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A twin-turbo V6 for the C7
A reliable source from Auto week recently stated that there is a possibility that a twin-turbo six cylinder engine will be offered in the next generation Corvette. There is an urgency at GM to try and get the C7 in production in time to celebrate the car's 60th anniversary in 2013. The recent news that Saab is working on a transmission for a twin-turbo V6-powered Corvette has caught the industry by surprise. Exclusive Build Your Own Engine Option to be Offered on 2011 ZO6 and ZR1 Corvettes DETROIT – For enthusiasts who want to be personally involved in creating their Corvette, Chevrolet’s new Corvette Engine Build Experience allows them to literally build the engine for their new car. Corvette customers who order a 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1 can choose an option to help assemble their cars’ LS7 or LS9 engines at General Motors’ Performance Build Center (PBC) in Wixom, Mich. The self engine build option will cost about $5,800. The option does not include travel arrangements to and from Detroit.A Chevrolet Rep.will schedule the engine build and coordinate the customer’s activities at the Performance Build Center. The customer builds the new engine under the supervision of and support from skilled technicians. After the engine is assembled, a personalized nameplate is added to the engine next to the builder’s name. The engine is then sent to the Corvette assembly plant for installation in the customer’s car. BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky — The Chevrolet Corvette was named the official state sports car of Kentucky Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said the fact that the Corvette plant has been located in Bowling Green since 1981 was the impetus for the legislation. "As home to the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentuckians have long considered the Corvette to be Kentucky's sports car," Beshear said in a statement. The official bill was signed into law on April 26 during a ceremony that took place at the Bowling Green plant. Corvettes Recalled for Steering Problem General Motors is recalling over forty thousand Chevrolet Corvettes equipped with the tilt and telescoping steering column because a signal interruption in the column could cause the brakes to apply. The recall affects cars built between March 2004 and January 2006. Repeated movement of the steering column a signal interruption within the column. This will cause the message, "Service Active Handling System" to appear in the driver information center,which will cause the brakes to apply to one or more of the wheels. This could cause the vehicle to pull to the right or left. "If the driver does not respond to the change in vehicle movement, a crash could occur," said the automaker. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the recall was set to start April 30. "Fuel leaks may prompt recall for 2004 Chevrolet Corvette" An estimated 33,000 2004 Chevrolet Corvettes are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for possible fuel leaks. NHTSA said in its defects investigations summary. "The 04 Corvette is equipped with two fuel tanks. In 12 of the reports, a fuel tank was either replaced or identified as the source of the leak." In other documentation, NHTSA reports no crashes, injuries or fatalities linked to the complaints. "New Edition ZO6 in the Works" The 2011 Z06 will be offered in a limited "carbon edition" package. The carbonized Z's will sport a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, black 20-spoke wheels (19" front, 20" rear) and a Magnetic Selective Ride Control damping system to soften the ride. Chevrolet will build 500 Z06 Carbon edition cars that should be available by late-summer of 2011. The carbon Z's will be available in either Inferno Orange or Supersonic Blue. The Carbon's exterior will features blacked out headlamp surrounds and mirrors. Other body improvements will include a ZR1 spoiler, a higher profile carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber rockers and front splitter. Suspension improvements will make the carbon Vette 3 seconds faster on a roundy round race track like Laguna. The Carbon Vettes interior will include some needed upgrades as well. The current Vettes interior is a disgrace, sorry if that offends you but we tell it like it is. Refinements will include new suede leather and lots more carbon fiber accents. The steering wheel, dash and seats will remain, courtesy of Chevy Impala. GM will also offer a Z07 performance package that will include all of the mechanical and chassis upgrades of the Carbon Vette. "C6 Roof Panel Recall" General Motors is recalling over 22,000 2005-2007 model year Corvettes with removable roofs. The recall was issued due to a problem with the adhesive between the roof panel and the frame. The failed adhesive could cause roof panel separation while the car is in motion. "If there is a complete separation, the roof panel may detach from the vehicle," according to the NHTSA. "If this were to occur while the vehicle was being driven, it could strike a following vehicle and cause injury and/or property damage." Dealers will install a new design roof panel free of charge to correct the problem. Split it According to some very reliable sources the next generation Vette will sport a split tear drop rear window. The traditional rear view mirror will be replaced by a digital rear view camera to enhance visibility.  Repent The End is Near Our sources at GM tell us that the Corvette will remain a viable production platform into the near future. GM may halt production of its high horsepower entries, ZO6 and ZR1 after the 2011 run. GM may target the Corvette as a starting point for political correctness. The Corvette brand will take the bullet to allow power upgrades to the Camaro and Caddy. It is rumored that the 2012 Vette may sport a de-tuned 5.3 liter powerplant. The new shift to less horses is an attempt to satisfy the D.C.tree huggers. Oh well it was nice while it lasted. Cash for Clunker's Program  The federal government's $4 billion dollar cash for clunker's plan is now a subject for review. The plan centered around the idea of buying rarely driven second or third vehicles with lower fuel-economy ratings in an effort to stimulate new-car sales. Target vehicles included any SUV, car or truck that obtained less than 18 mpg. The Bills sponsors wanted to destroy 4 million gas guzzlers while at the same time stimulate American car sales. The results of this experiment are in and the news is not very encouraging. It seems that the real benefit of the program went to foreign car sales. 70 percent of the cars sold in the program were foreign. The program was modeled after many of the successful programs that the Europeans launched last year. These programs were very successful in spurring sales. The only difference is that the Europeans limited the incentives to European cars. Did we learn a valuable lesson from all this? Probably not. C7 Corvette 2012 debut postponed  The C7- lower, wider, faster are just some of the adjectives that the GM designers were using to describe the next generation Vette. It seems that the C7 is another victim of the weak economy. GM has made the decision to postpone the introduction of the C7. The C7's planned introduction of 2012 was initially pushed forward to 2014. The ailing corporate giant is now scaling back its operations and future marketing plans. Auto Sales Rebound?  What's now known as the Big Six - Detroit's General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, plus Toyota, Honda and Nissan - each posted December declines of more than 30 percent. December sales for Chrysler - which is fighting for its financial survival - were down a brutal 53 percent. Many dealerships reported that 40 percent of their sales came in the final seven days of the month, which indicated that funds from the federal bailout of the auto industry are being used. General Motors Corp. managed to end the year as the industry's top seller with 2.95 million vehicles sold. GM's December 09 sales also increased 30 percent from October and 40 percent from November. "Given the ongoing challenges and the difficult market environment, we were very encouraged to see a volume rebound," said a statement from GM executive Mark LaNeve. Source - L.A. Daily News Corvette Chief Retires Tom Wallace, Corvette Chief at GM, will be retiring from GM in November of this year. His retirement was announced during a ceremony honoring Corvette history at the Peterson Museum. While no reasons were given for Wallaces's retirement, there is speculation that he may have been at odds with GM over the postponement of the long awaited C7. Wallace may have been unwilling to commit to the C7's postponed launch. The C7 was originally set for a 2012 model-year release, it has been pushed back to 2014. Wallace had a keen sence for performance-car marketing and a real love for the Corvette brand. His sudden departure will be a blow to GM's efforts in rebuilding the company. 2010 Mid engine concept Until the recent downturn in the auto industry GM was poised to begin a limited production run of mid engine FWD Corvettes in 2010. The mid engine vette was to be a marketing scheme that would have been limited to about 800 units. The photo below is a C7 mid engine concept that was taken on the set of the next Transformers movie.  Political Rides John McCain's first car was a 1958 Corvette! I wonder if he still has it. His current ride is a Caddy CTS  Cindy McCain's current ride is a 08 C6. On a recent interview on the Leno show She said that she would let the next president do a burn out in her Vette. Obama said the only thing he ever burned was his toast. Obama's first car was a Ford Granada. He now gets driven around in a bullet proof limo. Time to water down the brand Starting in 2010 The Corvette plant at Bowling Green will build the Cadillac XLR. Do you really want to get upset? The new 2010 Caddy will sport a 556 hp version of the ZR1 engine. Imagine that, a Vette getting dusted by a Caddy. We warned you. Production of the next-generation Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and Opel GT will also shift production to the Bowling Green facility in 2012. Let's hope the Corvette does not get lost in the corporate mess that GM has put itself in. More troubling news from Europe Mercedes will announce the release of a new grocery getter that will out power the current version of the Corvette. The soon to be released beastie is an E class sedan that has been massaged by AMG. It will sport a supercharged 6.3 liter v8 that will have more than 500 horses on tap. Come on GM wake up.  550HP Nissan GT-R, a New ZO6/ZR1 Contender Nissan's newly released super car boasts 550 HP a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds and tops out at 193mph. You can get one for about $71k. Sorry GM you should have seen this comming. This new rice burner has a 3.8 liter twin turbo V6 under the hood. Want more bad news? Nissan plans to release a more powerfully version of the GT-R in the near future.  "She's ugly but she sure can cook" New ZR-1 Sells for $1MILL. at Barrett Jackson The first ZR-1 off the line sold for $1 million dollars at the Barrett Jackson auction. This was a Jay Leno charity deal for the United Way.  
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