After six long and beautiful generations, the Chevrolet Corvette is just as much a hot commodity as it was in 1953 when the first concept was rolled out for all to see. This American-made sports car comes in four different trims: Standard, Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1.
The standard Corvette and the Grand Sport are both powered by a 6.2L V8 engine that pumps out 430hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. Add the upgraded exhaust system and the models get 436hp and 425 lb-ft of torque. The Grand Sport differentiates itself from the standard model with a few upgrades, Z06 styling cues, and its won gear and rear-axle ratios. The Corvette Z06 is powered by a 7.0L V8 engine producing 505hp and 470 lb-ft of torque and the newer ZR1 boasts a 6.2L supercharged V8 delivering 638hp and 604 lb-ft of torque to the table.
All engines are mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
One of the vehicles to catch our attention at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show was the one-off Supercharged ZR-59, a tuning project mixing the classic 1959 Corvette with design elements and technology from the current Corvette ZR1. The project - spearheaded by Cal West Customs and Palmers Customs - was developed to give a classic sports car the feel and rumble of a modern day supercar.
The Chevrolet Supercharged ZR-59 took over a year to be created. It started as a chassis with a stock corvette body and then Art Morrison provided a custom chassis for the project which was then covered with a hand-built metal and fiber glass body. The body includes hand-built side and fender moldings shaped from brass and a custom built stainless gas tank. A set of Nutek three-piece forged aluminum rims complete the exterior look. The interior gets a hand-fabricated dash, center console, and gauge cluster. It took tons of planning and concept, but the final product is the slick sports car in these images.
The engine is also a masterpiece with the two developers opting for a Corvette ZR1 LS9 V8 engine producing a total of 750 HP. This engine was combined with a Tremec T56 six-speed transmission, a Corvette C6 front suspension, air ride shockwaves with auto-levelers, and Wilwood 6 piston front and rear brakes. A push button ignition system was also put in for added convenience.
Many of us have been waiting for the arrival of the next-generation Corvette C7 for quite some time. It’s not so much because we are hardcore Corvette lovers or even because the next generation is getting any dramatic changes to pique our interest, but with so many changes in regulations and the growing awareness of the environment - and the effects that has on our wallets - we were just curious to see if Chevrolet would be biting the bullet and straying away from their trademark V8 engine. A few months ago we shared a video of Chevrolet chief engineer, Tadge Juechter, getting very defensive over the company’s beloved Corvette and it became clear that the next generation would still carry the V8 engine that has gotten them this far, but it would be getting some changes to move with the times.
UPDATE 11/08/2011: Ever since Chevrolet announced that they were preparing to launch the seventh generation Corvette, we have heard all kind of rumors about the new model. According to GM Inside News, though, most of these rumors will remain just that.
In the past, people have said that the C7 Corvette would be offered with a split rear window - like the one first seen on the 1963 Stingray - but GM has now confirmed that the car’s general design language - surprise surprise - will actually be very similar to the current model. The company has stated that it will be more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The interior will get higher quality materials and there will be a 6.2-liter engine mated to a seven-speed manual transmission under the hood. Its official debut will be made in mid-2013.
UPDATE 11/21/2011: Check out our new rendering of the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette!
More details on the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette after the jump.
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With the exception of the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, sports cars - modified ones, at that - are considered the life blood of the SEMA Auto Show.
Pick-ups and SUVs are slowly gaining ground, but when it comes to sheer level of interest, sports cars are right up there with the two American muscle cars. This year, the SEMA Auto Show will be presenting plenty of mouth-watering examples of how sports coupes can be modded into pieces of automotive heaven.
In this list, you’ll find a lot of variety. American sports cars. Japanese sports cars. Korean sports cars. And there’s even one from the Philippines, believe it or not.
So when you head past the jump to read our SEMA preview for the sports cars, be sure to have a napkin or hanky in your hand because there’s going to a lot of drooling.
Find out more about the 2011 SEMA Auto Show: Sports Cars after the jump.
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Weren’t we just talking about all those 1,000-horsepower American sports cars a few days ago? In case you need more proof of that, here’s another mind-bending example: A Chevrolet Corvette C6 that was worked on by Late Model Racecraft to push out 1,600 horsepower. Built in collaboration with LMS and D2Forged Wheels, this berserker of a sports car could very well be one of the most powerful Corvettes you’ll find anywhere in the world.
This Corvette already has an impressive 6.2-liter V8 engine under its hood, one that produces 430 horsepower and 424 lb/ft of torque. Apparently for some people, those figures are just not worthy of their time. So they did what any right-minded tuning shop would do: tune it up to their standards.
The result is a Corvette C6 that carries a twin-turbocharged WarHawk motor, resulting in a dizzying output of 1,600 horsepower. We’ll repeat that in case you got confused: 1,600 horsepower.
And if that wasn’t extreme enough, Late Model Racecraft made sure to give the Corvette the look to match its output, courtesy of a Z06 widebody kit and a new set of 19" (front) and 18" (rear) three-piece D2Forged VS1 wheels.
With a car that carries such a significant mod set-up, there’s a big chance that this program will cost you more than what you’re willing to spend. Then again, 1600 horsepower is 1,600 horsepower, and a lot of people will pay premium money to have that much output on a Corvette.
With the growing number of customized Camaros showing up at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show, it’s nice to see that Chevrolet hasn’t forgotten about their non-muscle sports car. The Corvette will be making its stand in Vegas with the Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept, created as a celebration of 30 years of "Corvettes at Carlisle," one of the largest annual Corvette events in North America.
The Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept is painted in a very cool Carlisle Blue exterior with exquisite Pearl White full-length racing stripes. This color combination is highlighted with Silver-painted Torque 2 wheels. The Corvette also benefited from carbon fiber front splitter and rockers, a full-width rear spoiler, and a Grand Sport style hood blanket. For the interior, Chevrolet has opted for Ebony/Titanium leather with blue stitching, a new Bose Premium Audio with nine speakers, a USB port and audio jack with iPod integration on the touch screen, and racing pedals.
Performance wasn’t forgotten either. Chevrolet also hooked up the celebratory model with a dual-mode exhaust and Magnetic Selective Ride Control to go with the standard 6.2 Liter 430-hp LS3 V8 engine.
Only a few images were released of the elegant Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept, but we’ll make sure to snap a few of our own when we get to the 2011 SEMA Auto Show next week!
