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.

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.  

  

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
• 
  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
• 
  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

• 
  
• 
  

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.

Legal Detroit Drag Racing - New Detroit Motorsports Venue?

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.

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.

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.