There has been a lot of speculation on the name of the new GM Super Vette. But the rumors have been confirmed by sources inside GM. The new 650hp snarling beast powered by a supercharged LS9 will be called The Corvette ZR-1 unless GM makes any last minute decisions. It will begin production in May of 2008-–which is a lot sooner than expected.

The displacement of the LS9 will be 6.2 Liters with forced induction provided by twin-screw superchargers that sit right on top of the intake manifold. To cool that hot supercharger, GM will use liquid-to-air intercoolers that are integrated into the supercharger housing.

Annual production will be limited to only 2,000 cars. Also with a estimated MSRP of $110,000 and after dealer mark up, tax, and license, the ending price will be close to $200,000; which makes this by far the fastest and most expensive Corvette to date. Continue Reading…

We recently got back from the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. While a lot of the bigger auto sites already have some posts reviewing the cars, little old me is still sifting through and editing the hundreds of pictures and notes. You should expect to see many more posts regarding some of the awesome cars displayed and revealed. In the mean time, here is an overview of the show in general.

Altogether the show was a great experience this year. While it lacked in some of the “wow-factor” of previous years, there were some very interesting unveilings this year, as well as some very cool concept cars you have to see.

Audi showed us the gorgeous R8 pre-production model, which should be released to it’s first customers in the second quarter of this year. Boasting 420 horsepower from a high-RPM V8, the R8 should run 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds with the help of a Launch Control feature and R-tronic sequential gearshifting.

Continue Reading…

I just received my press pass in the mail today for the Chicago Auto Show! Man, this really snuck up on me. I can’t believe the show is only a few days away! With everything ready to go, there are some more cars that will be there that I’m really excited about, and I would like to share a few with you. Please also see my first post on cool cars that will be there.

Continue Reading…

AOL Journals (TheGearShift) just released their list of the 5 coolest cars from the Detroit Auto Show. I agree with the cars, but perhaps not the positions. The Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept I wrote about before should be higher on the list, but all of these are really cool. Check out the list:

Fifth Place:

Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept

Again, I think this should be higher on the list, but at least it’s here. The Advanced Sports Car Concept (or “ASC Concept,”) is Acura’s answer to the discontinued NSX. Rumored to have an all-new V10 engine and an all-new rear-wheel drive system based on Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system.

Continue Reading…

If you remember about a month ago, I wrote a preview about Rev It Up Racing; an entry level racing school with events across the country. My fiancée and I had a chance to attend the Chicago event on Saturday, August 12th. The drive there was fun but familiar; we visit Chicago at least a few times a year. We only live 4 or 5 hours to the west, and needless to say, Iowa is rather uneventful. When we arrive, we are greeted by a parking lot full of sports cars; Nissan Z cars, Bimmers, Audi’s and more, but mostly Corvettes and Camaros lined the rows. We were greeted at the entrance with a Red Bull truck handing out free cans of my favorite energy drink; a great way to start the day…

Continue Reading…

I love special colors for cars. It’s great, every time a new color comes out exclusive to a certain car, I want it. It always adds to the exclusivity of the car, and since it’s made for that car, it almost always looks great. Let’s take the 2007 Corvette Z06 for example; it’s newest color is called Atomic Orange Metallic (or School Bus Orange.) It looks hot, and I would not get the car in any other color. Although that Candy Apple Red looks great too.

That’s not the only thing you get with the new Vette though, you have the privilege of paying $4,300 more for it, bringing the price to $70,000. Why? Bigger glove box, improved interior acoustics, and an OnStar option (isn’t that normal in a GM?) Haha, no really GM, why? Hmm…makes me think GM just wanted an excuse to jack up the price due to high demand. See, I would have excepted that one. Ever been in a Corvette? It has to be one of the most boring sports car interiors ever! I guess I can’t blame them for the hike too much; the new Z06 is the fastest and coolest Vette yet. Check out some quick specs:

Continue Reading…