Chevrolet to Assemble LS9 Live at SEMA
If you're going to SEMA this year, you're in for quiet a treat. Ok, so, that's an obvious statement, because you'll be at SEMA, but Chevrolet will be doing especially cool. At their Chevrolet booth, to try and keep attention and crowds up, they will have a team of mechanics and engineers there assembling, from scratch, a LS9 engine--you know, the monster under the hood in the Corvette ZR1. Since Chevy began offering their build your own LS9 program, a lot of interesting videos and press has come out concerning the program. This latest push towards that same promotional direction, is a great one too.
SEMA has quickly become one of the world's premiere car conventions, and now draws major interest from every major manufacturer (both of vehicles and of vehicle modifications). At SEMA, you're certain to see a near limitless number of beautiful cars from all corners of the globe, but there exist few vehicles on Earth that compete with the Corvette ZR1, which is what makes this display so cool. The LS9 is an absolute marvel of modern automotive engineering. It is fairly basic, really, as it's built on a long-tradition of Chevy small-block V8s and hasn't changed much of the over-all function or design in a long time, but it's the vast minor improvements made over the year that make the LS9 such an incredible beast. So, if you're at SEMA this year, be sure to stop by the Chevrolet booth and check out the ZR1 powering LS9 production display--and ask questions while you're there, too! The mechanic and engineer crew is there not just to build, but also to answer questions for the people attending!
GM OnStar iPhone and Android App Now Available
The iPhone and Android App that I wrote about a few months ago is now officially available for download in your respective App Store. The Application, which works for 2011+ GM vehicles, has a number of fantastic functions which become available from the press of a button on your phone screen. From being able to turn the vehicle on early (so it can cool down on a hot summer day, or warm up on a cold winter one) to many other things, this App will provide GM drivers (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC) a new level of vehicle control remotely. In addition the aforementioned function, the OnStar App will also allow OnStar equipped vehicle owners the ability to: lock the car remotely (in case you're worried you've forgotten), check diagnostic vehicle levels (such as fuel level, oil level, tire pressure, available driving range, and others), and ensure the vehicle's safe. So, if you own a 2011 GM vehicle, go ahead and download this App for your smart phone today!
Insurance Report Ranks Corvette Vehicle with Lowest Insurance Loss
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute recently released a report on Insurance Loss for vehicles built between 2007-2009. The report details all vehicles insurance reports, based on six categories (collision, property damage, liability, comprehensive, personal injury, medical payments, bodily injury liability), and compares their Insurance Report losses against the average. The average was calculated at 100, and the findings proved something that I think all Corvette drivers already know: we're calm, intelligent, collected, experiences, safe drivers. That's right, of all vehicles on the road, the Corvette had the smallest Insurance Loss number. The fact that most Corvette's are well-babied, nice-weather, weekend only cars probably helps keep the number low, but it is none-the-less impressive. It just goes to show how much Corvette owners love their cars and to what lengths they'll go to keep them safe and clean.
Chevrolet Releases Teaser Video for SEMA 2010
The SEMA convention is fast approaching, and that's great news for automotive junkies like you and me. SEMA has quickly grown to be one of the planet's premiere car shows/conventions, and its focus on aftermarket vehicle modification makes for incredible releases year in and year out. Every year, too, the Corvette is one of the most well-represented of all vehicles present. As America's true automotive darling, I don't see why it wouldn't be. This year's SEMA is already shaping up to be a very exciting event for Corvettes as well, as Chevrolet has begun slowly releasing small tastes of what's in store for the show. Among all the great vehicles will be Corvettes from numerous different companies (you can be almost certain that companies like Edelbrock, Romeo Ferraris, Lingenfelter, AMS, and their like will be there) as well as some special Corvettes from Chevrolet themselves. In the teaser there's a peak of a the Corvette Racing C6.R as well as a Jake's Racing Corvette (looks to be a modified ZR1 by Jake's Racing, even) which will undoubtedly draw a lot of press and attention at the show. Until SEMA begins in the first week of November, these small teasers are all we have, but they're a great way to wet the palate and get a small taste going for the kinds of Corvettes that will be present.
Corvette Runs Ad Highlighting Petit Le Mans Victory
Continuing in their recent slew of increased marketing spending and Corvette hype, Chevrolet is celebrating the Corvette's recent victory at the Petit Le Mans with a great advertisement. First seen this month in USA Today, the ad highlight's the Corvette Petit Le Mans victory to close out the C6 Racing year. It was a great victory which came down to the wire and was ultimately decided thanks in part to a poor pit stop and fueling error by the Ferrari team. It's a great ad, and definitely does a good job of highlighting a very important win for the Corvette racing team.
Text-In case you can't read it in the image scan.
THE WINNER OF PETIT LE MANS
As Seen by Porsche, Ferrari and BWM
Chevy celebrates the tremendous end-of-the-season win by Corvette Racing at Petit Le Mans with this full page advertisement in the Friday, October 8th edition of USA Today.
Congratulations to Corvette Racing and Compuware Corvette
No. 4 drivers Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen and Emmanuel Collard.
After 9+ hours covering 902 miles, you proved once again
it’s not where you start. It’s where you finish.
C6 Z06 Akrapovic Exhaust System
I try to stick to mostly just the news, but I ran in to an exhaust system this week that simply had to be written about. I know exhausts pretty well, as I've had the luxury of being around a ton of Corvettes in my life and hearing every Borla, Bassani, Billy Boat, Corsa, Magnaflow, GHL, etc. etc. that there is, which was why I was surprised when a Z06 pulled up to my local car show today with something wholly new. The sound was immediately distinguishable, and unlike any other exhaust I'd ever heard on the road. It sounded like the perfect blend of Formula 1 exhaust cleanliness and true, American, V8 tone, and I was immediately hooked.
I left my son to look after my 'Vette and walked over to talk to the person. I'd never seen, and definitely never heard, them there before. When I walked up the car was still idling, and even at an idle, the exhaust tone was different. We got to talking and I came to learn that the exhaust he had installed, the exotic and intimidating beauty it was, was an Akrapovic. I'm not sure how to pronounce their name, as it's a Slovenian company, but that doesn't matter. What matters is, quiet simply, the sound this exhaust makes. It's truly a thing of beauty. As we got to talking, I came to learn that the exhaust was completely Titanium, front to back, and as result weighed half of the stock exhaust. The system also had combination titanium and carbon fiber tips, for a gorgeous finish on his black Z06. After a few minutes of talking, he invited me to go for a ride in his Corvette. How could I say no? We took off down the 4-lane road, and I was blown away, again. With the windows up, the exhaust was there, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was instead a gentle symphony of power, building up in a gorgeous, steady, crescendo. Again, I can't help but think of the sound of a true supercar F1 race car makes. When the windows were down, the exhaust was even more brilliant. It contained notes of strength and aggression, and still maintained a refinement in its tone that few exhausts have. It felt, to me, like taking the very best qualities of my favorite Corsa, Borla, and B&B systems, and combining them in to one exhaust. I am in love.
I am going to order one of these exhausts for myself, this week, and think that if you're looking for a Z06 or ZR1 exhaust, you should definitely definitely consider going Akrapovic. The price tag is high, yes, but when you have that much quality in an all-titanium package, I think it's completely worth it!
Here are some great videos detailing the system:
Romeo Ferraris tackling the C6 Z06
Romeo Ferraris, who have made a name for themselves as a top-tier performance modification company, are taking on the C6 Z06. The Z06, which was the top performance Corvette for a while before the monster big-brother ZR1 rolled around, is still a fantastic and respectable performance vehicle, and with the Romeo Ferraris touch is even more so! They've installed a Vortech kit to boost the performance output of the Z06 up to 677PS and 823Nm of torque (the numbers they list, which roughly translate to 668HP and 607 Lbs Torque), and make the vehicle more powerful than its ZR1 brother.
The Vortech system has a number of components, including: a centrifugal compressor, an air-to-air aluminum inter-cooler and high-flow injectors. They also attached a high performance cat-back sport exhaust system, and exterior visual/light weight modification pieces. All of this makes for a Z06 with a 211+ MPH Top Speed, and a 3.3 second 0-100 km/h rating. Not to mentioned, a Z06 with the Romeo Ferraris moniker is a pretty neat thing to have.
