Autoblog

Click above to see more images of the 2008 Corvette C6R

Yellow and black, it's a classic combination. It can convey speed yet spur people to make cautious moves. After all, Wasps are yellow and black, and if you're not careful, you'll regret denying them deference. Bad Boy Vettes has been delivering stings on the racetrack with its C6R, and the car gets a revised livery for 2008. The main color is Velocity Yellow, with lots of BadBoy Black accents. A blacked out tail panel returns, reprising the BlackTail descriptor, and there's a new "scrape stripe" based on the teeth of mascot skull Jake. The headlights also get a blackout treatment; all the better for intimidating the competition. Obsidian also graces the rockers, and it shouldn't be hard to spot the new C6Rs with this color scheme as they compete wheel-to-blacked-out-wheel in the upcoming ALMS season.

[Source: Bad Boy Vettes]

Click the C6R for a gallery of Detroit GP ALMS race action

Ever since the end of the factory Dodge Viper racing program, the American Le Mans Series GT1 class has been dominated by the factory C5R and C6R Corvettes. For a while they were challenged by assorted Panoz GTR1s, privateer Vipers, Ferrari 575s and Aston Martins. In 2007, aside from an Aston Martin at Sebring, the 'Vettes have had the GT1 class to themselves.

Without some serious challengers there really isn't any point in GM continuing to fund the program. Program Manager Doug Fehan has said that they would only run unopposed for one year. If Aston Martin, Ferrari or someone else doesn't step up to the plate, 2007 is likely to be the last year for the factory C6R GT1 program. The team will definitely run at Le Mans next year but anything else is unclear right now. Beyond 2008 the team could switch to GT2 where they might challenge all the 911s and F430s.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Stuff like this is why we love the Internet. The fellas at Bad Boy Vettes sure know how to give Le Mans a "YOU ARE THERE" feeling for those of us not fortunate enough to be jetting overseas for the annual 24-hour showdown.

BBV, calling in-car cameras "passe," taped their trusty Canon PowerShot digicam to the hood of one of the yellow C6.Rs as it lapped the circuit Wednesday with Ron Fellows behind the wheel. In addition to being great footage, the roar of the race-spec 7.0-liter V8 is captured in all its sonic glory. Click here to watch (and hear) it for yourselves. If you'll excuse us, we have to go recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing "God Bless America" right now...

[Source: Bad Boy Vettes]

Corvette Racing's perennial success continued this season, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as sweeping the driver, manufacturer, and team championships for the American Le Mans Series GT1 class after battling their archrival Prodrive Aston Martin DB9Rs all season long. Now the postseason awards are beginning to pile up as well. Ron Fellows, who co-drives the #3 C6.R with Johnny O'Connell, won his third straight ALMS Driver of the Year award, while his crew chief, Dan Binks was recognized for his efforts and named GT1 Crew Chief of the Year.

And it doesn't end there. This week in Germany, the heart of the C6.R, it's LS7.R motor, was recognized as Global Motorsport Engine of the Year by a jury of 50 race engine engineers. When you consider the breadth of global motorsport and the number of outstanding engines competing on circuits week in and week out, the award becomes even more significant. You don't even need to leave ALMS to find another high-profile powerplant that garnered quite a few headlines of its own this past season.

The C6.R's relentless success and reliability stems largely from the excellence of the LS7.R that lives under its long hood -- a trait that is matched or exceeded by the dedication of its drivers and crew. If history is any indication, we can expect more of the same come March when the 2007 season kicks off at Sebring.

[Source: ALMS]

Christmas is fast approaching and we may have just found the perfect gift for your favorite Corvette enthusiast. How does a one-of-a-kind racecar that is surely to become a significant part of motorsports history sound? Well, for the bargain price of $760,000 US, you can pick up the first Corvette C6R; chassis number C6R-001, in "ready to race condition."

After being campaigned in FIA GT in 2006, the car has been put up for sale by its current owner, Mike Henzemans of GLPK Carsport. Henzemans purchased the car from GM's Chevrolet Corvette Racing team at the end of the 2005 season and has campaigned it privately in the meantime.

Let's see Santa deliver that without waking the neighbors!

See the advertisement for the car after the jump!

[Source: Winding Road]

With General Motors not providing any official information on the upcoming uber-Vette, rumors continue to fly around the automotive world. Automobile Magazine weighs in with its two cents, stating that the so-called "Blue Devil" will actually carry the significantly less satanic moniker of Z07 - or maybe Z06.R (with the "R" presumably standing for "Really hazardous to your driving record"). That seems somewhat more clumsy than the Sting Ray or Super Sport/SS names that we've heard tossed around, but would fit in with GM's long history of three-digit alphanumeric codes.

The 650 HP 6.2L supercharged GenIV V8 looks to be housed under a huge air duct, which is likely required by the addition of a air-to-water intercooler unit. Serious speed requires the shedding of serious heat, and so the car has also grown vents along the top and rear of the front fenders, and a NACA duct has appeared on the top of the rear quarter panels. Hit the link to see the full spy shot - we're anxious to hear what you think, as we're already in love.

The supercar is said to be on its way in 2008 as a 2009 model (giving us two more years to make inaccurate predictions), and will carry a price tag of around $100K. Given the Z06's superlative performance, we don't doubt for a moment that the Z07 will provide the biggest bang for the buck in its market segment.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]