GM Releases Corvette ZR1 UK Pricing

The fastest and most powerful series production car from GM, the new Corvette ZR1, is on sale in the UK with first customer deliveries scheduled to arrive towards the end of the year. And when GM says first deliveries it actually means just two left-hand drive (yep, no right-hand drive folks) models will arrive in 2008 and only single digit volumes will be available for 2009, which could be just as well since on-the-road (OTR) pricing for the 647PS Vette has been set at a whopping £109,000 ($201,000 US). Just for the record, and even though the ZR1 boasts many unique features that set it apart from the rest of the Corvettes, the 505PS Z06 costs £62,100.

GM Cuts Down Corvette Production Due to Slowing Economy

The growing economic recession in the U.S. has finally caught up to the iconic Corvette as General Motors’ officials confirmed to Automotive News that production of the two-seater sports car at the Bowling Green assembly line in Kentucky will come to a halt during the week of October 6th.

But that’s only the beginning as GM revealed that once the Corvette assembly resumes during the week of October 13th, production will be slowed down from 18.5 vehicles per hour to 15, something that could potentially lead to up to 75 workers losing their jobs at the Bowling Green plant. And in case you’re wondering, Corvette sales from January through August have dropped by 8.5% compared to the same period in 2007.

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: AN (sub req.)

Corvette C6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class Caught in Hot Action

A previous generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and a Corvette C6 Convertible left their cultural differences aside and got a bit too intimate in Southern California. There’s no information concerning the ‘accident’ other than it occurred at the corner of Skyline and Foothill roads in Ventura County on September 5 and that no one was hurt. Luckily, both parties involved in this embarrassing scene were wearing rubbers so don’t expect to see any weird looking junior Corcedes or Mervettes running around in California any time soon. -Continued

Source: Ventura Star , Via: Motorpasion

Transformer 2 Corvette Centennial Concept in all its glory

Our friends over at Jalopnik hit the jackpot with these new shots of the Corvette Centennial Concept that was built to play a role in next summer’s blockbuster ‘Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen’ as well as to celebrate General Motors 100-year anniversary. The futuristic Corvette concept takes several styling cues from the older Vettes including the split rear-window from the ’63 Sting Ray. GM has been awfully quite with the Corvette Centennial so we’ll have to take Jalopnik’s word that the concept does not preview in any way the forthcoming C7 Vette. -Continued

Via: Jalopnik

Video: 2010 Chevy Volt & Corvette Concept at Transformers 2 Movie Set

We finally managed to find the amateur video from the ‘Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen’ movie set that we told you about in our previous post. The video shows what appears to be the production version (or pretty damn close to production) of the 2010 Chevrolet Volt along with shots of the Bumblebee Chevrolet Camaro, the Chevrolet Beat, the Chevrolet Corvette Centennial Design Concept and some other Chevys during the filming of a scene for the new TransChevys, err we mean Transformers 2 movie. Watch the video after the jump. -Continued

Rossi 66 with Corvette C2 Looks and C6 Hardware Coming to 2008 SEMA

Blue Fusion is the latest company to join in on the latest trend here in the States of re-bodying new Corvettes to look like the second generation model of the 1960s. Dubbed the Rossi 66, Blue Fusion’s Corvette will use the current C6/Z06/ZR1 platform and dress it with a body that mimics the lines of the 1966 C2 split window ‘Vette. Or at least that’s what Blue Fusion supports as the only year that the split window made its appearance on the C2 Corvette was in 1963 – talk about a big booboo… -Continued

Model-Year blunder aside, the first production version of the Rossi 66 will be displayed at the SEMA 2008 in Las Vegas this fall. The car will be built to order at he company’s facilities from a new C6, a C6/Z06/ZR1 or a customer supplied C6 donor chassis. Along with the coupe version, Blue Fusion says that it is also preparing a fully functioning convertible and various stages of Sport and Competition versions that will include a GT2 class type for full on-track racing applications.

Via: Jalopnik

Update: Hertz Corvette Driver Says he wasn’t at Fault

A couple of weeks ago we posted an article on a rental Hertz Corvette ZHZ that slammed into the sidewalls of a restaurant in Dallas -see here. Based on what Fox News had reported then, we said that the driver lost control of the vehicle. Today however, the driver of the Vette, Joey, left us a comment in our post explaining that he didn’t simply “loose control of the vehicle” but was rammed from behind by a Ford F-150 that ran a stop sign. Well, it’s only fair that we let Joey explain the accident himself:

"According to the media, I “lost control of my vehicle” trying to avoid a wreck. In reality, a Ford F150 ran a stop sign trying to shoot across Lemmon and caught the tail end of my vehicle. I noticed we were going to collide just prior to impact and accelerated trying to get the hell out of the way. Clearly, that was unsuccessful. The truck came barrelling into my backend, knocking me into a crazy (thinking: “this is gonna hurt like hell”) spin — across oncoming traffic — and somehow landing backwards under the patio at La Madeleine on Lemmon Avenue."

Link: Resistednormalcy

Transformers Corvette Centennial Design Concept Scooped

The mysterious Corvette concept that has been circulating around the movie sets of the Transformers film “Revenge of the Fallen” that’s expected to hit cinema screens in early 2009, has been scooped once again, this time by a reader from Jalopnik. According to Jalopnik’s inside sources, while the futuristic sports coupe is indeed a Corvette concept, it has nothing to do with the next-generation C7 Corvette. Instead, it was created to celebrate General Motors' 100-year celebration – hence the Corvette Centennial Design Concept name. -One more pic after the jump

Via: Jalopnik

Hertz Corvette ZHZ Driver Mistakes Diner for Drive-In

Just a little over a month after Hertz added the limited edition Corvette ZHZ to its Fun Collection line-up and we have the first casualty as a rental driver lost control of the 436 HP Vette at Lemmon Avenue in Dallas slamming it onto the sidewall of the La Madeleine restaurant. Now that had to hurt(z)...

As with the Mustang GT-H, the Corvette ZHZ is a limited edition model with only 500 units produced for Hertz. Finished in the rental company's yellow with a center black stripe, the ZHZ gets the optional dual-mode exhaust system the gives an extra 6HP to the standard 6.2-liter V8. Other mods include chromed 18-inch front and 19-inch rear seven-spoke alloys, ZHZ embroidery and Hertz fender emblems. -More pics after the jump

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Fox Dallas

Buyer Picks Up First Production Corvette ZR1 after Paying $1Million

We can think of more than a million ways to spend $1 million other than buying the very first production 2009 Corvette ZR1, but at least Dave Ressler’s cash went to a good cause as the money was donated to The United Way. We remind you that Dave Ressler bought the 001 Corvette ZR1 at the 008 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction in January 2008. Production of the new Corvette ZR1 that began in early July 2008 is limited to 2,000 vehicles per year, each identified with a special VIN that denotes its sequential build number. -Video after the jump

Transformers 2 Movie: New Photos of the Mystery Corvette Concept

Thanks to an anonymous tipster, our Jalopnik pals have obtained a new pair of shots of the mystery Corvette Concept that will star in next year’s Transformers film sequel, dubbed “Revenge of the Fallen”. The new photos confirm that this prototype is indeed a GM vehicle as the rear-end picture reveals the “GM Design” logo on the license plate. While we’d like to believe that this is a concept car previewing the forthcoming C7 Corvette, we’ll have to wait to see what the deal with GM’s silver prototype is. -One more picture after the jump

Via: Jalopnik

Transformers 2 Movie to Feature Corvette Concept?

This silver coupe that looks like some sort of a Corvette Concept was spotted by a member of the Seiberton forums at a movie set for the forthcoming Transformers 2 Film, “Rise of the Fallen”. While we can’t be entirely sure that it’s a Corvette Concept, it definitely features many characteristic Vette styling cues like the coke-bottle shape body, the sharp fenders and the split rear-window. Plus it’s no secret that GM is pretty active in the Transformer movie. Apart form the Vette, the photo set also includes modified versions of the Chevy Beat and Trax concepts that premiered at last year’s NY Auto Show. –More pics after the jump




Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Seiberton

Video: Corvette ZR1 Lapping the ‘Ring in 7:26.4

We know you’ve all been anxiously waiting to see the video of the new 620Hp Corvette ZR1 lapping the Nurburgring race track in a stunning 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds, so without any further ado, just follow the jump and check it out! -Continued

Corvette S-Limited: For Japan Only

GM’s Asia-Pacific arm has introduced a special edition version of the Corvette named S-Limited that will only be available in Japan. Production is limited to 30 units, 15 in black and 15 in white colour with prices set at ¥7,980,000 or about $74,700. As you’ve probably already suspected, the S-Limited’s differences to the standard Vette are… limited to the two-tone leather interior, the mesh inserts and the rear lip spoiler. -Gallery after the jump







Via: Autoblog.it

Why the Corvette Z1’s Nurburgring Time Shouldn't be Compared with the Nissan GT-R

We’ll give GM plenty of kudos for creating a sports car that officially lapped the famous Nurburgring in a mere 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds as it puts plenty of supercars costing double its price to shame, but ultimately, its somewhat unfair to compare the Corvette ZR1 with the Nissan GT-R. True, in our article on the ZR1’s Nurburgring time we mentioned that GM’s sports car beat the Nissan GT-R (7 minutes and 29.03 seconds), but we only did it to give you a comparable example of how good the Corvette is.

However, we must put things into perspective. The 640Hp Corvette ZR1 is priced from $103,300, the 480Hp Nissan GT-R from $69,850. That’s a huge price difference -$33,450 or nearly 50% more. Practically, the GT-R should be compared with the 505Hp Corvette Z06 that starts from $72,125. Although this is not an official time, various sites (including Motortrend) have stated that the Z06 lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 42 seconds or 13 seconds more than the GT-R. -Continued

But to be totally honest, a sportscar’s Nurburgring time would be the last thing that would matter if we were in the market to buy one. Well before that we’d take into consideration a variety of factors including the emotional impact that the car has on us, the way it communicates with us on the road -maybe even on the track, and of course, the price tag. (Pic: Carscoop)

Corvette ZR1 Laps the Ring in 7:26.4, Beats the 2009 Nissan GT-R

GM’s 640Hp and $103,000 Corvette ZR1 has posted one of the fastest times ever recorded on the Nurburgring race track for a totally stock production car: 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds. And yes, the ZR1 has shaved almost three seconds off the 2009 Nissan GT-R’s official time of 7:29.03.

According to Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge J. Juechter, the ZR1 tested was bone stock with the exception of the communications and safety equipment. The tires were production Michelin Pilot Sport 2 which have been developed specifically for the ZR1 while chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs. -Continued

Likewise, Juechter said that the engine calibrations were absolutely stock, emissions compliant and the car ran on pump (not racing) fuel. In other words, it was the same vehicle as the ones that will roll off the production line in Bowling Green, Kentucky and sold around later this summer.