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  • 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Heritage Package Makes Debut

    2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Heritage Package Makes Debut November 3rd, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran's avatar Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 3rd, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 4 Comments

    2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Heritage Package Makes Debut

    Earlier this year, General Motors announced the return of the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport model, a car that combined the standard Corvette LS3-based powertrain with widebody styling and a race-bred suspension.

    Today, at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, GM took the wraps of the new 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Heritage Package as well as a host of accessories designed for the car that will be offered next year. Additionally, the customized Corvette Grand Sport was finished in a new Cyber Grey exterior color.

    The list of new accessories include mesh inserts for the front fender vents, several ZR1-style aero pieces painted satin...

    Earlier this year, General Motors announced the return of the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport model, a car that combined the standard Corvette LS3-based powertrain with widebody styling and a race-bred suspension. Today, at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, GM took the wraps of the new 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Heritage Package as well as a host of accessories designed for the car that will be offered next year. Additionally, the customized Corvette Grand Sport was finished in a new Cyber Grey exterior color. The list of new accessories include mesh inserts for the front fender vents, several ZR1-style aero pieces painted satin black, body-colored door handles, a new engine cover, Grand Sport logos, racing-style pedal covers, and an iPod connector. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of months and still don't know, the Corvette Grand Sport is a track-oriented Corvette, available in coupe and convertible bodystyles, with wider wheels and tires, special suspension tuning and unique exterior details. The car achieves a 0-60 mph time of less than four seconds, pulls 1.0 g on the skid pad and still boasts an EPA-rated highway fuel economy 26 mpg. [General Motors] Read More

  • 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Official Details

    50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Official Details November 1st, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran's avatar Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 1st, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 1 Comment

    50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Official Details

    General Motors has given us a futuristic vision of technology and design with the 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept. Celebrating 50 years since the debut of the original Corvette Stingray Racer Concept in 1959, the latest addition to GM’s long line of stylistic show cars was first displayed at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show before it starred as “Sideswipe” in the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

    The overall idea of the 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept was to incorporate past design cues in a fully futuristic shape. Speaking specifically about the car, Ed Welburn, vice president...

    General Motors has given us a futuristic vision of technology and design with the 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept. Celebrating 50 years since the debut of the original Corvette Stingray Racer Concept in 1959, the latest addition to GM’s long line of stylistic show cars was first displayed at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show before it starred as “Sideswipe” in the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The overall idea of the 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept was to incorporate past design cues in a fully futuristic shape. Speaking specifically about the car, Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design, said: "By giving my creative team the freedom to design no-holds-barred vision concepts, it helps them push boundaries and look at projects from different perspectives." The 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept is at this point solely a design exercise, not foreshadowing a production vehicle, though talk of the upcoming C7 Corvette has been circulating for some time. Some of the concept’s features we could envisage making into a production Corvette one day include its clamshell hood, scissor-style doors, ergonomic seats, rear-view camera with night vision enhancement, and a high performance hybrid powertrain. This latter element comes with interactive touch controls inside the cabin to allow the driver to customize the power and efficiency of the car and then share it with friends via an in-car camera system and advanced telemetrics. For a full run-down of the potential hybrid and other powertrain options for the next-gen Corvette, check out John Voelcker's article over at Green Car Reports. [General Motors] Read More

  • Video: 2010 Corvette Grand Sport Dry Sump Oil System Explained

    Video: 2010 Corvette Grand Sport Dry Sump Oil System Explained September 29th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, September 29th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 3 Comments

    Video: 2010 Corvette Grand Sport Dry Sump Oil System Explained

    Dry-sump oil systems are the apple of many a race-engineer's eye, and the technology has been making its way into passenger cars for some time now. Chevrolet's Corvette range is one of those adopters, having dry-sump oil systems in the ZR1, Z06 and, for 2010, the Grand Sport.

    Though all three of those cars use similar small-block V-8 engines, they are all different: the ZR1 uses the supercharged 6.2-liter LS9, the Z06 uses a 7.0-liter LS7, and the Grand Sport uses a modified version of the 6.2-liter LS3. All three applications use the same dry-sump oil tank, however.

    The main purpose of a dry-sump oil system is to allow an engine to pull...

    Dry-sump oil systems are the apple of many a race-engineer's eye, and the technology has been making its way into passenger cars for some time now. Chevrolet's Corvette range is one of those adopters, having dry-sump oil systems in the ZR1, Z06 and, for 2010, the Grand Sport. Though all three of those cars use similar small-block V-8 engines, they are all different: the ZR1 uses the supercharged 6.2-liter LS9, the Z06 uses a 7.0-liter LS7, and the Grand Sport uses a modified version of the 6.2-liter LS3. All three applications use the same dry-sump oil tank, however. The main purpose of a dry-sump oil system is to allow an engine to pull higher g-forces without causing oil starvation issues than would be possible with a standard wet-sump oil system. In some applications, the lack of a tall oil pan on the bottom of the engine also allows it to be placed lower in the chassis, lowering the car's overall center of gravity and further improving performance. To learn all about the Grand Sport's LS3 dry-sump application, watch the detailed video below. Read More

  • Welburn: C7 Corvette To Get Split Rear Window

    Welburn: C7 Corvette To Get Split Rear Window September 21st, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, September 21st, 2009 Nelson Ireson 5 Comments

    Welburn: C7 Corvette To Get Split Rear Window

    Just over a month ago we brought you the first reports that the C7 Chevrolet Corvette is due to arrive in 2012, and now Ed Welburn, GM's product design head, has revealed that the next Vette will get a split rear window along with some other vintage styling cues.

    The split rear window, though often considered an iconic Corvette element, was actually only fitted to the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. It was also featured on the Stingray Concept car shown off for the Transformers movie debut, though GM and Welburn have both reiterated that the Stingray Concept is not the C7 Corvette.

    While the stingray us undeniably Corvette, the next-gen Vette...

    Just over a month ago we brought you the first reports that the C7 Chevrolet Corvette is due to arrive in 2012, and now Ed Welburn, GM's product design head, has revealed that the next Vette will get a split rear window along with some other vintage styling cues. The split rear window, though often considered an iconic Corvette element, was actually only fitted to the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. It was also featured on the Stingray Concept car shown off for the Transformers movie debut, though GM and Welburn have both reiterated that the Stingray Concept is not the C7 Corvette. While the stingray us undeniably Corvette, the next-gen Vette will be a bit more retron in its styling, not unlike the current 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, according to the report. Our own previous reports also confirm that the mid-engine rumors for the C7 Corvette are just that--the next car will retain the traditional front engine/rear drive layout. It will continue to push forward with the use of high-tech materials including carbon fiber, aluminum and magnesium to help further reduce weight. As we noted earlier today, the Corvette will also have to become somewhat more emissions-conscious thanks to new standards being implemented by the federal government. GM won't let that sap the car's legendary performance, however, vowing to do whatever it takes, including going hybrid, to keep the Vette alive and kicking. One potential direction to help maintain performance and meet emissions targets is a reduced displacement forced-induction V-8 engine not unlike the LSA fitted to the current Cadillac CTS-V. Rated at 556 horsepower, that engine would be no slouch for even the Z06 application in the Corvette range, especially with a lighter curb weight than the C6 Corvettes. [Inside Line] Read More

  • Corvette Could Go Hybrid To Survive Strict Fuel Rules

    Corvette Could Go Hybrid To Survive Strict Fuel Rules September 21st, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, September 21st, 2009 Nelson Ireson 0 Comments

    Corvette Could Go Hybrid To Survive Strict Fuel Rules

    Not so long ago the idea of a hybrid powertrain in a sports car was anathema to enthusiasts. But after this year's Formula 1 season, the debut of cars like the Tesla Roadster and Audi's all-electric R8 e-Tron at Frankfurt and the wider acceptance of hybrids in general by the buying public, it's not so unimaginable anymore. It's also at least a real possibility for the greatest American sports car: the Chevrolet Corvette.

    It's not very likely the Corvette will go hybrid, says Tom Stephens, GM's vice chairman of global product development, but the company will do whatever it takes to keep the Corvette around once the recently announced fuel...

    Not so long ago the idea of a hybrid powertrain in a sports car was anathema to enthusiasts. But after this year's Formula 1 season, the debut of cars like the Tesla Roadster and Audi's all-electric R8 e-Tron at Frankfurt and the wider acceptance of hybrids in general by the buying public, it's not so unimaginable anymore. It's also at least a real possibility for the greatest American sports car: the Chevrolet Corvette. It's not very likely the Corvette will go hybrid, says Tom Stephens, GM's vice chairman of global product development, but the company will do whatever it takes to keep the Corvette around once the recently announced fuel regulations raise the national standard to a company-wide 35.5 mpg average in 2016. Stephens also says it's not likely that the Corvette will have to adopt a smaller six-cylinder engine either. Instead, a high-tech V-8 engine should be able to meet the fuel efficiency floor with the assistance of low rolling resistance tires, a lighter curb weight and electric power steering. The engine itself would get direct injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy. The current Corvette would need to nearly double its combined efficiency rating to meet the 35.5 mpg standard. Since the 35.5 mpg figure is a company average, however, GM could shoot for a more realistic target, say 30 mpg, and let its more efficient, higher-volume models pick up the slack. The 430-horsepower 2010 Chevrolet Corvette gets a number of new features for the new model year, including launch control, new graphics options and a return of the Grand Sport model. For a full run-down of the potential hybrid and other powertrain options for the next-gen Corvette, check out John Voelcker's article over at Green Car Reports entitled, "Well, Why NOT a (750-Horsepower) Chevrolet Corvette Hybrid?" [Auto News - sub. req.] Read More

  • Video: Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Launch Control In Action

    Video: Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Launch Control In Action August 24th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, August 24th, 2009 James Martinez 1 Comment

    Video: Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Launch Control In Action

    Chevrolet has unveiled series of updates for the Corvette for the 2010 model year, with changes affecting the entire lineup, from the base model all the way up to the scorching ZR1 supercar. First and foremost is the introduction of the Grand Sport Model, which returns for 2010 with widebody styling and race-bred suspension. Two new videos show off more of the details and unique features of the Grand Sport, including the new launch control feature - available on all manual-transmission 2010 Corvettes - in action.

    Not only are the Grand Sport models 0.2 seconds faster from 0-60mph, finishing the sprint in just 4 seconds, they also feature...

    Chevrolet has unveiled series of updates for the Corvette for the 2010 model year, with changes affecting the entire lineup, from the base model all the way up to the scorching ZR1 supercar. First and foremost is the introduction of the Grand Sport Model, which returns for 2010 with widebody styling and race-bred suspension. Two new videos show off more of the details and unique features of the Grand Sport, including the new launch control feature - available on all manual-transmission 2010 Corvettes - in action. Not only are the Grand Sport models 0.2 seconds faster from 0-60mph, finishing the sprint in just 4 seconds, they also feature widebody styling and a race-bred suspension. The Grand Sport essentially replaces the Corvette's previous Z51 package and brings a greater degree of handling performance, with wider wheels and tires, revised shocks, new stabilizer bar and spring specifications and new gearing. The LS3 engine’s output has been kept at 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque, however, an optional two-mode exhaust system boosts output to 436 horsepower and 428 pound-feet. Specific modifications include wider front and rear fenders with unique badging, a Z06-style front splitter and rear spoiler, new brake ducts, unique 18in wheels with 275mm tires up front and 19in units shod with 325mm rubber in the rear, Z06-spec brakes include 355mm rotors with six-piston calipers up front and 340mm rear rotors with four-piston calipers. Pricing for the new model was revealed at the start of June alongside the production of the 1,500,000th Corvette. The Grand Sport Coupe starts from $55,720 including delivery, while the Grand Sport Convertible will set you back $59,530 including delivery. That’s a $6,205 increase over the price of the base 2009 Corvette Coupe and $5,360 over the price of the base Corvette Convertible, respectively, but you do get a lot more kit than the standard cars for your money. All of the Corvette's exterior colors are offered on the Grand Sport and an available ‘Heritage’ package adds iconic front fender hash marks offered in four colors, as well as two-tone seats with Grand Sport embroidery. 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Read More

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