Month: January 2013

With just over a week to go until the reveals on January 13th and 14th, Corvette enthusiasts are beginning to dance around like a 4 year who urgently needs to use the restroom. The anticipation grows as each day of the calendar flips over. Forbes Magazine chimed in Monday with their take on the highly anticipated 2014 C7 Corvette. The good news is that you don’t have to wait another week to see what Forbes had to say after the break.

Overall, the article in Forbes doesn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know, but we’ll paraphrase below. We know that the C7 will build on the success and performance of the C6 and Forbes tackles this subject in 5 key areas:

1. Engine: We know it will be powered by the new (again) LT1 engine. Output will be 450ish hp and 450ish ft-lbs of torque. Highway mileage should increase over the C6. Your overall mileage, though, is likely to be more directly correlated to the angle of your right foot.
2. Layout: It seems that the mid-engine Corvette rumor perks up every few years and the birth of the C7 was no exception. We know the 2014 car will retain the same layout it’s had for the last 60 years – front engine and rear wheel drive. We expect the transaxle to remain out back where it’s been since the C5’s debut in 1997.
3. Weight: With new stricter CAFÉ standards in wings, the Corvette needed to go on a diet. We expect the C7 to make liberal use of exotic materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. These unique ingredients should also yield a bump in the overall rigidity of the vehicle structure.
4. Interior: The C6 has been critiqued since 2005 about the (lack of) quality interior materials and the unsupportive seats. The latest C7 teaser video (http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2012/12/17/video-2014-c7-corvette-trailer-3-craft/) already hints and better materials and stitching. In addition, some spy photos have shown us some signs that upgraded seats will be cradling C7 occupants.
5. Price: Let’s be honest here. Corvettes aren’t cheap, but they need to be obtainable for the masses. Forbes mentions the $49,600 base price, but good luck finding one with that number on the sticker. Forbes speculates (and we agree) that we’re likely to see a modest price bump on the C7 thanks to its infusion of fancy materials and technowizardry.

Like we said, there’s really nothing new to report here, but the article is a nice summary, from a non-automotive source, of what’s been officially released and what is widely expected in the new C7. Plus we’re happy to see that the square tail light debate left out of the discussion.

In case you’ve forgotten, the 2014 will be officially unveiled on Sunday, January 13th. The public reveal will take place the following day at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Source:
Forbes

Related:
[VIDEO] Peter De Lorenzo: How Not To Launch the 2014 C7 Corvette
Leaked C7 Corvette Images Detail Rear End and Interior
[VIDEO] Building the C7 Corvette’s LT1 V8 Engine

 

Mecum Auctions continues to release details on some of the outstanding Corvettes they’ve got lined up for their Kissimmee auction later this month.
In addition to a Survivor 1963 Z06 and the ‘entombed’ 1954 Corvette, this mega rare 1971 ZR2 will be crossing the block on Saturday January 27th around 4pm EST.

RPO ZR2 was the big block equivalent of the small block ZR1 package. By checking that RPO ZR2 box, the owner the received the mighty 425hp LS6 454, M22 rock crusher transmission, heavy duty brakes, transistor ignition, and heavy duty springs and shocks. Like the ZR1, the ZR2 was built without a radio, air conditioning, or a fan shroud. Only 12 total were built. This Ontario Orange on black example is one of just 2 convertibles known to exist.

Lot S164 is documented with its original Corvette Order Copy (tank sticker) and has earned Bloomington Gold Special Collection and Hall of Fame honors. Other provenance includes the GM/NCRS Shipping Data Report and a prominent ownership history. It was originally shipped to Germany and returned to US during the 1980s.

This renowned Corvette has frequented the auction circuit over the last few years. In June of 2008 it sold for $550,000. It was subsequently bid to no sales of $500k and $345k in June and August of 2009 respectively. We last saw this car at Mecum’s 2011 Bloomington Gold sale where it changed hands at $410,000.

Mecum’s 10-day Kissimmee auction takes place January 18th – 27th at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. Hundreds of Corvettes will be offered as part of the 3,000 vehicle docket.

Source:
Mecum Auctions

Related:
Survivor 1963 Z06 Corvette Heading to Mecum Kissimmee
Entombed 1954 Corvette to be Auctioned at Mecum Kissimmee
A Moment of Reflection on the State of the Automobile and the Enthusiast

 

If you’re like most folks, you’ve never heard of mechanic’s liens.

But mechanic’s liens were in the news last month in Indianapolis, Indiana as federal prosecutors released details of a racket there that used mechanic’s liens to steal cars from banks and others who had ownership interest in the vehicles.

Liens are often placed against cars when a person owes back taxes or child support, but those liens and any bank liens from finance companies are erased when a mechanic’s lien is placed on a car.

Prosecutors say that a business called Mechanic’s Liens Plus has been operating the scam in Indianapolis and they have charged the owner of the business and his daughter, along with a Bureau of Motor Vehicles insider who helped with the scheme.

Apparently, people would pay $1,000 to Mechanic’s Liens Plus to file fake paperwork to enforce a mechanic’s lien on cars, enabling the drivers to escape making payments that they owed on the cars.

One woman told the ABC TV affiliate in Indianapolis that the scheme cost her family a classic 1965 Corvette that their late father had owned. A dishonest mechanic, she says, used Mechanic’s Liens Plus to take the car away from her family after they had paid him $13,000 to fix it.

Prosecutors say they may be filing action to recover some of the 272 vehicles that were apparently issued fraudulent new titles in the scam.

“These are not victimless crimes. Far from it,” says U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett. “These individuals were responsible for operating their own personal BMV on the streets of Indianapolis.”

The BMV employee is accused of providing the information about the legitimate lien-holders through her access to the BMV computer systems that allowed for hundreds of vehicles to be taken away from those banks and others with ownership interest.

Hogsett told the TV station that the scam also caused legitimate liens to simply go away for such things as paying child support or taxes that are owed to the State of Indiana. He said others used the business to avoid the other liens that would have required paying child support or taxes.

Even if the drivers who hired the business are not charged with a crime, Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Myers, the lead prosecutor on the case, said a forfeiture action could be filed in civil court since the cars were kept by the drivers through a fraudulent enterprise.

Source:
TheIndyChannel.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Stolen 1989 Corvette Stored for 23 Years Sold on eBay
2013 Corvette with 108 Miles Seized in Washington Drug Bust
Oregon Man’s 1985 Corvette Stolen Twice in 24 Hours

 

My 13-year-old son loves Corvettes and four-wheel drive trucks. This Craigslist find is definitely right up his alley, but will someone who actually has a driver’s license feel the same love, enough to pay “a firm” $2,500 for this 1978 C3 that’s been raised off the ground and turned into a four-wheel driver.

The car is riding on a 1989 Ford Bronco frame that has been flipped over to shorten the wheelbase, according to the owner’s ad.

The Corvette already has a BB 351 rebuilt engine with new head gaskets, valve covers, and water pump gaskets, along with 8.5mm wires with Bosch sparkplugs.

The owner says he never intended the car to be street driven. It’s just a project and a toy, apparently one that he is hoping Santa leaves at someone else’s door this Christmas season.

The new owner will definitely have a lot of work ahead of him (or her), though we must admit that this is one unique use for a C3 Corvette that you don’t see every day. You’ll be the talk of your hunting club this season, for sure.

Source:
Craigslist via CorvetteOnline

Related:
Corvettes on Craigslist: Custom 1980 Corvette 4×4
Corvettes on Craigslist: 1974 Corvette Wagon
[VIDEO] C2 Split Window Corvette Mud Slinger at Mud Jam

 

Corvette enthusiasts are known for their never-say-die attitude when it comes to fulfilling their dream of owning America’s Sports Car – even if it takes more than 30 years.

Mick Wilson is a prime example.

Back in the 1970s, he enjoyed the thrill of owning a 1963 Corvette convertible for just a few days before it was totaled in an accident.

Unfortunately, Wilson was only in the process of buying the car from his boss, who after the wreck decided to take the insurance settlement instead of repairing the ‘Vette.

Years passed, and Wilson never bought another Corvette – until about four years ago when fate intervened as it has a way of doing.

That’s when he came across another 1963 convertible at a garage sale. Though at first the Corvette wasn’t for sale, Wilson was eventually able to persuade the owner to part with it.

“The guy had it in his garage,” Wilson says. “The rear end was locked up, but it wasn’t in too bad a shape.”

Wilson got the car running again, repairing the differential and overhauling the small block 327 engine, among other fixes. He also added 17-inch American Racing Torq Thrust wheels surrounded by Raptor tires, 215/ 50R/ 17′s in front and bigger 235/ 50R/ 17′s in back.

“I probably should have hot-rodded it more,” he said. “It is a 4-barrel, but it was the smallest engine they offered that year.”

One area where he didn’t skimp, however, was the exterior. He searched for the perfect orange color before settling on a very expensive Lamborghini paint called Arancio Borealis.
The car is definitely a head-turner now, though it’s no doubt cost him a lot more than the $2,500 he was going to pay his boss back in the 1970s.

Wilson no doubt would say some dreams are worth the cost, though.

See more photos of Mick Wilson’s Corvette at www.kansas.com

Source:
The Wichita Eagle

Related:
Vietnam Veteran Lends His Corvette to a High School Shop Class
Kansas City Couple’s 1967 Corvette is a Former Chevy Engineering Test Car
Survivor 1963 Z06 Corvette Heading to Mecum Kissimmee

 

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