Month: April 2012

In Automobile Magazine’s June 2012 issue, the editors break down a list of cars getting updates over the next two years and the C7 Corvette was one of the featured American cars in their sneak preview. Accompanying the article (and helping to sell magazines) is this rendered illustration of what Automobile Magazine thinks the front of the 2014 C7 Corvette will look like.

Like many of the car buff magazines these days trying to create a story when there really isn’t any new information, Automobile Magazine breaks down what everybody already has been talking about:

Given its recent financial troubles and resultant period of government oversight, it’s no surprise that GM has hewed to a fairly conservative course in preparing the latest (and now just plain late) new Corvette. As hard as it might be for us to understand, the idea of GM spending gobs of money to radically reengineer its screaming, tire-smoking supercar could in some circles be seen as less than prudent, especially when the current Vette is already a world-class performer. So, the upcoming new Corvette — the C7 for short — retains the current mechanical layout. Instead, efforts have gone into lowering weight, downsizing powertrains, and improving efficiency. We’re still looking at a V-8 engine, however, and the numbers bandied about for the base model are 5.5 liters and 440 hp — so this downsizing is evidently nothing too drastic. The V-8 will be direct-injected and the transmissions will add more gears, giving the Vette an eight-speed automatic and a seven-speed manual like the one in the new Porsche 911. The car will also be trimmed in size, and that, frankly, is welcome, but not quite as much as the promised higher-quality interior. Also welcome is a more adventurous design, considering the play-it-safe recent efforts. Chevrolet released a teaser in the form of the Stingray concept back in 2009, but that show car is pretty far off from the production version. Instead, we’re expecting something along the lines of what you see above, with the creases of today’s car more pronounced, a vaguely Ferrari 599 look to the profile, and a hint of Camaro in the taillights to build the Chevy family resemblance. It won’t be long before we’ll know how close this is to the real thing. We’ll get our first look at the next-generation Corvette in less than a year at the 2013 Detroit auto show before the car goes on sale as a 2014 model.

Actually, let’s throw some credit over to Automobile Magazine for mentioning the 8-Speed automatic transmission. We’re fairly certain this is going to happen as the same month that GM announced the $131 million investment into Bowling Green Assembly for the C7, they also announced $204 million for an all-new advanced 8-speed automatic transmission that will be made at GM’s transmission plant in Toledo, Ohio. GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said at that announcement that the new 8-Speed transmissions are for “future vehicles that offer customers improved fuel economy and outstanding performance”. That sounds like a C7 Corvette to us!

The new 2014 C7 Corvette is expected to debut next January at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show with the first model – the standard coupe – being available at dealerships in the fall of 2013. We have heard that the standard Convertible will follow several months after that and the performance models, Z06 and ZR1, could come in the following model year.

Stay tuned to CorvetteBlogger.com for the latest C7 Corvette news.

Source:
Automobile Magazine

Related:
[VIDEO] C7 Corvette Prototypes Spotted Driving On Michigan Streets
Motor Trend Predicts the C7 Corvette Model Rollouts
C7 Corvette Illustration on Cover of Car and Driver’s April 2012 Magazine

 

A legend in the Corvette world for more than 50 years passed away last Tuesday in Newport Beach, Calif.

Andy Porterfield first started racing Corvettes in 1957, and amazingly he was still racing them in 2012 at the age of 80!

“Porterfield? Hell, he was racing Corvettes when I started,” racing icon George Follmer said in the October 1979 issue of SportsCar nearly 33 years ago.

Porterfield was a two-time SCCA national champion and won more than 400 races in his career that spanned 55 years. “I don’t know the exact number,” he said once. “I didn’t keep track; I just wanted to race.”

You may also know the Porterfield name through his brake business. As he was racing Corvettes, he discovered stopping is just as vital as going. Back then, Corvettes didn’t have the best brakes in the world, so he switched to Ferodo linings. That led to his becoming a U.S. distributor for that British company in 1985, and today, Porterfield Enterprises manufacturers its own brake pads and rotors and distributes other companies’ products.

He was also active in the California Sports Car Club, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and a national leader for SCCA.

On the pro side, Andy competed in 41 Trans-Am races between 1969 and 1992, finishing third on two occasions in 1980, both (of course) in a Corvette.

Porterfield was born on June 1, 1931. He earned a degree in business administration at Chico State College. Until the mid ’80s, he was a partner in a company that built parts for nuclear-power plants.

Memorial services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific in the chapel at Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, Calif., on April 26. The chapel is just inside the entrance to the park.

Cards or messages may be sent to the Porterfield Brakes Shop, 1767 Pacentia Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, 92627.

Source:
SPEED

Releated:
Corvette Community Loses Friend with Passing of Jeff Hardy
Farewell to Fitness Guru and Corvette Fan, Jack LaLanne
Elfi Arkus-Duntov: 1915-2008

 

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Here’s a closeup look at the new color for the 2013 model year we’ve been talking about this week called Night Race Blue.

Click here to see it on a 2013 Corvette Coupe.

 

Check out this video of NYC-based rapper “LYRIC INFORCA” as he plays a stereotypical New Yorker driving around in a Velocity Yellow Corvette Z06 while banging out some big beats.

Actually, this NSFW video is just about the worst thing you’ll ever seen. In hindsight, we can’t decide whether the Corvette is the video’s saving grace or the unfortunate victim of being owned by a gold chainer “Yo, Vinnie from the Bronx”.

Hat tip to Ridelust.com as they ask if this could be the worst Corvette Z06 owner ever?

Source:
Ridelust via YouTube.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am Takes His Custom 1959 Corvette for a Spin
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing’s Johnny O’Connell Sings to Raise Money for Alzheimer’s Research
Corvette Jumpsuits and the History of Douchebaggery

 

If there is one aftermarket segment for Corvettes that really understands the importance of photography to its business, it’s the custom wheel market. But the adage of “a picture says a thousand words” just isn’t true in this case as we could only muster one word “damn!” as we scanned through this photo gallery of D2Forged Wheels mounted on this Black Corvette Z06.

Adding a new set of custom wheels to your Corvette is one of the easiest and most exciting ways to make your car unique. With an unlimited amount of choices in sizes, colors and designs, the Corvette becomes a canvas from which owners can customize and personalize to their own tastes.

The FMS series is a great entry-level series of wheels for Corvette owners and features the same strength and quality that D2Forged Wheels are known for. With sizes in 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22″ diameters and widths up to 15″, the FMS series will provide you with the look and stance your Corvette deserves without busting the bank.

This Black Corvette Z06 with the equally awesome “STOL3N” New York vanity plate is shown wearing the D2Forged FMS-01 20″ wheels. In the front are 20×10′s with a 3.0″ lip while the rears are 20×13 with a 4.0″ lip. The centers are painted in gloss black with a hi-luster polished lip and gloss black fasteners. These are a direct fitment and require no modifications.

The D2 Forged Wheels FMS series comes in different colors as well. You can see the same Black Z06 sporting a set with Challenge Gold centers on Luxury4Play.com. Also make sure you check out the Chevrolet gallery of pictures featuring many different versions of D2Forged wheels on Corvettes and Camaros.

To find a D2Forged Wheels dealer nearest you, call 800-913-3513 or send an email with your location to info@d2forged.com.

Source:
D2Forged Wheels – The D2 Life

Related:
The 2013 Corvette in Night Race Blue
Corvette Vanity License Plates from Corvettes at Carlisle