Archive for the ‘Chevrolet’ Category
July 21st, 2010 | 
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Midsize sedans are the bread and butter cars of most companies. Yet, even if typical bread and butter may seem like a bland food, that doesn’t stop these cars from being stylish, sporty, and fun to drive.
The best selling cars in the country are midsize sedans and the best selling cars for most automakers are their sedan offerings. The midsize sedan offers practicality without the reputation crushing style of a minivan.
At least, that’s what they want you to think.
The Toyota Camry was once the most popular car in the world and a year ago, the Camry’s annual American sales typically exceeded the total annual new car sales in the average European country.
There are many choices for car buyers and that allows people to demand many different things from these four door cars. Some people buy them as family cars, opting for more room over a compact sedan, without sacrificing small car handling and fuel economy. Other people like a bigger car over a smaller one and then there’s people who prefer the Honda Accord to the Civic because it has a bigger presence on the road. The larger car makes you feel safer and more secure during highway travel.
These are our top ten midsize cars under $30,000.
Hit the jump to read on.
Top Ten Midsize Sedans For Under $30k originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 16:00 EST.
A few months ago, tuning house Lingenfelter ran their LS9-powered 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS to a quarter-mile run of 10.46 seconds at speeds of 139.95 mph. Pretty impressive, right?
Apparently, it wasn’t impressive enough for the boys at Lingenfelter.
The tuning house brought their beast of a machine out once again at the Muncie Dragway over the weekend and proceeded to set three staggering 9-second quarter mile runs with a top time of 9.974 seconds at a speed of 141.64 mph. The other two recorded times were 9.993 seconds at 140.38 mph and 9.979 seconds at 142.04 mph.
To make things even more impressive, the entire run was done on a race strip with an altitude of 3,600 feet and a temperature of 88 degrees with 75 percent humidity.
Talk about stomping your old record and kicking it on the curb, which is exactly what the boys from Lingenfelter did and did so convincingly.
Lingenfelter LS9 Camaro SS breaks 10-second quarter mile time – three times! originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 10:00 EST.
As a fan, attending the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans is an experience like no other. While the unquestioned highlight of the entire weekend is the race itself, so many other things go on behind-the-scenes that attract thousands of fans from all over the world. Fan expos, autograph sessions, meet and greets, and the annual driver’s parade are just a few of the many things that makes the entire weekend such a worthwhile endeavor.
In the latest episode of their web series, Corvette Racing gives us a look at the fan experience during the 24 Hours of Le Mans event. We’ve already seen what happens on the track, but rarely do we get the chance to see what happens off of it. For the team, the off-the-track activities, especially those that involve fans from all over the world who came to witness the historical race, are as important as the on-track happenings because this is the opportunity for the team to give back to the very same people that cheer for them from the stands.
Episode 7 of Corvette Racing Team’s "Track to Street" Series originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 09:00 EST.
It was bound to happen. We don’t care how good the Corvette ZR1 is, people are just not going to buy a Vette that costs over $100,000, especially in this economy. Due to the lack of sales, there is a growing inventory of ZR1 Corvettes.
Since January, the number of ZR1s available has grown from 175 units to 500. Those numbers have helped GM decide to give the ZR1 a little help in the sales department.
The Detroit automaker is offering its first rebates for the supercharged Corvette, in the hope to increase sales. The rebates will run through September 7 and will allow buyers to get a $3,000 rebate, or 0% APR for up to 60 months. If you buy the 2009 version, you can get $5,000 back.
On top of all that money, you can also get the $1,000 Toyota Conquest rebate, which we find to be hilarious. So, if you purchase a ZR1 you could be saving $4,000 or $6,000, depending on the year.
If you’re interested in any ZR1 contact your Chevrolet dealer.
GM Offering Rebates On Corvette ZR1 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 19 July 2010 19:00 EST.
Tuned versions of the Chevrolet Camaro are quite a fashion statement for SEMA and this year’s show will be no exception. CGS Motorsports is currently working on a tuned up version of the Camaro that will step up its popularity and give it some more flare to compete with the Mustangs of the world.
The CGS Camaro will be distinguished by a unique custom paint, a ZR1 influenced hood, and body kit by ACS. The CGS team is also designing and building handmade chrome moldings. IT will also include custom leather from Pecca Leather, one of CGS’s Cat-Back Exhaust Systems, and Whipple Ind’s new Camaro twin screw supercharger producing close to 500hp.
The package will be finished by 22″ wheels up front, a set of 24″x15″ rear wheels by Genuine Boyds, and Pirelli’s new 405/25/24″ rear tires. The suspension will also receive some work as it is being replaced with Chris Alston’s Fab 9 rear end with latter bar and coil over suspension.
Press release after the jump.
2011 Chevrolet Camaro by CGS coming at SEMA Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 19 July 2010 12:00 EST.
Posted in Chevrolet, SEMA Auto Show, car tuning, chevrolet Camaro, coupe, muscle cars | 
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Fresh from the fifth – and our personal favorite – episode of Chevrolet’s Corvette Track to Street series, Corvette’s back with the sixth installment of what’s becoming one of our favorite mini-series in recent times.
For this episode, preparations for the Le Mans race are in full swing, including a historic lap that featured 50 Corvettes as well as the team’s highly-successful qualifying run, which resulted in the team starting the race in the front row of the race for the GT2 class.
Despite the successful qualifying performance, the result wasn’t what the team expected as a series of unfortunate events caught up with the team and beset them with a myriad of mechanical problems that caused both cars to retire from the race.
Nevertheless, while the result wasn’t what the team was looking for heading into the weekend, it does give them, as well as all of us, a look at the unpredictable world of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the road Corvette has taken and will continue to take as the season continues.
Episode 6 of Corvette Racing Team’s "Track to Street" Series originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 18 July 2010 12:00 EST.
Remember when GM claimed that the Volt could get around 230 miles per gallon? Well, think again. It was calculated using a government formula that never got final approval.
“We just don’t know right now” what the new number is likely to be, Micky Bly, executive director of global electrical systems for GM, said Wednesday at GM’s battery factory in Brownstown, Mich.
The Volt is an electric car and we’re sure most of you already knew that. It can go 40 miles on its batteries alone, but it also has a gas engine that is used like a generator. To find out the mileage for that would take a mathematician and the government doesn’t appear to have one.
The gas engine’s mileage is dependent on how charged up the battery is, which can vary based on each car’s charge. The Society of Automotive Engineers is currently working on a way to calculate mileage stuff for plug-in hybrids and electric cars. The organization expects the government to use its new standard for all future plug-in vehicles.
GM’s Figure of 230MPG For The Volt Was Wrong originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 15 July 2010 15:00 EST.
Back in 2006, this Chevrolet Corvette Z06-based Genaddi LSR Roadster captured our hearts and imaginations at the 2006 SEMA auto show, thinking that the chances of owning a piece of that sports car would be best left in our dreams.
Four years later, that dream just may become a reality for one lucky – and rich – fella, because the one-off sports car is now being auctioned of on eBay Motors. Give yourselves a few seconds to digest that information…before we say it again: the Corvette Z06-based Genaddi LSR Roadster – the only one in the world – is listed on eBay.
The car, of course, is a completely road-legal sports car that’s powered by a Z06 engine that produces somewhere around 545 horsepower. It also has a customized body panel that’s mostly made from aluminum, which GDG intentionally adopted in favor of the Corvette’s original composite and carbon fiber panels.
To make things a little more interesting for all of the interested parties, this one-off machine only has 2,454 miles on the odometer and goes for a price of $175,000.
Not too shabby for a limited-run, one-off piece of machine, right?
Genaddi Corvette Z06 LSR Roadster Prototype found on eBay originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 15 July 2010 14:00 EST.
Posted in Chevrolet, USA, auction, chevrolet Corvette, roadster, special editions, sports cars |
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General Motors has unveiled a new commercial for the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The commercial is only about 45 seconds long, but it does start off a bit slow. That being said, the last ten seconds is absolutely worth it as Chevrolet showcases the revving, exhilarating power of the Corvette ZR1.
For 2011, the ZR1 will be offered with two new exterior colors: Inferno Orange and Supersonic Blue. These colors will come with contrasting-color headlamps, an interior custom color stitching, and USB port and input jack included with navigation radio. Under the hood there is the same LS9 supercharged 6.2 liter V-8 engine rated at 638 HP and 604 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine is backed by an upgraded, stronger six-speed manual transmission and a twin-disc clutch that provide exceptional clamping power. With a curb weight of 3,333 pounds, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 205 mph.
Video: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 14 July 2010 17:00 EST.
The Honda Accord is a wonderful car, but every once in a while you get tired of seeing it all over the road. Everybody knows somebody who owns a Honda Accord. We know that was a line used by Toyota, but it works in this situation as well.
In order to avoid being just another Accord driver, we have been having some fun in the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ and, too be honest, there aren’t many on the road.
In our opinion, the name is a big reason why this car won’t sell. When one thinks of the Malibu they think of the bland and stylistically uninteresting previous generation Malibu and no matter how many commercials Howie Long stars in, that opinion isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
On looks alone, the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ isn’t that bad looking and shows a giant step in the right direction.
The exterior is sleek, handsome, and much fitter and hipper than the old Malibu. Even the Cobalt looks like an unattractive mongrel next to the Malibu. While not as good looking as the Accord, Civic, or Mazda3, the Malibu isn’t an ugly duckling.
Hit the jump for the rest of the review.
Review: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 14 July 2010 08:00 EST.
Do it yourself projects seem to be taking off in recent years. Like going to a restaurant to cook your own food or making your own pottery, we love to get charged more to do things ourselves. Yet, who can blame companies for allowing us to indulge our need to create. They don’t have to hire people and they can charge a lot. It’s the perfect business plan.
Chevrolet has caught on to this phenomenon as well. For buyers of the new Z06 and ZR1, GM will give you the option to build your own motor and even put your name on it to guarantee you won’t be able to resell it. For a small fee of $5,800, you can travel to Detroit, which is the first place we think of for a holiday, and construct your very own LS7 or LS9 V8.
Construction takes place at the Performance Build Center, where you can take the block through all the production stages. Those who love to build and work on motors should really enjoy this, but for the rest of us, we just want our Corvette built by the people who were trained to build it.
Hit the jump for the press release.
We can now pay to build our own Corvette engine originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 12 July 2010 21:00 EST.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a muscle car that should have nothing to do with gull-wing doors. That kind of stuff is for sports cars right? Apparently not. The tuner LSD is offering you the chance to customize your Camaro SS with a cool set of gull-wing doors. That if is, of course, if you are interested! The price for the set is 1599 Euro.
It’s probably a little scary to think about putting a set of these doors on the Camaro, but, don’t worry, the doors were tested by the Federal German Transport Authority who confirmed in a side crash-test that the LSD-doors were as safe as any serially fitted door.
The LSD plates are fitted to the original door attachment points of the dismantled original plates. After the assembly the otherwise unchanged original door opens outwards first and then is securely guided and damped upwards. Adjustable plates stop doors from opening too far or from falling inwards or downwards when opened. And it also only takes one grip to close the doors.
Press release after the jump.
Chevrolet Camaro SS gets LSD gull-wing doors originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 8 July 2010 08:00 EST.
A few days ago we took a small trip down the road a few miles to Best Buy to look at some of the new televisions that are currently on the market. In the newly redesigned Best Buys, they have added a massive back wall full of screens playing movies, previews, or nature shows, in an effort to show us how good these shows can look in high definition. Every size, make, and model is available and you could stand there for hours watching each one of them. The picture is incredible, but after a while you have to run and hide in the speaker section, just to get away from the intense light and colors.
Sure, these 50-inch LCD machines are very impressive, but they will also cost you a full week’s paycheck. Yet, that is the way things are in today’s market. If you dare ask for a tube television you will be laughed at and thrown out of the store. Probably not, but the chances of finding an old school telly are pretty slim.
The addition of new technology happens every year in the automotive world too. There are certain devices that once graced the interior, or exterior of our cars that are now only found in the history books. The cassette deck, roll-up windows, and bench seats all seem to be making an exit from the modern vehicle. There are even vehicle body styles that have faded from memory.
These are the top ten devices, vehicles, or gizmos that are no longer found in today’s automotive marketplace.
Hit the jump to see the list.
Top Ten Things You Won't Find On Modern Cars originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 6 July 2010 16:00 EST.
Ironic as it sounds, but there’s been a buckling trend in the industry these days of manufacturers faring much better in other countries than they do in their own home soil. Proof of that lies in how well Chevrolet seems to do in the European market compared to its standing over in America.
As such, Chevy has taken painstaking lengths to put more juice over in Europe by engaging young and creative minds to participate in contests like the Young Creative Chevrolet, a competition that challenges students to put in the time to insert the Chevy Beat- it’s the Spark in this side of the world - into five different forms of medium. Now in its fourth year, the Young Creative Chevrolet competition has grown from being a modest competition, that features eight schools from eight countries, into a bigger and far more encompassing contest that includes 135 schools in over 20 countries.
This year’s competition proved to be as competitive as it has been since its inception back in 2007 with entries from all over Europe divided in five categories, including photography, music, fashion, video, and visual arts. In the end, the winners were all evenly distributed from a number of countries with Austria grabbing the award for music, Portugal taking home the crown for visual arts, the UK snapping up photography and France winning the other two categories, fashion and video.
We know that there’s some serious talent over there across the Atlantic, but we’re also positive that there’s a lot of young artists on this side that can do as good a job – maybe even better – than those chaps over there. It’s something that Chevrolet ought to look at if they hope to become bigger players in their home market. Just a thought, fellas.
Press Release after the jump
Chevrolet announces winners of the 4th Young Creative Chevrolet competition in Europe originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 6 July 2010 13:00 EST.
During a live webchat, Tony DiSalle, the market director for the Chevrolet Volt, announced the production numbers for the first two years. Talking to Autoblog, DiSalle said that GM plans to build 10,000 Volts by 2011 and than 30,000 by the end of 2012.
Dealers will have to meet certain criteria in order to sell the eagerly awaited Volt. For example, every dealer must have at least one-demonstrator vehicle so customers can test drive it. The dealers must also have a 240-volt home charging station to keep the cars fully powered. GM will also find certain dealers to service the electric car.
In order to buy the Volt, you won’t have to be pre-qualified like you would for the Nissan Leaf. So it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a 240-volt home charging station, you can still have GM’s electric sedan. Maybe you can ask your neighbor to use their power so you can drive to work.
Anyone can buy a Volt, which is part of the reason why it might sell fairly well. Although, to get the most out of the car, you might want to be sure you live near an outlet, in order to keep it charged. That would be the smart thing to do.
GM to build 10,000 Volts in first year originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 2 July 2010 18:00 EST.
The British have never really liked our vulgar American sports cars, including our best offering, the Chevrolet Corvette. GM isn’t giving up though, as they’re going to be offering the Camaro muscle car in the UK as early as 2011. The company made the announcement at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier today.
The Camaro has been on sale here in the U.S since 2009 and the U.K Camaro will arrive in dealers sometime during the first half of 2011. Despite it’s hard-to-use interior, the muscle car has proven to be a good seller for GM, with over 200,000 units sold.
The Camaro is available in many different variants in the U.S, including a base model with 304 horsepower and a V6 engine. UK buyers will only be able to get the SS model with 426 horsepower and a six-speed manual gearbox.
The car will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in just five seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The suspension will also be tuned to cope with British roads.
No price information was given, but we can expect a hefty premium over the U.S sticker price of $32,000.
Chevy Camaro to go on sale in the UK originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 1 July 2010 17:00 EST.
According to Motor Trend, America’s favorite plastic sports car will be getting a bit of an update. Unnamed sources inside General Motors say that the new Corvette will be getting a brand-new engine.
Thankfully, the new motor isn’t a V6, so don’t worry Corvette fans, GM hasn’t sold out quite yet. The trademark V8 will still reside under the Kentucky born sports car’s hood, but it won’t be the normal 6.2 or 7.0-liter.
The new motor will be the first application of GM’s next-gen small block family and we would expect it to have direct-injection, E85 capability, and a few other tweaks.
All of these new updates should help the Vette become more powerful and more fuel efficient, not to mention a bit cleaner. Motor Trend is reporting that the new motor will be 5.5-liters and will put out 440 horsepower. Though the engine will be a bit smaller, it will have 10 more horsepower than the current car.
We can hardly wait to see the new Corvette, but don’t expect to see anything on the C7 until 2012 at the earliest.
Next generation Corvette to get new engine originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 30 June 2010 11:00 EST.
If we had told you that the Chevrolet Corvette, arguably one of the most popular cars to ever come out of the bowtie brand, isn’t branded as a ’Chevrolet’ in other parts of the world, specifically in Europe, then we wouldn’t be surprised if you acted, well, surprised.
But it’s true. Just look at any Corvette and you’ll notice that nowhere in the car does ’Chevrolet’ appear on it. To make things more interesting, the Corvette, unlike other brands under Chevrolet, has its own twin-flag badge where the Chevrolet logo is featured a little less prominently than many of us would come to assume.
In any case, Corvettes have never been branded as a Corvette sports car in Europe, partly because most of the Chevy vehicles being sold there were badged as Daewoo brands, and if you know anything about cars, Daewoos aren’t exactly in the same league as that of the Corvette. So instead of sticking "America’s Sports Car" in a room full of Daewoos, GM decided to stick the Corvette as it’s own stand-alone brand.
But that’s all about to change after General Motors finally decided to start bringing in more Chevrolets in Europe, which it didn’t see as much of a good idea back then. According to Mark Terry, Chevrolet UK’s managing director, “The fact that they are here, in Europe, being sold as Chevrolets is the clearest indication yet of the confidence that General Motors has in the Chevrolet brand, and the direction it is headed in Europe.”
Among the Chevys that figure to invade the other side of the pond include the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Camaro, and yes, the Chevrolet Corvette.
Chevrolet Corvette making a comeback in Europe - sort of originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 June 2010 21:00 EST.
If you’ve been licking your chops at the thought of purchasing the new Chevrolet Volt when it drops into dealerships at the latter part of the year, you might want to hear about this new incentive that could possibly even expedite your purchase of the electric car.
It’s been announced that the US Department of Energy would be handing out free 240-volt home chargers for 4,400 of the Volt’s early buyers. The early bird does get the worm, or in this case, the home charger. Manufactured by either ECOtality or Coulomb Technologies, these chargers will be made available by the DOE for prospective owners of the new Volt at an absolute bargain of a price. We don’t know what the price tag is, but Tony DiSalle, the Volt’s product and marketing director, says that "For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect the Department of Energy project to save $1,000 and $2,000". Taking into consideration the rumored price tag of these chargers - somewhere around $2,000, give or take - then you can expect a lot of interested buyers to save somewhere north of 50% with these chargers.
However, it should be noted that the DOE’s generosity comes with a price tag - albeit a metaphorical one, of course - of its own. If you partake on the DOE’s offer, you’re going to have to sign off on an agreement that lets the government agency collect the necessary information to help them understand the requirements and necessities better, as well as the pros and cons of seeing more electric cars on the road in the future.
Some might call it a double-edged sword as it pertains to a government agency keeping tabs on consumers, but as far as we’re concerned, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal, especially if they can help you save as much as $2,000 for any one of those home chargers.
Press Release after the jump
4,400 early owners of the Chevrolet Volt will receive free home chargers originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 18:00 EST.
Posted in Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, USA, electric cars, government, industry news |
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Built by Route 66 Motorsports, this 1970 Chevelle SS is the third in a series of specially enhanced muscle cars developed for American Heroes. The car will be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson on June 26, with all the proceeds going to the Armed Forces Foundation.
Starting with a donated 1970 Chevelle, Route 66 added a new suspension, a new brake system, an LSA intercooled and supercharged engine mated to a TCI Automotive 6x 6-speed 4L80E transmission, a K&N air filtration system, Autorad radiator system, Lucas Oil Products synthetic lubricants, Edelbrock LS package of headers, exhaust, and motor mounts.
National Parts Depot supplied all the replacement body panels to allow Route 66 Motorsports’ artisans to paint this car with PPG Industries black. Additional exterior trim parts were supplied by National Parts Depot, along with taillight and exterior accent components from Fesser Built. Route 66 Parts also supplied additional exterior parts while the final finish was treated to the full array of Route 66 Exotic Coatings wax products for superior gloss and protection.
This is the third year Project American Heroes is used to raise funds for the Armed Forces Foundation. The first one raised a total of $130,000 and the second raised $500,000.
1970 Chevelle SS for auction originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 18 June 2010 13:00 EST.
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