Autoblog

Click on the image to enlarge and view another angle of the Rossi 66

There is a trend in the works that takes a modern Corvette chassis, jettisons the stock fiberglass bodywork and adds a new shell that mimics the look of an older, classic 'Vette. We have seen Classic Reflection Coachworks' take on the '62 'vert with C5 underpinnings, and now a company by the name of Blue Fusion has tackled the iconic split window. One problem: their press release continually refers to the 1966 split window, which doesn't exist as the only year the two-piece rear glass was produced was '63. But, let's not let silly little things like facts get in the way. The resultant Rossi 66 cribs the workings of a modern C6 Corvette and adds a unique Sting Ray look.

Blue Fusion plans to debut its Rossi 66 at the upcoming SEMA event in November, assuming that the company is able to find the funding it needs to actually produce its first car. So far, all we have to look at are the renderings below, though we can clearly see that the '66 '63 body looks much better grafted onto a modern platform than the '62 does. We'll see if it makes an appearance in Sin City later this year.


[Source: Blue Fusion via Jalopnik]

Click above for high-res gallery of our ride in the Corvette ZR1

Chevrolet officially kicked off series production of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at its Bowling Green KY assembly plant this week and decided to celebrate by inviting the media out to drive the new "King of the Hill". Since there are still several more waves of writers scheduled to drive the cars over the next week, we can't tell you what we thought of how it drives just yet. We can, however, share some photos of the cars we drove today around the Lutz-ring at General Motors' Milford Proving Ground. Stay tuned next Wednesday, August 20 for our full evaluation. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery and refresh your memory with our intro to the ZR1 from earlier this year.

Related:

• Detroit 2008: The King is back atop the hill - 2009 Corvette ZR1
• Detroit 2008: The Heart of the King, the LS9 is born!

Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Jalopnik's Auto Insider has gotten the scoop on the Corvette-like concept that's been floating around the set of the new Transformers flick, Revenge of the Fallen. According to their sources, the design study will debut sometime next year ahead of the Transformers sequel, but won't foretell the future of the next-generation C7 Corvette. Rather, it called the Corvette Centennial Design Concept and was developed to celebrate General Motors' 100-year celebration. The Corvette Centennial Design Concept takes cues from past 'Vettes – from the Stingray to today – and incorporates a Camaro-inspired grille, massive rear fenders and a quad-tip exhaust. All that said, the Centennial concept supposedly wont' influence future Corvettes – for better or worse.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above for a high resolution image

C6 Corvette owners wanting to seriously upgrade have quite a few choices. Companies like Lingenfelter, Callaway, and Pratt & Miller can turn the C6 into a vehicle capable of taking on the world's best supercars. Not to be left out, Detroit-based Specter Werkes/Sports launched its GTR package for the C6 Corvette last week that features an extensive carbon fiber widebody kit, heat extractor hood, Stoptech brakes, Forgeline or HRE wheels, Corsa exhaust system and more. The customer of the first C6 GTR also opted for Specter's Matrix II engine package that includes a stroker engine increasing displacement from 6.2L to 6.8L and boosting horsepower to 545 bhp and torque to 530 lb-ft. More details on Specter's GTR package and this particular car's features can be found after the jump.

[Source: Specter Werkes/Sports via Jalopnik]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1

If you're an American buyer exasperated at trying to actually secure yourself a new Corvette ZR1 at its $105k sticker price without mark-up and dealer speculation, be glad you live on this side of the pond and not the other. Corvette sales in Europe are not handled in-house by GM, but by Kroymans, a Dutch importer, which has revealed its price for the new uber-Vette: a whopping 136,000 euros, equivalent to over $214,000 USD at the moment. The price includes shipping, gas-guzzler tax and an advanced driving course, and puts the new super Vette firmly into Ferrari territory. With demand rising and only 70 ZR1s reaching Europe this year – and an additional 150 in subsequent full years – Kroymans may get its asking price, just so long as they don't park it at the local Chevrolet dealership next to the Matiz and Aveo.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Click above for more shots of the "Mystery Vette"

Someone slipped Jalopnik a new pair of shots of the mysterious Corvette concept that's appearing in next year's Transformers sequel. So far, we've seen good views of the car from the front and side, but rear-end shots had yet to surface. Well, that's over. The concept -- now a confirmed product of the GM Design studios (note the plate in back), has large ducts in back that mimic the openings in front and presumably also hide the car's taillamps. Four big centrally-mounted exhaust outlets poke through the bodywork as well. Frankly, the rear view is the car's least appealing, with that chunky boattail mixed in with all those sharp angles. There's also a new detail shot of the front quarter, which focuses on that very traditional Corvette fender shape. Is it just a movie character or also a concept that GM's going to drop on us somewhere along the line? Your guess is as good as ours, and the trickle of spy shots is probably far from over.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1.

Motive was invited out to the Milford Proving Grounds yesterday to sample GM's latest and greatest Corvette, the ZR1. Thankfully, the online pub was smart enough to mount a camera inside the 638 hp uber-Vette and captured video of Jim Mero, chief engineer and the man that lapped the ZR1 around the Nurburgring in 7:26.4, caning the coupe though the General's test track.

Hit the jump to check it out.

Thanks for the tip Mark.

Click image for photo gallery

This much we know. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will have some sort of Corvette concept portraying one of the Autobots (well, we assume it's an Autobot). We also now know that there are at least two movie cars, as you can see in the shot above. Do we officially know that these are Corvettes of some sort? No, but the fender shapes, split rear window, and the port aft of the front wheel are familial styling cues that seal the deal. We're dying to know if this is just a movie creation or a concept that's in the pipeline to be revealed publicly at some future time. And if this forecasts what we should expect in terms of a C7, well, we're okay with that, too.

Also snagged in this photo set: the Chevy Beat and Trax, a military-style dune buggy, a pair of Can-Am Spyders, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet. Thanks, Andrew!


[Source: Seibertron]

The LS3 Corvette and the Audi R8 are have a similar purpose, but go about their jobs in completely different ways. The 'Vette is all about a big engine, with big power and pushing the rear wheels. The R8 utilizes a high-revving 4.2L V8 and AWD to keep the rubber firmly planted on the pavement. Both vehicles have over 400 hp, weigh in at under 3,500 lbs and have similar 0-60 times, but for the price of one R8 you could by a LS3 and Z06 Corvette.

The car nuts over at Web Rides TV put the two vehicles through a "Super Lap" consisting of a slalom, a straightaway, and two sharp turns to see which vehicle would come out on top. The result produced an entertaining video, some great sounds and a very clear winner. Hit the jump to see it for yourself.



[Source: Web Rides TV]

Click above to see the Corvette ZR1 lapping the 'Ring.

Alrighty folks. Here it is. The General has released the in-car footage of the Corvette ZR-1 lapping the Nurburgring in 7:26.4, hitting 180 mph at one point on the 12.9-mile course and beating out the Z06's time, set in 2005 by Jan Magnussen by almost 17 seconds. Jim Mero is behind the wheel and just as a reminder; the lap was done on the same Michelin Pilot Sport 2s as the production model, and retains the same ride height, engine calibrations and emissions equipment, along with running pump gas.

Make the jump to view the video.