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Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray Sells For $1.1 Million at Barrett-Jackson  With our sincerest apologies to the SRT Viper, you sir, have just been trumped big time. When the first production Viper sold for $300,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Orange Country last June, we thought that the figure was pretty impressive. Turns out, it didn’t even get to sniff a third of the winning bid price the first production Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray received over the weekend at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. $1.1 million was the winning bid for the Corvette C7 Stingray, proving without any hint of a doubt just how popular this American supercar has become since it made its debut a week ago at the Detroit Auto Show. Not surprisingly, the winning bidder came from someone who knows a thing or two about Corvettes: NASCAR team owner and Corvette collector Richard Hendrick. Proceeds from Hendrick’s...uhmm...generosity will go to a worthy cause, as the money will benefit the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, which is acclaimed in the U.S. for its outstanding automotive design program. Big congratulations to Richard Hendrick for scooping up the first production Corvette C7 Stingray. Not only did he prove his worth as a serious Corvette collector, but more importantly, he’s sending his money to a school that will need the funds to develop the future of this industry.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06
So we’ve already seen the new Corvette Stingray and we have already given you our take on what we think the Corvette Stingray Convertible will offer, so what’s left? Well, we still have yet to see or hear anything about the Corvette Stingray Z06. As we told you before, we highly doubt that GM would simply skip the Z06 this year. Rather, it is holding this release as its “Ace in the hole.” We honestly think we’re in for something big and we’ve released a rendering of what we think it’ll look like. As for styling, we’ll see the usual additions, including staggered wheels to allow for more meat on the back end, front lower-lip spoiler, a set of ground effects down the side and brake-cooling ducts just aft of the rear wheels. On top of that, we’re willing to bet that GM chooses to black out the silver strikethrough in front grille, giving the front end a sportier look and less of a Jan-Brady-headgear look. All of the aesthetics are well and good, but what’s under that hood? To be perfectly honest, we really have no idea. GM could totally ruin our Corvette high by dropping the same old 7.0-liter V-8 with 505 horsepower on tap. Sure, that is still a stout engine, but the C7 generation is all about change, right? We’re leaning toward seeing the long-rumored 5.5-liter V-8 engine with a touch of boost via a supercharger or a pair of turbochargers. We would expect to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 525 to 550 horsepower from this type of engine. Delivering the power to the rear wheel – car gods forbid Chevy from slapping AWD on a `Vette – will likely be a retuned version of the six-speed automated manual transmission found in the base model. Given the 2012 Z06 hits 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, GM is likely shooting for the 3.5-second mark with the Z06. For now, however, this is all speculation, and we’ll bring you more official info as it is released. Stay tuned! Image Note: The above image is a TopSpeed rendering of the Corvette Stingray Z06, not an official image Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray Headlines Chevrolet Auction List at Barrett-Jackson It’s been rumored that the first production Corvette C7 Stingray will hit the auction block similar to what happened to the #001 SRT Viper about a year ago. Now you can put all those rumors to rest because it’s been confirmed that General Motors will indeed auction off the first production model of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction this weekend. As is always the case with an auction like this, proceeds from the Corvette Stingray auction will go to a worthy cause, which in this case will be to Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. In addition to the all-new `Vette, Chevrolet’s auction list also includes the 2012 COPO Camaro Convertible, which we first saw at the 2012 SEMA Auto Show. Proceeds from that sale will go to the American Heart Association. Guy Fieri’s 2013 Corvette 427 Collector Edition will also be on hand, of which proceeds from the sale will go to the Guy Fieri Foundation. Last but not least is the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible and the proceeds of that sale will benefit Achilles International.
The Corvette C7 Stingray Set To Headline The Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance As if being the unquestioned headliner of the one of the biggest auto shows in the world isn’t enough, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been penciled in as the showcase car at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concourse d’Elegance. This car has only been uncovered for a few days and people are already lining up to have it headline their shows. That’s the mark of what is looking like a transcendent supercar. The Corvette Stingray, together with the original Sting Rays, will actually be part of an exhibit at Amelia Island on March 8th called "The Design Analysis of the Revolutionary Corvette Sting Ray Seminar, Presented by Chevrolet". Understandably so, the organizers of Amelia Island are thrilled to welcome the new Stingray to its show, something that was echoed by the show’s founder and Chairman, Bill Warner. "The 2014 Stingray has the same sort of ’bolt of lightning’ presence that the original Sting Ray did five decades ago," Warner said. "We’re honored and humbled that Chevrolet has chosen ’the Amelia’ to celebrate the return of the Stingray." Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray Will Get Right-Hand Variant For The UK Seemingly everyone that has any remote fascination with cars has spent the better part of the week anxious to see the uber-hyped unveiling of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. And now that Chevy has officially released it into the spotlight, we just can’t get enough of it. And apparently, the folks over at the UK are equally as excited after reports from Auto Express UK have said that the Corvette Stingray will head to the UK. Don’t get too excited dear chaps of ours from across the pond, because Corvette chief engineer, Tadge Juechter, said that the Corvette Stingray won’t land on British soil for at least a couple of years. Talking to Auto Express UK, Juechter remarked that "There is no plan to build a right-hand-drive version in the short term. In the long term it’s something we definitely want - to make this a more global car - but it won’t be for a couple of years." Guess you’ll take good news any way you can get it, right? Be patient, chaps! The Corvette Stingray is coming to the UK. It won’t be for a few more years, but hey, at least it’s coming!
The Highs and Lows of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Okay, folks, the C7 Corvette is out and we have all had a good chance to see what it is all about. With its launch, the Corvette takes yet another turn in its iconic lifetime. This makes two significant shifts in its lifespan in just two generations, as the C6 generation brought about the first time the Corvette donned fixed headlights since the C1 generation, and now the C7 generation is arguably the first time the Corvette actually looks the part of a supercar. Regardless of how cool a car is – trust us, the Corvette Stingray is dang cool – they all have their peaks and valleys, and since the Corvette Stingray is so important, its highs and lows can be rather dramatic. Well, we are going to have a quick look at our favorite and least favorite parts of the C7 Corvette in a pair of Top-5 lists. What would land on your Top-5 favorite and least favorite on the Corvette Stingray? Click past the jump to read our lists. Full story
No News may be Good News on a Z06 Variant of the Corvette Stingray So, we have seen the 2014 Corvette Stingray in all of its glory and learned all about how freaking awesome it’s going to be. One thing that Chevy is still keeping under wraps is a higher-performance variant of the `Vette Stingray, sans the Z51 Performance Package. What we’re talking about is the Z06 variant. We all know that GM isn’t going to roll out the most powerful standard Corvette ever without rolling out a Z06 model. The silence, however, is rather eerie. GM made not even a mention of this model in any of its press releases or at the official debut. We are optimistic that this silence means that big things are in store for the Z06 package. There is still one previously rumored engine that was that was originally pegged as the new Corvette engine, and that is the 5.5-liter V-8 engine. Chances are that this, plus a supercharger, could be the eventual engine to grace the engine compartment of the Corvette Stingray Z06. This is, of course, just us thinking and hoping out loud. We’ll keep a close eye on everything Corvette related to see if any new leaks come out regarding a potential Z06 model. For now we can only speculate…
2014 Corvette Stingray Also Debuts On Gran Turismo 5Long before being unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, the 2014 Corvette Stingray made its racing debut in Gran Turismo 5. Of course, the prototype that was initially unveiled in the famous racing game was heavily camouflaged, but now gamers will be able to drive it completely uncovered. The camouflaged Corvette caught the attention of more than 500,000 people, so both Chevrolet and Polyphony Digital Inc. have big hopes for the real deal. The new Corvette Stingray will be available as a free download through the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, January 15, and can be driven on some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including the Daytona International Speedway and the Nürburgring. For many people, driving the new Corvette in Gran Turismo 5 will be the only chance they have to drive the new American sports car. Also, considering it will take some time until the car arrives on the market, Gran Turismo 5 will be the first "real" test drive of the car. People will have many reasons to test it, considering the 2014 Corvette has been described as "the most powerful and sophisticated standard Corvette ever." We certainly can’t wait to hop behind the virtual wheel of the digital Stingray `Vette.
Corvette Stingray - Video Collage
For those of you whom have missed the live debut of the seventh generation Chevrolet Corvette, we have prepared a video collage that will further explain the technology behind the new American sports car. Along with the official unveiling, this video collage also presents the Corvette engineers and product managers share their excitement about the all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray. They offer up plenty of information on the car’s design and technology. The new-generation Corvette features an evolutionary design and has been built on an all-new aluminum frame which delivers an optimal 50/50 weight balance for unparalleled handling. The car also has "carbon-nano" composite underbody panels as well as composite fenders, doors and rear quarter panels. As for the engine, the 2014 Corvette will be powered by a LT1 6.2-liter Small Block V-8 engine, which produces an estimated 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. This engine will transform the Corvette into the most powerful standard model ever, but also into the most capable standard model ever, able to accelerate it from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds and achieve more than 1g in cornering grip. Click past the jump to see the rest of the video collage. Full story
Resurrecting the Stingray Moniker for the C7 Corvette Seems an Odd Choice We all know that GM has a long-running issue with creativity in its lineups. Through the 1980s we saw some of the most uncreative vehicles and that continued through the 1990s and into the early-2000s. We also saw other issues that really showed the GM was running out of creative steam, like the use of the “Lumina” moniker simultaneously on two vehicles that were vastly different – sedan and minivan – and the changing of the Sunbird to the Sunfire. Now we have the resurrection of a famous word in Corvette history, the “Stingray” moniker. The Original Sting Ray and Stingray monikers were and still are some of the most sought after models and to bring it to the modern era seems a bit of a disservice. Sure, this is the most modern and advanced Corvette ever, but it should be, given it is the newest model. That is not a good enough reason to exhume the Stingray name and slap in on the C7 generation. Don’t get us wrong, the new Corvette has renewed our fading love affair with the Corvette model, but to slap an iconic name on it just seems a bit of a slight to the Corvette’s history. That would be like Chevy making a higher-output Caprice and slapping an “Impala SS” badge on it. We all know they would never… oh wait… never mind. You get the point.
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