The year 2011 was quite an impressive year for Chevrolet: one out of every three sports cars in the United States was either a Camaro or a Corvette. The company sold 88,249 Camaro units - or about 18,000 units more than its nearest competitor, the Ford Mustang - and a total of 13,164 Corvette units - more than double compared to the Porsche 911.
To prove that these numbers are relative to the fantastic cars they create, Chevrolet took the Camaro and the Corvette to the "Grand Course" at Virginia International Raceway. The 2012 Corvette ZR1 lapped the Grand Course in 2:45.6 – faster than the published lap time for any production car. The Camaro ZL1 scored a time of 2:52.4 – more than six seconds faster than the published lap time of a 2011 Ford Shelby GT500.
"With the addition of the Camaro ZL1, there are only a handful of brands in the world with two cars that can match the performance, technology, and excitement of Corvette and Camaro," said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss. "Unlike many competitors’ performance cars, the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1 are appropriate for both daily drivers and track use from the factory – with standard coolers for brakes and drivetrain."
"And we challenge any company to bring two cars to compete with the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1, dollar for dollar," Reuss said.
Hit the jump for more stats, as well as videos of the sports cars’ laps in Virginia.
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We’re rounding off our Best of 2011 lists with one that is near and dear to our hearts. This list is all about top speed and top speed only, those who have it and one who hopes to achieve it.
Of course, speed hopes are nothing new. The battle for the fastest car in the world has been ongoing since the sports and super cars first made their appearance and more than likely, it will never end. These past couple years have been a game of one-upmanship between SSC and Bugatti with both succeeding in one way or another. But who tops the list for 2011?
Before getting into that, we think it is important to note that we only incorporated vehicles that were sold in 2011. For example, the Koenigsegg CCX may have a top speed of 240 mph, but that production ended in 2010, which takes the supercar out of the running for this list in particular. Don’t worry, though, Koenigsegg is still well-represented.
Hit the jump to see the top ten list of the fastest cars of 2011.
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Going through all of the glorious supercars of 2011 was no easy task, especially since it felt like every random country of the world was developing their own supercar. Each vehicle we came across deserved to have their time to shine on the list for best supercar of 2011, but as time went on, it was clear which ones stood out above all of the rest.
A couple of the supercars on the list shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially since they were created by one of the top supercar makers in the world. Then there are the relative newbies to the group that have received enough recognition to warrant praise from the average car enthusiast, but the final vehicle would probably not be recognized by many and its home country may actually cause ridicule to ensue. The end result, however, was enough to give it a spot on our list.
Hit the jump to check out which of the supercar bad boys made it to the top of our list for Supercar of the Year.
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Before we even get into the top list of sportscar for 2011, we think it would be best to clear something up: the new Porsche 911 would have definitely made the list if it wasn’t for the fact that it won’t be hitting Stateside until 2013.
That being said, we have a few top hitters for 2011 that we would be foolish not to take notice of. It was a battle trying to choose between the plethora of options provided in the sports car segment, but what we ended up with was a range of 450 HP to 560 HP, 0-60 mph sprint times between 4.6 seconds and 3.7 seconds, and speeds topping out between 186 mph and 198 mph.
Among the sportscar heavyweights is the intoxicating Jaguar XKR-S, the luscious BMW M5, the curvaceous Chevolet Camaro Z06, and the maddening Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale.
Hit the jump to check out each of these scintillating sports cars in detail.
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Last year’s picks for the coupe of the year raged a war between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang, but this year things are a bit different. In fact, neither one of these muscle cars made the list, simply because the new Camaro ZL1 isn’t available for purchase just yet.
With the two major muscle cars out of the running, we were still left with a ton of vehicles worthy of some time in the spotlight. Our choices for the top coupes of 2011 are kind of all over the place. From the Audi TT-RS’ return to the States to the Lotus Exige S and its road-going capabilities on the other side of the pond, there’s pretty much a flavor for anybody.
In fact, if we’ve missed one of your favorites, make sure to hit us up.
Hit the jump for our picks for the 2011 Coupe of the Year, in alphabetical order.
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There are so many auto shows throughout the course of the year that it’s hard to keep up with all of the cool concepts brought to each one. Then again, some of these concepts are so outlandish that they will never see the light of production day anyway, leaving us with the feeling of being offered a delectable chocolate cake only to be reminded of our New Year’s weight loss resolution.
Even if production chances are slim for some, concepts hold a special place in all of our hearts because of the attention to detail automakers put into them. Automakers use these concepts to put out just how much they are capable of doing and quite possibly may do on their future models.
From three different, color coordinated layers of information to V12 engines with spectacular power outputs, concepts have a way of getting underneath our skin and staying there until the production model is attained. This year, our choices are unmistakable and in no particular order: the Jaguar C-X16 Concept, the BMW i8 Concept, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept, the Chevrolet Mi-Ray Concept, and the Nissan Juke Nismo Concept.
Hit the jump for details on each of these imaginative concepts.
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Following up on the teaser trailers for Jeremy Clarkson’s Powered up DVD, Top Gear’s main man has released another video with a bit more action than the first two. In this video, Clarkson goes through some of his favorite cars of the year and his top pick is surprisingly not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, even though a Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante did take third place on his preference list.
Instead, the British star has chosen one of the most amazing cars launched this year by BMW: the 1-Series M Coupe. Usually not a fan of BMW’s, Clarkson has appointed the 1M as the “Most Fun Car Of The Year.” The 1M pulled ahead of many of the classic favorites in the auto world, including the Ferrari FF and 458 Italia, the aforementioned Lamborghini Gallardo Performante, the Nissan Skyline, and the McLaren MP4-12C.
The new BMW 535d Touring M Sport also got a spot on his "favorites" list, grabbing the top spot as "2011 Car of the Year."
The SEMA Award’s "Hottest Car" title only came about a year ago and for its maiden year was handed out to the Chevrolet Camaro. This year, the "Hottest Car" Award was finally announced with the award going to...the Chevrolet Camaro. That’s right, in the two-year existence of the award, the Camaro has won both of them.
In recognizing the most accessory-friendly vehicle that’s based on the volume of aftermarket parts that are showcased at SEMA, it was pretty obvious that there clear choice for SEMA’s "Hottest Car" was the Chevrolet Camaro. It has been a hit since it first arrived in the market a few years ago, proving once again that it stands on a completely different level compared to just about any other vehicle on the market today.
“After more than two years on the market, the Camaro continues to inspire creativity and Chevrolet is thrilled to see that expressed in all the wonderfully personalized examples here at the SEMA Show,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Global Chevrolet Marketing and Strategy.
“[The] Camaro has always been a car customers love to personalize and we are doing all we can to support them and the aftermarket industry with parts and accessories that help turn their dreams into reality.”
For automakers, there’s nothing better than showing up at the debut for one of your automobiles and getting a top notch award for your hard work. Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Ford will vouch for that since their One-77, Ciel Concept, and Focus Plug-In Electric Vehicle were all given best in show awards at the 41st annual South Florida International Auto Show (SFIAS) by the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA). SAMA had to choose between many of the participants in Miami, but in the end, these vehicles were chosen because of their styling and marketability.
The Aston Martin One-77 was awarded the “Star of the Show” trophy because the nine-member SAMA judging panel decided it was the single vehicle on display at the show that South Floridians will most want to see. Other vehicles considered for the award were the Audi A7, the Lexus GS sedan, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Toyota Camry, the Range Rover Evoque, and the Hyundai Veloster.
The Cadillac Ciel Concept was given the Best Concept Vehicle in the Show because of its stunning beauty and because SAMA considered it a forerunner of future Cadillac styling. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus Plug-In Electric Vehicle took home the “Best Green Technology Vehicle” in the show because of the fact that it is Ford’s first non-emissions, plug-in electric car to be mass produced and marketed in the United States. Other vehicles considered were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Toyota Prius V, and various manufacturers’ hybrid and clean diesel technology vehicles.
The South Florida International Auto Show (SFIAS) runs until November 6, 2011, so stop by the Miami Beach Convention Center to check out these award-winning models.
The Geneva Motor Show is one of the biggest shows of the year and the 2011 event certainly did not disappoint. With over 70 cars lined up and ready to take our breaths away, choosing our favorites between them all was not an easy task.
Sure, there were some easy choices, like the brand spanking new Lamborghini Aventador or the Jaguar XKR-S, or brilliant tuning projects like the ABT R8 GT S. Then there was the job of tossing out the not-so-brilliant vehicles like the Mitsubishi Global Small or the rather useless Rinspeed Bamboo. The 2011 Geneva Motor Show brought out cars from one side of the spectrum to the other, and rifling through them took some time. Some may not agree with our choices and that’s okay. However, everyone can appreciate a beautiful or highly efficient car when they see one, and we’ve gathered some exceptional specimens to share.
Hit the jump to check out our choices for the Best of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
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