Chevrolet Reveals 2012 Corvette with Modest Upgrades [with Video]

Chevrolet will improve the Corvette’s performance capabilities with a series of enhancements for the 2012 model year aimed at offering better on-track performance and on-road comfort. The subtle performance improvements concern the Z06 and ZR1 models, while the rest of the Corvette lineup receives modest interior and equipment updates. Read more »

VIDEO: The World’s Fastest IRS Corvette Runs ¼ Mile in 7.89 Seconds

A heavily modified 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 [C6] equipped with a turbocharged V8 engine built by IPS Motorsports, recently shattered the quarter mile record for IRS ‘Vettes completing the sprint on the dragstrip in just 7.89 seconds with an exit speed of 180 mph (289 km/h). The record-breaking time was achieved at the 2nd race of the LSX Series in Atlanta. Watch the run through the in-car camera in the videos right after the break. Read more »

Soleil Motors Reveals Anadi, a Coachbuilt Corvette Priced at $299,995

[Updated] This week’s 2011 Top Marques car show in Monaco (April 14-17) welcomed the world premiere of the Soleil Anadi, a coachbuilt Corvette that is the brainchild of Ugur Sahin, a Turkish designer based in the Netherlands. Sahin sold the rights to the design of the Anadi to a company called Soleil Motors, which then joined forces with Ercole and Paolo Spada from Spada Concepts and Will Castro from Unique Autosport to complete the project.

The transformation of the Corvette to the Anadi takes place in Italy, with the company having opened its first showroom in Milan. Like the car it is based on, the Anadi comes equipped with a detachable roof but features new sheetmetal with a profile that brings to mind the Ferrari 599 and a bespoke rear end. The interior has also been fully customized but the show car seen in these photos, courtesy of our friends from Autoblog.nl, had tinted windows. The company said it will release pictures of the cabin at a later date.

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Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Shatters Corvette ZR1’s Record at Miller Motorsports Park [with Video]

The Dodge Viper SRT10 American Club Racer (ACR) broke the production car lap record at Miller Motorsports Park, dipping below the 2-minute mark for the first time ever at the 3.048-mile Outer Course configuration. Dodge driver Kuno Wittmer stopped the clock at 1:59.995, beating the previous record held by Jan Magnussen in a Corvette ZR1 by almost four seconds (2:03.86).

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Ugur Sahin’s Sexy Corvette: Limited Run Soleil Anadi Sports Car Coming to Monaco

Soleil Motors has taken the wraps off the romantically named Anandi, a gorgeous-looking coupe / concept based on Ugur Sahin Design's Z03 Concept of 2007. This latest effort takes the taut lines of the Z03 Concept and refines them in a spectacular – and apparently production-ready – fashion.

With its forward raked and blacked out rump, sculptured flanks and shark-like nose, the Anandi incorporates Corvette styling cues both past and present. Think of it as a modern day interpretation of the Stingray of the 1960s. And what a better place to present it than in Monaco which has a reputation for offering the most exclusive and exotic goods and services to the uber-rich.

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Chevrolet Celebrates 100th Anniversary with 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette Package

The Chevrolet brand turns 100 this year, and unlike some people that like to hide their age after a certain point, the automaker is out to tell the world. Among the many celebrations planned for this occasion is the presentation a special 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette with a black color scheme and unique design elements.

“Racing and performance are the roots of Chevrolet, a tradition carried forward today by Corvette,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The Centennial Edition not only celebrates our 100 years, it once again pushes Corvette forward for a new generation of sports car fans.”

The 2012 Centennial Edition will be available as a special package on all Corvette models, including the Grand Sport that features a 6.2-liter V8 pumping out 430HP, the Z06 that comes equipped with a 505HP 7.0-liter V8 and the flagship ZR1 with its 638-hp supercharged LS9 V8 engine.

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VIDEO: 2012MY Nissan GT-R Trims Nurburgring Lap Time to 7:24.22, Plus Split-Screen with ZR1

At last November’s LA Auto Show, Nissan lifted the sheets off the revised GT-R that recently went on sale as a 2012MY in North America and as a 2011MY in the rest of the world. Key changes over the previous model include a 45HP bump in output to 530HP, plus a series of aero and chassis tweaks.

For those of you wondering how these modifications affected the GT-R’s performance on the notorious Nordschleife, Nissan’s team managed to shave more than two seconds off the 2011MYs time of 7:26.4, dropping it to 7:24.22, allegedly in less than ideal conditions. You’ll have to skip to about 3:20 into the clip for the driving to begin.

We also found a edited film on Youtube that compares the 2012 GT-R and Corvette ZR-1 on the 'Ring in a split format, which was created by synchronizing the two videos at the pit exit. Watch both videos after the jump.

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VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 ALMS Ad Belittles BMW, Ferrari and Porsche, but Ends up Losing to M3s in Sebring…

Just before the season opener of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida this past weekend, GM aired an aggressive commercial touting its 638-horsepower-strong Corvette ZR1. The ad claims that the firm’s engineers had to reduce the stock ZR1’s LS9 engine output by 168HP in order to compete in the race and “just to be fair against Porsche, Ferrari and BMW”.

For one, the Corvette ALMS racers are actually powered by a V8 loosely based on the Z06’s LS7 engine (see the second video after the jump). Perhaps most importantly, the Corvettes finished third and fourth in the GT class in Sebring behind two BMW M3 GTs… Videos follow after the break.

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MotorTrend Pits the Corvette Z06, Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R Against Each Other

What weights ten tonnes and costs more than US$240,000? If you said, “a gold plated bulldozer”, you’d be close but no cigar. The answer is three sub-100k supercars: the Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R. These three industry titans, with nameplates stretching as far back as the 1960s, were the recent subjects of an epic comparison test by MotorTrend. Here are three would-be-supercars – over 500hp and 3 second 0 to 60 mph times – that don’t command the supercar price tag. Read more »

Savage Rivale’s Roadyacht GTS gets a Racing Variant

Back in 2009 at the Top Marques Monaco Show, Dutch automaker Savage Rivale blew the lid off the Roadyacht GTS, an eccentric four-door, coupe-convertible supercar. While interesting enough to be worth a second look, one could’ve argued on the chances of the Corvette-based vehicle to become a hit. Still, it seems that it was successful enough to prompt the development of a racing version, aptly called the GTR.

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