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2014 Chevrolet Corvette
 
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 04/19/2012: The next generation Corvette has been caught on video by a very lucky Youtube member. The video isn’t the best quality, but it still gives us a glimpse of the future of the iconic American sportscar. Hit the jump for the video! More details on the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette after the jump. Full story Chevrolet Camaros on 32s take over-the-top to a new level
There comes a point where customization of cars reaches and then exceeds the level of what actually looks appealing and what helps or hinders a car’s performance. West Coast Customs back in the ‘Pimp My Ride’ days were masters of excessive styling, but the creations they once produced pale in comparison to what you see here. Fitting larger tires and wheels to muscle cars and sports cars has always been a popular and relatively cheap way of improving a car’s visual appeal, and even though every individual’s tastes differ in terms of car styling, we believe the following Chevrolet Camaros are the strangest on the road today. Fitting 22 inch wheels to a Camaro is pretty much the largest you’ll ever see on the road, but some true madmen in the U.S. recently fitted a set of 32 inch wheels to both a Camaro coupe and convertible, and we have to say, we’ve never seen anything so odd. Thirty-two inch tires may be right at home for a few Jeeps and Toyota Land Cruisers out there, but they usually run 20 inch wheels. The tires on the Camaros in these videos are extremely low profile, so it basically looks like the cars are driving solely on their wheels. Add in the fact that the spinners of the coupe play tricks with your head, moving forward while reversing and remaining still while driving forward, and you have two of the most tricked out cars going around. It’s obvious what we think about them, but what do you think? Second video after the jump. Full story
2013 Chevrolet Corvette
While we all believed that the 2013 model year would finally bring the seventh generation Corvette, it seems that Chevrolet has decided to offer the current C6 for one more year. However, the 2013 Corvette will get a few more updates for the added time frame. For the 2013 model year, the Corvette will receive a new Night Race Blue exterior color, as well as a lighter-shaded Supersonic Blue to choose from. The current Competition Gray wheels will be dropped and replaced by new Black Painted Aluminum wheels. As a gift for the car’s 60th Anniversary, all models will be offered with an Anniversary Package that will include an Arctic White exterior, a Blue Diamond leather-wrapped interior with suede accents, a ZR1-style rear spoiler, gray-painted brake calipers, and, of course, special "60" badges. The 2013 Chevrolet Corvette will be unveiled at the National Corvette Museum’s Bash later this month, so stay tuned.
Busted: Convicted of Trying to Sell a Cloned Chevelle Z16
 Chevrolet Chevelle Z-16 Cloned classic cars are everywhere. Heck even my dad has a cloned 1966 Chevelle SS. There is one difference between my dad, along with most other cloners, and one Bobby Patton, they have no problem admitting that their vehicle is officially a clone. Mr. Patton apparently purchased a 1965 Chevy Chevelle from a gentleman and figured out that there is one extremely rare model in 1965 that the average person wouldn’t recognize from a regular old Chevelle. This model is the 1965 Chevelle Z16, which features a boxed frame, different engine stampings, special badges, different rear end, and the most obvious one, a unique VIN. After tricking some car show judges into giving him a nice collection of trophies, Mr. Patton decided he was going to try and make a quick buck off of this clone by auctioning it off. Well, the problem is that he didn’t identify the vehicle as a clone, but as one of the few Z16s in the world, and was trying to get a cool $100K out of it. The crack detective team at Chevelles.com sniffed out this fraud and began a conversation with the man that was auctioning the car. The conversations were not accusatory, but instead an attempt to help the guy realize that whoever sold him that car had tricked him. One of the folks talking to Mr. Patton pointed out numerous errors with the vehicle, including a homemade cowl VIN tag, incorrect speedometer, wrong engine stamping, wrong frame, and many other things. Obviously, the guy kept pressing the issue and it took several days for him to come to his senses and pull the car from the auction site. That was a little too long, as someone reported him to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and they paid him a nice visit. He claimed to have purchased the car that way, but the cops found out from the original owner that the car was badged, titled, and sold as a Chevelle 327SS, not a Z16. A long story short, now his car is impounded and he is serving two years of probation. Who would have known cloning a car could cause such issues? Image is of a real Chevrolet Chevelle Z16.
"One-of-a-Kind" Willys Trike
Okay, I have worked in many repair shops in my day. During my tour as a service manager, I came across a fair share of “Mountain Man Mechanics,” which is the politically correct thing to call them. These guys love taking the strangest vehicles and creating monsters out of them. There was one mechanic that took a 1980s Honda Civic hatchback and dropped a 1300 cc Hayabusa engine in it, thinking it would increase the Civic’s performance. He didn’t quite grasp the logic of torque-to-weight ratio and ended up with only a really cool sounding Civic. Another monster that sticks out in my mind is when a mechanic tore apart his unwilling wife’s mid-1990s Mitsubishi Mirage and dropped its body on a self-shortened S-10 frame. He then dropped a 307 cubic-inch Oldsmobile engine in it and connected the Olds engine to the transmission and transfer case on the S-10 frame. It actually looked and sounded mean when he was done, but instead of re-welding the frame together, he used several bolts to secure it. Guess what happened... What’s my point here? Well, a new monster has recently come to our attention, which is for sale on Craigslist. The owner has dubbed this machine a 2007 Willys Trike. This trike has a stretched Jeep CJ-2 body with a motorcycle wheel on the front. The body sits on a custom frame – hopefully it’s welded – and has the rear independent suspension from a T-bird. Instead of having the old Jeep CJ-2 engine, this beast has a Chevy 4.3-liter Vortec engine, which is good for around 190 horsepower, if it is stock. Plus it has a four-speed transmission connecting the engine to the rear wheels. The handle bars for the motorcycle wheel span all the way from the front of the vehicle through two slots under the windshield. We bet this thing is a scary animal to maneuver at high speeds. But anyways, this “Mountain Man” monster can be yours for “just” $11,000. We bet this thing sits on the market for a while.
2013 Chevrolet Avalanche Black Diamond Edition
Chevrolet Avalanche history started back in 2001 and since then the company has sold a total of 580,000 units, while the model has received numerous major awards and recognitions. However, Chevrolet decided to take the model out while its still in its glory. And, as a thank you to all its customers, the company will be offering for the 2013 model year the special edition Black Diamond Avalanche. For the 2013 model year all the LS models will get a rear camera, rear park assist, power adjustable pedals, fog lamps and remote start, while the LT models will add a standard rear camera. The Black Diamond Avalanches will further add body-colored bed surrounds, a unique badge on the sail panel. After the equipment adjustments the car’s base price has been reduced by $2,500, so that now the 2WD Avalanche LS starts at $35,980, plus $995 dealer freight charge. "Although Avalanche sales have tapered off in recent years, as crew cabs have grown to dominate Silverado sales, we know there are many Avalanche enthusiasts among Chevy customers," said Mark Clawson. "The Black Diamond Avalanche is our way of saying ‘Thank you’ and making it just a little more attractive to own one more Avalanche."
2015 Chevrolet Impala SS
The SS (Super Sport) name was first used back in 1961 and since then, it has become Chevrolet’s signature of performance on many models. Back then, the Impala was in its fourth generation and the SS version brought an amazing power increase of 305 - 425 HP, depending on the version. Now, the tenth generation Impala is on the horizon, changing its focus from being a once feared muscle car to a plain and simple family car, but the SS model will still be there to tickle the fancy of practicality and performance. The future, standard Chevrolet Impala was just unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show, so we expect to see the SS version launched sometime by the end of the year or in early 2013. The new SS should follow the same guidelines set in the previous models, so expect to see a V8 engine with an output of up to 450 HP cradled under that family sized hood. In terms of design, the new Impala SS will receive a modified bumper, new grille, new side skirts, a new set of wheels, an SS badge, and some new red paint. Report: No All-Wheel Drive for 2014 Impala
 We are all just becoming accustomed to the fact that the Impala will no longer be just a rental car beater, as Chevrolet has completely redesigned it and actually made it a competitor in the full-size car market and Chevy’s already trying to shoot itself in the foot. When Chevy began leaking out information about the 2014 Impala, we all assumed it would have an all-wheel-drive option, even though GM said nothing about it during the official unveiling in New York. This became even more obvious when we found out that it will be based on the Epsilon platform, which is the same platform that the AWD Cadillac XTS and AWD Buick LaCrosse are based upon. To our surprise, we learned from our friends at GMInsideNews.com that Chevy has zero plans of offering an AWD version of the Impala in either the near or distant future. Chevy actually made the brash and unfounded statement that all-wheel-drive vehicles are only a small part of the full-size car market. Actually that statement is downright false, to some experts. Paul Lacy of IHS stated last year that by 2015 AWD sales will account for nearly 30% of all automotive sales. Then again, if GM doesn’t want to take an industry expert’s opinion, it can look at sister company Cadillac. In 2009 and 2010 nearly one-half of all CTS sales were AWD models. Add in the fact that all of the main competitors to the Impala, including the Charger, Taurus, and 300, all have at least an optional AWD system. We don’t know exactly why Chevy is not planning on an AWD offering for the Impala and we honestly think that they are taking a step backwards at the worst possible time. When you first release a vehicle you don’t want to cut out an item like AWD, which is an important purchasing point for undecided shoppers. The undecided shopper is the one you need to reel in and things like AWD make that a possibility. Bad form, Chevy. Steve Saleen Returns to the Company he Founded
Many years ago, okay maybe less than two years ago, if you were cruising down the road in your hopped up Mustang GT and came across a Mustang bearing the “Saleen” name on the side, you knew your poor GT had no chance. In 2007, this all started to change, as Steve Saleen left the company. Then in 2011, the performance vehicle side of Saleen shut down altogether. This rendered the once feared custom car builder just a high-performance parts supplier. Shortly after leaving Saleen, Steve Saleen started SMS Supercars, basically a new version of Saleen. A long legal battle ensued after Saleen’s new ownership group refused to honor warranties for the performance vehicles it manufactured prior to taking ownership and SMS Supercars stepped in to try to help. The legal battle circled around whether or not SMS Supercars had the right to use the “Saleen” name. After what seems like ages, there is finally a decision. Steve Saleen has been awarded the rights to use the “Saleen” name on all of his vehicles. In addition, all previously manufactured SMS Supercar vehicles will be added to Saleen’s master registry, making them official Saleen vehicles. Plus, Saleen will start producing badges for all of the old SMS Supercar vehicles, which SMS Supercar owners can buy and put in place of the old “SMS” badges. SMS Supercars essential now becomes one with Saleen, which means Saleen will begin producing super high-performance models of the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Chevy Camaro. Saleen lovers of the world rejoice! The days of Saleen being little more than AutoZone on steroids are over. We cannot wait to see the first Saleen branded cars, which should be coming very soon, though there is no official release date. Hit the jump for the official press release Full story2012 Chevy Aveo Diesel gets extreme MPG, but what about the U.S.?
 We all understand that the European market was the first to really get nailed with high gas prices. They were paying over $5 per gallon while the U.S. market still was just cresting the $2 per gallon mark. This forced the European market to start accepting smaller and less desirable vehicles in hopes of getting better economy, while folks in the States continued to drive Hummers and other large SUVs. Now that gas is hitting $4 per gallon, the U.S. buyers are starting to become more receptive to smaller cars with upwards of 40 mpg capabilities and hybrids cresting the 50 mpg mark. However, we are still left out in one market, the ultra economic clean diesels. The latest one is the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo, which is known as the Sonic in the U.S. In the U.S., the highest mpg available on the Sonic is 40 mpg and that is the optional 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, which we have our doubts if any normal driver can actually hit 40 mpg in this car. In the U.K., the Aveo has several four-cylinder engine options, including a 1.2-liter gasoline, 1.3-liter diesel, 1.3-liter Eco Diesel, and a 1.4-liter. The highway fuel economy on these engines is 68.9 mpg, 83.1 mpg, 85.6 mpg, and 62.7 mpg, respectively. None of these engines would make the Sonic a speed demon, like the relatively quick Sonic LTZ and its 1.4-liter turbo engine, but will Chevy ever bring these engine options to the U.S. market? We understand that diesel fuel is not as readily available as regular gasoline, but they certainly give the U.S. buyer an option other than hybrid or electric, which have technologies that could end up requiring rather pricy repairs in the future. We’re not singling out Chevy here, as Ford has its ECOnetic system getting 65+ mpg in a Ford Fiesta. Our best Fiesta gets an arguable 40 mpg on the highway. Seemingly every car company has a super-Eco diesel engine in its European lineup, but we have yet to see one in the U.S. We think the time has come for one to show up. | featured reviews:Chevrolet cars reviews2015 2014 2013
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Chevrolet cars
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