Heated rear outboard seating positions
    • Power rear-window sunshade
    • Manual rear side-window sunshades
    • 110-volt power receptacle

    • Ultra-view sunroof
  •  Red Brembo® brake calipers

  • RECARO® performance seat


ATS-V Coupe and Sedan Championship Edition
  • Cadillac Black Raven or Crystal White Tricoat exterior paint
  • Cadillac Performance graphic on hood and spoiler
  • Red Obsession mirror caps
  • DPi-V.R graphic on quarter window
  • Serialized certificate of authenticity
  • 18” V-Series wheels – polished Alloy with Midnight Painted Pockets
  • Morello Red Package
    • Morello accented high gloss carbon fiber interior trim
    • Split-folding rear seats with Morello Red stitching
  • Image result for 2018 Cadillac CTS-V Championship Edition
    Carbon Fiber Package:


  • Carbon fiber front splitter

  • Carbon fiber hood vent
  • Carbon fiber rear spoiler

  • Carbon fiber rear diffuser
  • Sunroof
  • Red Brembo® brake calipers
  • RECARO® performance seats
  • Next-generation Cadillac users experience



    2018 Cadillac V-Series Championship Edition



    ATS-V and CTS-V Championship Editions May Also Include These Options Depending on the Way the Dealer has Ordered Them:
    • Performance Data and Video Recorder
    • Sueded microfiber steering wheel and shifter
    • Advanced Security Package
    • 8-Speed Sport Automatic Transmission

    There will be 200 Championship Edition Cadillac models produced throughout the year. They should start showing up at select dealerships this month. The ATS-V sedans should start at around $72,190 and the coupes around $74,390. The CTS-V will come in at around $105,730.

    With each purchase of the Championship Edition, Cadillacs come along with tuition and accommodations to the Cadillac V-Performance Academy at Springs Mountain. The trip is good for 2 days and is well worth the time. If you want to learn how to use the power of a Cadillac V-Performance vehicle properly, this is the best way to do it.



    Thursday, November 23, 2017

    Legal Detroit Drag Racing - New Detroit Motorsports Venue?


    Image result for Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport




    Legal Drag Racing in Detroit


    When the “No Holds Barred” Motor City Showdown legal drag race at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport was finally legitimized and given an official date, all Detroit and surrounding area car enthusiasts were ecstatic, to say the least. With the two closest drag strips to the Detroit area being long traffic crammed drives away, this gave illegal street racers a place to show off what they had without the worry of authorities or traffic intervening and with safety personnel on hand.
    Image result for motor city showdown drag racing
    The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to have a blast. Detroit Police Chief James Craig kicked off the event with a parade of many classic-looking roadsters and hot rods. After the short but glamorous parade, the competition began. Drag racers and their cars from all across the Metropolitan area made many quarter-mile passes giving the jam-packed crowd and their cameras just what they wanted - smoky burnouts, wheelstands and side-by-side action-packed drag racing.


    Now that the event has come and gone with such success, many racers and fans are wondering if it’s going to be an annual event or even better, will the washed-up airport be
    turned into a complete Motorsports venue. This thought has been tossed around at many city council meetings. Current Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is accepting proposals for what to do with the airport with a drag racing venue being just one of many other proposals. Other proposals include an update and revamp to the airport, an area designated for techno dance clubs, and others that haven’t been publicly announced yet.

    Image result for Motor City Showdown

    Although the Detroit airport is still in use it has not had regular service from commercial airliners in 15 years and is on pace for a $1.3 million loss for the 2017 fiscal year. With Detroit still trying to recover from its most recent major economic decline, the job opportunities a Motorsports venue will create would be ideal. And just like with Detroit’s professional sporting events, concerts, auto shows, and the many other activities that Detroit puts on every year, it will only help bring business to a city that desperately needs it. There is also talk about moving the very profitable Detroit Grand Prix to the new Motorsports venue if it gets built. This would help with some of the conflicts that Detroit has been having with the Grand Prix in the last few years.

    So what’s the verdict? Mayor Mike Durgan just recently got re-elected, and from what everyone seems to understand is that he likes the Motorsports venue idea and is eager to do something profitable with the airport. We also have two major problems in the city - drugs and illegal drag racing. With a place nearby to drag race legally, that would definitely help combat the drag racing problems (Detroit has always had a bad one), and adding techno dance clubs to the city would probably help promote more opportunities for drug use and drug distribution. To me, it sounds like a Motorsports venue would be a win-win for the city of Detroit.  

    Brian Olatunji and his group Leadfoot Events LLC. are the ones that came up with the idea for the “No Holds Barred” Motor City Showdown. Brian is a native of the city and a professional drag racer. He says, “We hope that this will bring tourism and highlight the city no different than other major events such as the Thanksgiving parade and the auto show”

    It could do just that. With the right amount of big names behind a state-of-the-art Motorsports venue, getting big money IHRA and NHRA events to Detroit might be something the city could end up seeing. With Kalitta Flying Services located next to the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti about 50 miles outside of Detroit - the owners of the mega-aviation business are some of NHRA Top/Fuel drag racing’s biggest faces - and that could really help way in on a decision to bring another professional race event to the Motor City.

    As far as a permanent answer, Detroit should have one for the second annual “No Holds Barred” Motor City Showdown by spring of 2018, with more information on more permanent plans for the airport by the fall of next year.


    Saturday, November 11, 2017

    Electric Corvette Ready To Go Into Production

    Image result for Genovation GXE Corvette


    Electric Corvette


    Would you feel comfortable in a Corvette that doesn’t rumble like America’s most iconic sports car? The guys at Genovation Cars believe that this will be the future for all cars including cars like Challengers, Camaros, Mustangs, etc. So to see if this generation is ready for that type of technology, Genovation Cars will put an all-electric sports car into production that is based on the seventh-generation Corvette Z06.   


    The Genovation GXE Corvette is the fastest electric car in the world breaking its previous record of 205.6-mph with a top speed of 289.481-mph. The current Corvette we have been seeing in videos breaking these records was based on the six-generation Z06 whereas the Corvette that will be going into production will be based on the seventh-generation.





    Making this move to production all possible is the Genovation’s decision to team up with two very tech-driven companies. The first partnership that the Genovation team formed is with the Michigan-based Prefix Corporation. Prefix will be in charge of vehicle prototyping, engineering, integration and vehicle production planning. The other partnership that Genovation has created is with a California-based corporation called Stafl Systems. This well-respected team of engineers will be responsible for the electrical systems, battery-pack integration, powertrain refinement and performance.


    “We’re thrilled to have begun the next evolution of the GXE with these two world-class partners,” Andrew Saul, CEO of Genovation Cars, Inc. says. “We’re a driven team that is focused on offering the highest performing street-legal electric car in the world.”


    The development of the prototypes for the seventh-generation Genovation GXE Corvette is on the way at the Prefix Corporation's headquarters. You can expect to see a debut of these electric sports cars at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early next year. When Genovation starts taking orders for the Corvettes, how much can you expect to pay? Well, the number that comes up the most is around $750,000. So yes, these cars are not being produced for the average Corvette enthusiast.  

    Monday, November 6, 2017

    2018 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Edition

    2018 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Edition



    2018 Hot Wheels Edition Camaro 


    Back in 2013, Camaro offered up a Hot Wheels Special Edition Camaro that came with a Kinetic Blue Metallic paint job. For 2018, Camaro will be offering another Hot Wheels Edition to celebrate Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary. This time the Camaro will be dressed up with a Crush Orange paint job. Although some might think that the Camaro color is the famous Camaro Hugger Orange, it’s not. The Crush orange is actually a tribute to Hot Wheels' iconic orange race tracks they produced for many years.

    Stretched across the center of the Camaro, running from bumper-to-bumper, are a set of Satin Graphite racing stripes with Ice Metallic accents. Along with the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition package comes Satin Graphite ground effects, blacked-out bowtie badges, 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels fender emblems, darker tail lights, and orange brake calipers. Hot Wheels-inspired 20-inch wheels with Chevrolet center caps round out the bold but sleek-looking special edition exterior looks.

    2018 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Edition



    The interior has its own set of goodies. Special Hot Wheels Edition door sills pop right out at you when you open up the door. The gorgeous Jet Black interior is trimmed with Crush Orange stitching and other orange inserts like knee pads, door panel inserts, custom-made seats, and more. You’ll even find a Hot Wheels logo on your steering wheel for a constant reminder of your special edition purchase.

    These 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition packages can be ordered on the 2018 2LT and 2SS Camaros for $4,995.00. At the 2017 SEMA Show Chevrolet introduced the new 2018 COPO Camaro Hot Wheels Edition with an updated 302 small block race engine. Most of the special accented parts and accessories that you receive on the Hot Wheels 2SS and 2LT trim models are the same on the COPO with two big exceptions. The wheels and tires are different and beefier to accommodate competition racing, and on the doors and quarter panels of the COPO is a pretty good-sized Hot Wheels 50th-anniversary decal that is a little lighter shade of orange than the Crush Orange. So although a pretty big decal, it’s not intrusive to the exterior look.

    Image result for 2018 Camaro Hot Wheels Edition

    The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition can be ordered both with the coupe and the convertible. These are going to be limited edition Camaros, and orders have already been being processed with delivery dates sometime in the spring of 2018.