Vette Shows: 2010 Vettes at Glasstown Engines
Dateline: 9.10.11
Show us your engines!
I would venture to say that the most common question Corvette owners get is, “What year is your Vette?” Everyone wants to know how new or how old your Corvette happens to be. The second or third most common question owners hear is “What’s under the hood?” Now, we’re getting down to business. Were it not for stout, high-performance engines, Corvettes would have been just another Detroit pretty face. Two aspects of Corvettes that simply CAN NOT be disconnected on are “looks” and “power.”
In October 2010 when I attended the Vettes at Glasstown Corvette Show I took LOTS of pictures of Vette engines. Since most everyone had their hoods up and were saying in Corvette body language, “Hey! Look at my engine!” why not take pictures? When looked at over the span of nearly 60 years, you can clearly see visual phases in under-the-hood appearance.
From ‘53 to ‘66 engines were amazingly simple and 95% of everything was easily accessible. As emissions controls crept in, things got a little busy and by the end of the C3 generation, all kinds of things seemed to be growing under the hood. The first of the C4 engines had a big, honk’n cover over the cross-fire injectors and by ‘85 Vettes were again full-blown, fuel injected machines. The L98 and the LT1 and LT5 engines all had unique-looking fuelie designs. The LT-5 engine that powered the C4 ZR1 was as visually stunning as the old 427/435 big-blocks.
With the arrival of the new LS-series in ‘97, the all-aluminum engines started wearing engine covers. Open the hood of a C5 or C6 Corvette and the biggest and first thing you see is the engine cover. The covers aren’t really needed, but they sure look cool and are now Continue reading
Vette Shows: The Sights of C4 Corvettes at the 2011 30th Corvettes at Carlisle Show
Dateline: 9.1.11
2011 Corvettes at Carlisle Week continues with coverage of 1984 to 1996 C5 Corvettes!
This is Michael Beal's custom 1991 ZR-1 Roadster. The LT-5 engine in the car was built by Corvete racing legend Kim Baker.
From 1984 to 1996 the C4 Corvettes arguably made more progress in terms of performance than any other generation Corvette. The ‘84 model arrived with the 205-horsepower “Cross-Fire Injection” engine and was quickly replaced with a real “fuelie,” the 230-horsepower L98 Bosch Tuned Port Injection engine. By ‘90 the 375-horsepower LT-5 engine arrived in the new ZR-1 and was bumped up to 405-horsepower by ‘93. The L98 received incremental improvements and hit 250-horsepower by ‘91 and was replaced with the 300-horsepower LT1 in ‘92. So, we saw some impressive power gains during the rein of the C4s.
And there were several interesting special edition C4s as well. There was the ‘86 Pace Car Special, the ‘88 35th Anniversary Edition, the ‘90 to ‘95 ZR-1 option (the single most expensive optional package in Corvette history!), the ‘93 40th Anniversary Edition, the ‘95 Pace Car, the ‘96 Collector Edition, and the ‘96 Grand Sport. That’s tremendous progress and consistent special editions that kept the C4s fresh and interesting.
Corvettes so heavily dominated the SCCA Showroom Stock racing series they were kicked out! So, the Corvette Challenge “Corvettes only” race series was created. Morrison Motorsports blasted a 50-year speed record with a mildly-modified ZR-1 and Callaway build their 898-horsepower, 254.76-MPH Sledgehammer. Tuners such as Callaway, Greenwood, and Guldstrand offered Continue reading
Say, what’s the easiest way to keep up with what’s happening at CorvetteReport.com?
Dateline: 8.31.11
We’ve made it “easy as pie” for ya!
Ever since we dropped a ZR1 LS9 engine into our blog site, we’ve been posting at least once a day, sometimes more. At first, I thought, “How in the world am I going to find interesting Corvette material to post every day?” HA! Silly me! With nearly 60 years of Corvettes to talk about, I’ve concluded that I could do this for another 100 years and not run out of material to cover! The topic is so broad and deep, there’s ALWAYS something fun and interesting to talk and write about in the world of Corvettes!
So, to make it fall-off-a-log easy for you to keep up with us, we’ve created the above handy-dandy, sign up form. It’s not a “newsletter,” just a brief email announcement letting you know that there’s a new post at CorvetteReport.com. The email you will receive will look like this… Continue reading
Vette Videos: Callaway Corvette vs RUF 911 Porsche vs Jeremy Clarkson
Dateline: 8.25.11
A snarkey look back at late ’80s – early ’90s supercars.
I must admit that before watching this I did NOT know who Jeremy Clarkson was. That’s because I really don’t watch very much TV. So, I may well be the last person in America to know who this bloke is. Clarkson is the “presenter” for the TV program, “Top Gear” and he’s quite a character.
The video starts with a piano being dropped on a 911, and other 911 being dropped from a crane. Then a helicopter gun ship fires on an early C4 Corvette. Clarkson savages the 911 first on a race track, but hoots a squeals when the turbos kick in on the 3.4-liter RUF 911. He goes straight after the obvious – at normal speeds, the 911 feels very, well, VW Beetle-like. (Are you allowed to saw such a thing? You can HERE!) “KRIKEY-MOSES!” is what he has to say when the tubros kick in. Back in 1990 the 911 RUF had a top speed of 211-MPH! In the end, he says, “What’a CAR!” The final shot of the 911 RUF is from behind and you get to see some flames popping out of the rear exhaust. Pretty cool!
To start the Callaway portion of the video, Clarkson gets the back end about 45-degrees on the first turn. After dissing the stock suspension and brakes Continue reading
Vette Videos: 1988 Callaway SLEDGEHAMMER!!!
Dateline: 8.24.11
A crash course on what it takes to build a 250-plus-MPH C4 Corvette
Yesterday we told you about the ASTONISHING 254.76-MPH twin-turbocharged Callaway Corvette. The below video is an excellent presentation of this impressive machine. Reeves Callaway and project manager Tim Good take you on a full tour of the Sledgehammer project. You’ll get to see the Sledgehammer blast the Transportation Research Center in Ohio and even the late John Lingenfelter has a few words to say. Watch this and you WILL be a fan!
The 250-MPH Club has very few members. The astonishing $1,705,769 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport that holds the Guinness average top speed record of 267-MPH, but is based on an architecture originally designed to be an all-out race car, not a platform designed in 1980 as a mass-produced sports car. Then there’s the $650,000, 1,287-HP Ultimate Aero built by Shelby Super Cars that’ll do 270-MPH. Granted, the Bugatti and Shelby do things Continue reading
What’s the Fastest Street Vette Ever? The 1988 254.76-MPH Callaway SLEDGEHAMMER!!!
Dateline: 8.23.11
Not only was this twin-turbo L98 Corvette packing 898-HP, it was DRIVEN to and from the track!
Yesterday we told you about the rather lackluster turbocharged L-48 ‘79 Corvette. No one was going to get warm over a 280-to-290-horsepower turbo Corvette. But nearly 900-horsepower? NOW YER TALKING! I covered the car back in June 2008 as Illustrated Corvette Series No. 136 for my monthly VETTE Magazine column. The story copy from the article is below.
What’s amazing, besides the raw speed and power of the car, is that Callaway never built another one, at least, one that we know of. If they did, the owner kept it a secret because I’ve never seen or heard of another Sledgehammer. If you’re reading this and know of one, please let me know. What a difference nine years made between the ‘79 turbocharged L-48 that the Chevrolet engineering department built and what Callaway made. But to be totally fair, Corvette engineers aren’t in the business of developing mega-horsepower Vette engines, and Callaway isn’t in the business of designing mass production cars. . So, we’ll give the Corvette guys a pass and kudos to Callaway! And to think, this wasn’t a trailered speed machine. Callaway’s team drive it to the track, set the record, and drove it home! AMAZING! here’s the story. - Scott
While the 200-mph ‘09 ZR1 is receiving well-deserved kudos, nearly 20 years ago Reeves Callaway and his team smashed the record books with a street-driven twin-turbo ’88 Corvette called “The Sledgehammer.”
The Sledgehammer was a radical version of an ’88 production Vette. This was no one-of-a-kind exotic like the Ultimate Aero, built by Shelby Supercars. The Ultimate Aero’s record-setting average speed was 256.18 mph – not much more than the 254.76-mph production-based Sledgehammer.
Plans for the Sledgehammer began after a modified Callaway Twin-Turbo won the Car & Driver “Gathering of the Eagles” top-speed event in 1987. Reeves Callaway drove the car to a top-speed of 231-mph. The car was fast, but it was rough, hot, smelly, and difficult to drive. Corvette Chief Engineer Dave McClellan joked about Reeves 231-mph car saying, “Des Is Der Sledgehammer!” The name stuck and Reeves got busy! Continue reading
Engine History Made! 100,000,000 Small-Block Chevy Engines, and Counting!
Dateline: 8.19.11
Chevrolet announces the 100-millionth Small-Block Chevy engine to be built and installed in a ’12 Corvette in Fall 2011
Former chief of Chevrolet engineering and president of General Motors, Ed Cole.
This week Chevrolet announced that the 100-millionth Small-block Chevy engine will be built sometime in Fall 2011 and will most likely be installed in a 2012 Corvette! So three cheers to Chevrolet.
Hip, hip, HOORAY!
Hip, hip, HOORAY!
Hip, hip, HOORAY!
Although the small-block Chevy engine was designed to be an efficient passenger car engine, the design’s simplicity and durability has been providing Chevy fans with some of the fiercest engines ever. SBCs have powered just about every kind of race car from Indy and Le Mans, to drag strips and dirt tracks all over America.
Which SBC will be the magic 100 millionth engine has not yet been announced. It could be the mighty 430-horsepower LS3 engine used as the base engine for the Corvette, or possibly the most powerful production engine ever built in Detroit history, the 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 that powers the C6 ZR1 Corvette rocket ship. I’m sure that Chevrolet will make a BIG media splash about this car.
Enjoy our Small-Block Chevy engine gallery.
The man credited with designing and developing the SBC was former General Motors president, Ed Cole. As a youngster Cole liked to tinker with radio sets and was briefly a field rep for a tractor manufacturer before enrolling in the General Motors Institute where he got his degree in engineering. In 1949, along with GM’s Harry Barr, Cole developed the acclaimed 1949 Cadillac OHV V8 engine. By 1952 Cole was promoted to chief of engineering for Chevrolet. His first major project was the design and development of the replacement for Chevrolet’s tired, old, Stovebolt-Six engine. The finished engine was essentially a simplified, smaller version of the Cadillac OHV engine he’s helped design in ‘49.
When nested between the front fenders of the new ‘55 Chevy, the 265-cubic-inch, 162-horsepower engine looked, well, tiny. It probably only took a few weeks for hot rodders to realize that there was a ton of red meat in the little lightweight engine. The new small-block Chevy quickly developed the nick name “Mouse Motor.” Within a few years, the new SBC completely changed hot rodding and racing. It was, “good-bye Flathead Ford” and “Hello Small-Block Chevy.” Continue reading
Vette Videos: 1992 C4 ZR-1 Corvette Promotional Video
Dateline: 8.12.11
Take a ride in the CorvetteReport.com Time Machine back to 1992 for a review of the ’92 ZR-1 Corvette.
Even though the big news for the ‘92 Corvette was the LT1 350 engine with 300-horsepower (a 50-hp jump from the previous L98 engine), the 375-horsepower ZR-1 continued to get most of the attention. The ZL-1 and its LT5 engine had proven itself in March 1990 when the Morrison Motorsports ZR-1 shattered a 50-year 24 hour average speed record, recording an astonishing speed of 175.885-mph!
Photo from www.ZR1NetRegistry.com
The engine was so stout that engine builders, such as Corvette racing legend, Kim Baker, were building LT5 engines that were pulling horsepower figures in the low 600-plus range, WITHOUT the use of turbos, roots, or centrical superchargers! The LT5 was arguably one of the strongest engines to ever work under the hood of a Corvette.
Unlike the C6 ZR1, which is its own unique model, the C4 ZR-1 was an option package that cost a staggering $31,683 on top of the $33,635 base price of the ‘92 Corvette, for a grand total of $65,318 – PLUS other options! Continue reading
Vette Videos: MotorWeek ‘92 Video Road Test of the 1992 LT1 Corvette!
Dateline: 8.10.11
BIG news under the hood, too bad it went largely unnoticed!
For decades Chevrolet was rather shy about drawing attention to significant improvements to the t Corvette. Not in every case, but in many and 1992 was an excellent example. While the press was besides themselves with the exotic double overhead-cam LT1-powered ZR-1, hardly anyone noticed the arrival of the return of the LT1. The 350 L98 served the Corvette well from ‘85 to ‘91, enough to keep the Porsches and everyone else in the SCCA Showroom Stock series scratching their heads. Story has it that Porsche even bought a Corvette just to take apart to see why their 944s couldn’t keep up.
1992 Corvette advertisement.
But with arrival of the ZR-1 in 1990, the hoots and squeals were so loud the LT1 hardly got a notice. it was too bad because buyers of the ‘92 Corvette got to enjoy an extra 50-horsepower! The LT1 was improved in every way and significantly closed the performance gap between the base Corvette and the ZR-1 Corvette. And not even an LT1 hood badge! Oh well. Continue reading
Vette Videos: 1992 ZR-1 Corvette Video hosted by Corvette Engineer John Heinricy and Four-Time Indy 500 Winner, Rick Mears
Dateline: 8.10.11
Nearly 20 years ago, this was THE hot Vette setup!
The white Dymag wheels look excellent on the white '92 ZR-1
Take a test drive in a 1992 ZR-1 Corvette with Corvette engineer, John Heinricy and Indy 500 winner Rick Mears. This is an EXCELLENT. I wish these guys had done more of this. The engineering and race car driver perspective is first class. Enjoy. – Scott
Corvette Odd-Ball: The One & Only 1984 “Zora 1″ Corvette
Dateline: 7.30.11
Montgomeryville, PA Corvette enthusiast, Skeets Mariano’s one-of-a-kind, 1984 “Zora 1” Corvette
Back in ‘01, I was talking with a few Corvette club presidents looking for unique production Corvettes in the South Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania area. One club president told me about an area man with a preproduction Corvette with the official model name, “Zora 1.” After a few phone calls, I connected with Corvette racer, collector, and car enthusiast, Skeets Mariano. Continue reading
The Art of the C4 ZR-1 LT-5 Corvette Engine
Dateline: 7.23.11
Corvette Engines as Art Objects
Too bad this wasn’t a 283 Fuelie!
Everything has a beginning, right. For me, it goes back to 1965 when my Dad bought me “The Visible V8” model kit. What a wonderful way for young boys to understand the basic operational principals of an internal combustion engine. If you carefully put the parts together and didn’t get glue in places you shouldn’t and wired everything right, your got to see the pistons go up and down, rocker arms actuate, the fan spin, the camshaft rotate, AND the red grain-of-wheat lightbulb spark plugs light up at top-dead-center. Of course, it sounded all “WHEEEEEE” Because the battery-opperated starter motor was driving everything. “Sorry kids! No VROOM! VROOM!”
LT-5 art prints available HERE.
But, it was a lot of fun and started my lifelong passion for engines. But engines didn’t become “art” for my until I got into drag racing and those wonderful supercharged hemi engines. And the first Corvette engine that wowed me was the 1967 L71 427/435 big-block. While 3-deuces Continue reading
March 1 & 2, 1990: 1990 ZR-1 Corvette Shatters 50-Year Speed Record!!!
Dateline: 7.20.11
Try to imagine driving a loaded for bear, 1990 ZR-1 Corvette for 24-hours at an AVERAGE speed of 175.885-mph!
Racing Corvettes used to have a long history of durability issues. There are many accounts of Corvette racers setting track records and winning pole positions, only to have parts breakage put their cars out of the race. The success of the Showroom Stock and the Corvette Challenge cars proved that the new C4s had what it took to win long races. So it was only a matter of time before someone tested the new ZR-1 under racing conditions. Enter Morrison Motorsports.
On March 1 and 2, 1990, the Morrison Motorsports prepared ZR-1 Corvette shattered the 50-year old, 24-hour speed record with an astonishing average speed of 175.885-mph with a “near-stock” ZR-1 Corvette! The details of the ZR-1 speed machine are a genuine testimonial to the quality of the new ZR-1.
In 1940, David, “Ab” Jenkins set the 24-hour speed record with his “Mormon Meteor III” racer. The huge 5,000-pound machine was designed by Augie Duesenberg and used a 850-hp, 27.5-litre aircraft engine! In 1940 Ab nailed the record with an average 24-hour speed of 161.18-mph. The record stood for 50 years. Many attempted to break the record, and all failed… until the ZR-1 arrived. Continue reading
Michael Beal’s 1991 ZR-1 Roadster!
Dateline: 7.19.11
Chevrolet didn’t make a C4 ZR-1 Roadster, but Metalcrafters of California got the job done and today, Michael Beal of Connecticut is still enjoying this unique high-performance Corvette!
For most Corvette fans, there was “that day” when a Vette stole your heart. For Michael Beal, it was the jewel-like LT-5 engine that powered the C4 ZR-1 Corvette. The beautiful LT5 engine may well be one of the most underdeveloped engines in Corvette history. While the numbers don’t look impressive by today’s standards, when the first 375-horsepower ‘90 ZR-1 was finally unleashed, heads spun faster that the rear tires of the new beast. By ‘93, Corvette engineers tweaked here and there and bumped the LT-5’s power output to 405-horsepower. It is worth reminding readers that in March 1990, a race-prepared, Morrison Motorsports ZR-1 shattered records at the 7.71-mile Bridgestone Tire test track in Texas with an AVERAGE 24-hour speed of 175.885-MPH!!!
And least you think this was a stripped down, lightweight ZR-1 – no, no. FIA rules mandated that the car carry spare parts incase of a breakdown. Consequently, the ZR-1 was carrying an additional 300-pounds of gear! And, to add a little “sauce for the goose” for the story, the track was just three lanes wide and had no guard rails! One of the team drivers was the famous Kim Baker. You’ll get to learn a little of what Kim is up to these days in the below story. There’s also some insight as to how much red meat Chevy engineers left inside the LT-5.
Too bad the ZL-1/LT-5 didn’t arrive two or three years sooner. Too bad Chevrolet didn’t make a roadster ZR-1. Apparently, ZR-1 fans asked the same question, and a few did something about it! Below is Michael Beal’s delightful story of how he came to own one of the few ZR-1 Roadsters, and his meeting with Corvette legend, Kim Baker. Here’s Michael. Continue reading
Corvette Timeline Tales: July 1978 – Chevrolet Studio III Chief, Jerry Palmer Sketches Out the Next Generation C4 Corvette
Dateline: 7.17.11
It all begins with a sketch!
Image from the Dave McLellan Archives and the book, “Corvette From the Inside” by Dave McLellan
When the all-new 1984 Corvette first came out, the press and the public went wild. Perhaps it was because of the C3 platform’s 15-year production run – actually, a 20 year run, if you count the basic frame, drive train, and suspension. So, I guess you could say that the Corvette fans were a little hungry for a new Vette. And the rave reviews weren’t just baseless praise. Corvette fans backed up their praise with CASH, as 51,547 ‘84 Corvettes were sold the first year of C4 production, up from 25,407 from 1982. But if you follow the used Corvette market, early C4 Corvettes are at the bottom of the barrel! That’s bad news if you spent a lot on one when it was new. But if you’re looking for a starter Corvette, it’s an inexpensive way to get into the hobby. But, when the ’84 Vette arrived, it was red hot!
The design process has to start somewhere and that “somewhere” is a humble sketch. Car guys are always doodling and I’m certain that designer Jerry Palmer probably had a few preliminary loose sketches of what he thought the next Corvette should look like. Continue reading
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