Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bertone Mantide owner eyeing Corvette ZR1 Nürburgring record run?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/08/bertone-mantide-owner-eyeing-corvette-zr1s-nurburgring-record-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/08/bertone-mantide-owner-eyeing-corvette-zr1s-nurburgring-record-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/08/bertone-mantide-owner-eyeing-corvette-zr1s-nurburgring-record-r/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Bertone Mantide - Click above for high-res image gallery

Some coachbuilt custom supercars are all show. But the owner of a Bertone Mantide is eager to prove that his has got the go to back up his show. Dan Watkins, the British gentleman-racer who bought the first Mantide, is so eager, in fact, that he's pondering personally financing a run at the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's Nürburgring lap record. And there's every reason to believe his car could reach that goal.

At 7 minutes, 26.4 seconds, the 2009 ZR1 holds the current lap record for a stock, street-legal, series production automobiles (excluding such track-focused machinery as the Viper ACR and Radical SR8). Nissan has its eyes on the ZR1 and is closing in fast, but as delicate and fragile as it may look, the Mantide arguably stands the best chance of besting the supercharged Vette's time - mostly because it's based on the ZR1. Only it's 80kg (176 pounds) lighter and 30% more aerodynamic, thanks to the improvements made to the body by Jason Castriota and his team at Stile Bertone.

To test the theory, Watkins is mulling renting out the 'Ring for three days, hiring an expert Nordschleife driver, and of course, donating the use of his $2 million supercar. All in pursuit of the ultimate bragging rights. If it happens, well, be watching.


Gallery: Bertone Mantide


[Source: PistonHeads]

Bertone Mantide owner eyeing Corvette ZR1 Nürburgring record run? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bertonebertone mantideBertoneMantideChevroletchevrolet corvettechevrolet corvette zr1ChevroletCorvetteChevroletCorvetteZr1Chevycorvettecorvette zr1CorvetteZr1mantidenurburgringnurburgring lap timenurburgring nordschleifenurburgring recordNurburgringLapTimenurburgringnordschleifeNurburgringRecordstile bertonestile bertone mantideStileBertoneStileBertoneMantidezr1zr1 nurburgringZr1NurburgringWed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Corvette ZR-1 knocks four seconds off 'Ring time]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/28/corvette-zr-1-knocks-four-seconds-off-ring-time/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/28/corvette-zr-1-knocks-four-seconds-off-ring-time/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/28/corvette-zr-1-knocks-four-seconds-off-ring-time/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for our high-res ZR-1 burnout gallery

Back at the Nürburgring, the hot Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 has just ripped four seconds off its claimed 7:26 lap. The new time, with Jan Magnussen at the wheel, is a claimed 7:22.4 for the full 12.93-mile loop. While the number is pretty bloody fast, it is still .3 seconds off the time earned by the Dodge Viper ACR (ouch, those three tenths really have to hurt!). We take these lap times with a grain of salt, as we've yet to see everyone on the 73-turn course under the same conditions, and with officially certified timing equipment. Again, so you don't have to Google the competition's best-claimed Ring times yourself, here they are: Porsche GT2 - 7:32, Nissan GT-R - 7:29, Corvette ZR1 - 7:22.4 and the Dodge Viper ACR - 7:22.1. Thanks for the tip, Xeyad!

Gallery: Covette ZR1 burnouts


[Source: Motor Gears]

Corvette ZR-1 knocks four seconds off 'Ring time originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CorvetteCorvette Nurburgringcorvette racingcorvette zr-1corvette zr1CorvetteNurburgringCorvetteRacingCorvetteZr-1CorvetteZr1Lap timeLapTimenurburgringnurburgring recordNurburgringRecordzr1 nurburgringzr1 ringZr1NurburgringZr1RingTue, 28 Oct 2008 13:57:00 EST<![CDATA[GM releases pics of Corvette ZR1 lapping 'Ring]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/gm-releases-pics-of-corvette-zr1-lapping-ring/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/gm-releases-pics-of-corvette-zr1-lapping-ring/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/gm-releases-pics-of-corvette-zr1-lapping-ring/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1 with new pics

The stats we throw around when comparing cars has remained the same for years. A car's 0-60 mph time and top speed are the two most well known, but this year a new stat has emerged that tells us more about a car's overall abilities than just mashing the accelerator would. It's the lap time of the Nürburgring, and you're just not a contender for supercar of the year until you've done it. The Nissan GT-R really brought attention to this statistic when it began impressing spy photogs who watched it slither around the 'Ring all through its development. Then the GT-R posted a blistering 7:29 lap time. The stat was further thrust into the spotlight when a Corvette engineer promised that Nissan would not hold the record for long. And it didn't. On June 27th, the Corvette ZR1 ran the 'Ring in 7:26.4 to take the crown. While we've watched video of the ZR1's fast lap over and over, we haven't enjoyed any professoinal images of the ZR1 running the Nürburgring yet, until today. GM has just released four new photos of a production ZR1 on the famous German track, and while these aren't pics of the record run, they still show a ZR1 on the 'Ring and that's enough to become our next desktop wallpaper. Check out all the new pics in our gallery below.

Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1


[Source: GM]

GM releases pics of Corvette ZR1 lapping 'Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chevy corvette zr1ChevyCorvetteZr1corvette zr-1corvette zr1CorvetteZr-1CorvetteZr1zr1 nurburgringzr1 ringzr1 ring lapZr1NurburgringZr1RingZr1RingLapMon, 11 Aug 2008 13:58:00 EST