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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Click above image for a gallery of the Corvette S-Limited
In celebration of GM's 100th Anniversary, GM Asia-Pacific has unveiled the Corvette S-Limited, a 30-car special for the Japanese market. priced at ¥7,980,000. The allotment is split evenly by color -- 15 in Arctic White and 15 in Black. All the cars get the full leather-wrapped interior package; a rear spoiler, mesh grillework , and screened inserts for the side coves and the plate between the exhaust outlets. 'Vettes in Japan are probably scarce enough that they still draw plenty of attention. Hey, in the land where the best-selling car's engine displaces 660cc's, a thundering, 430-horsepower American pushrod that displaces 6.2 liters is always gonna make people look. Appropriately, the Corvette S-Limited officially goes on sale on the Fourth of July.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1.
Tadge J. Juechter, Corvette's chief engineer, announced this morning that Jim Mero, GM's development engineer, drove the ZR1 around the Nurburgring in 7:26.4. According to the GMNext blog, the run took place earlier this morning and that conditions were good on the track, with the exception of a strong headwind down the main straight. Mero mentioned that he felt there were a few places where he could have gone faster, although no details were provided about why and where.
Juechter makes it clear that the ZR1 that lapped the 'Ring was instock trim, with the exception of safety and communications equipment. As such, the ZR1 was wearing the same Michelin Pilot Sport 2s found on the production model, the chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs and the unmodified engine was running on pump gas.
The lap began with a rolling start – which falls in line with current industry practices – and the time was confirmed both through an electronic timing system and two hand-held stopwatches. The ZR1 team will be posting a video of their run when they return from Germany and we'll be keeping our eye out for it when it's online the week of July 7th.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1
If you were planning on heading down to your local Chevy dealership and placing an order for a new Corvette ZR1, think again. The new super-Vette is the fastest ever made, yet despite its $105k price tag, there'll be a lot of eager customers lining up. But General Motors will only allow certain Chevrolet dealerships to sell the supercar.
Cauley Chevrolet, for example, sells 150 Corvettes a year, and claims it has 60-70 eager customers waiting for the ZR1, but GM will only be allocating four vehicles for the West Bloomfield, Michigan, dealership to sell. Fitchner Chevrolet in Laurel, Montana, sells 35-40 Corvettes a year, but won't be allocated any of the new ZR1s. Out of nearly 4,000 Chevy dealerships in the United States, only 338 will have the chance to sell the ZR1. GM has not released final production numbers for the uber-Vette, but if you want to get your hands on one, you might have to do some hunting.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1.
Corvette ZR1 chief engineer Tadge Juechter recently sat down to participate in a live chat on GMNext to answer questions about Chevy's new supercar, with topics ranging from fuel-economy to production numbers.
GM hasn't run its fuel economy test yet, but in a previous release from the General, it expects the ZR1 to be the most fuel-efficient 600-hp vehicle on the market. Juechter did say that the ZR1, "will be somewhat less [fuel-efficient] than a Z06," which is currently rated at 15/24 by the EPA, "and we expect a small gas-guzzler tax [on the ZR1]." Production will be limited to 2,000 units each year for worldwide consumption and pricing will be revealed sometime this month.
Juechter went on to say that ZR1 accessories wouldn't be made available for lesser Corvette models, so buyers won't be able to option up for carbon-ceramic brakes or Michelin tires on their Z06s. When asked if engineers considered all-wheel-drive for the ZR1, he emphasized that making the vehicle as lightweight as possible was a top priority and that an AWD system "would have added too much mass." And on the topic of price gouging by dealers, Juechter said only one thing: "We're strongly encouraging dealers to charge MSRP." Good luck on that.
The Nissan GT-R's 7:29 lap record won't stand for long if Chevrolet has anything to say about it. Speaking with InsideLine, Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Jeuchter, says that the ZR1, "will be able to take the production-car track record at any racetrack," and that although Chevy doesn't have a production version of the uber-Vette at the Nurburgring yet, they're expecting a lap time of "seven minutes, twenty-something seconds." That sounds like smack-talk to us. But while the ZR1 might have the potential to best the GT-R's 'Ring time, the 550-600 hp elephant in the room is the forthcoming GT-R V-Spec, which is already putting down (roughly-timed) laps around the North Loop in the 7:25 realm. Let the battle begin. We're making popcorn now.
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