Category: C6 ZR1 Corvettes

Marty Schorr’s “Car Guys Who Lunch” Car Club – Start Your own Chapter!

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 9.13.11
“There’s only ONE rule – Be a real car guy, or be GONE!”
– Martyn L. Schorr, OWner of Sarasoda Cafe Racers Car Club

Marty will probably blush over this, but I’ll say it. Marty Schorr has made a larger contribution to not just the Corvette world, but to automotive hobbyists all over. Marty was at the helm of High-Performance CARS magazine for nearly 20 years. But “CARS” wasn’t the only pub Marty drove. He was also editor of Chevy Action, Speed and Super Car, the founder of VETTE Magazine and Thunder-AM, plus dozens of CARS Annual special editions and a few dozen stand alone car books. His latest book “Motion Performance – Tales of a Muscle Car Builder” is the official history of the Baldwin-Motion experience, as told by the man that helped create the whole shebang! As front man for the Baldwin-Motion experience, Marty provided those wonderful, “in-your-face” PR, advertising, brochures, and catalog campaigns for the successful Phase III Supercars. The list just goes on and on. “Prolific” is an understatement. And now, we should also add “car club impresario” to Marty’s list of accomplishments.

Marty isn't late, but as Maitre d’ café & CCO (Chief Communications Officer), he likes to be at the restaurant first.

Car Guys Who Lunch started in 2003 when a group of dudes with gasoline in their veins got together for burgers and bench racing in a cafe in Sarasota, Florida. A good time was had by all with everyone agreeing, “Lets do it again!” Within a year, “Sarasota Cafe Racers” was officially launched, or should I say, “lunched.” (Arr, arr!) There are two aspects of Car Guys Who Lunch that make it so unique.

Continue reading “Marty Schorr’s “Car Guys Who Lunch” Car Club – Start Your own Chapter!” →

Vette Shows: 2010 Vettes at Glasstown Engines

Published on by Scott

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.

[nggallery id=31]

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: 2010 Vettes at Glasstown Engines” →

Vette Videos: Virtual LS7 Engine Build & High-Speed ZR1 Build

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 9.9.11
STEP RIGHT UP and see the AMAZING Z06 engine assemble itself in virtual reality!!! AND see the Monster-Motor LS9 built in just 2-minutes and 13-seconds!!!

To see the BIG version, click the above image.

If you’ve been following us here at CorvetteReport.com you will have noticed that WE LIKE ENGINES here. Being a muscle car, sports car, and drag racing historian, I’m well versed on the great engines of the past. It took a long time for aluminum to work its way into American performance engines. All the way back in 1957 Zora Arkus-Duntov was proposing an all-aluminum engine for the Corvette. It just seemed like an excruciatingly slow process. We got aluminum intake manifolds, water pumps, bell housings, and transmission cases by the early ‘60s, aluminum heads from ‘67 to ‘69, and one minimal attempt at an all-aluminum big-block in ‘69 with the 427 ZL-1. While the ZL-1 was available as a separate purchase for a long time, we had to wait until ‘97 for the arrival of the all-aluminum LS1. Since then, we have been treated to the LS6, LS2, LS7, LS3, and the 638-HP monster LS9.

Machined steel is cool, but there’s something unique about machined aluminum. The LS7 animation is quirky-cool. Not only does the engine float in a blue sky, the crankshaft and entire assembly is animated as the parts come together on their own, the entire engine horizontally rotates. It’s very cool.

The second video is a speeded up assembly of a real LS9 engine at the GM Performance Build Center, in Wixom, Michigan. The new Corvette Engine Build Experience option lets ZR1 and Z06 buyers watch and help build their own engine. How cool is that?! The video is kind of an “over the shoulder” view of the experience – but, REALLY FAST! Continue reading “Vette Videos: Virtual LS7 Engine Build & High-Speed ZR1 Build” →

Say, what’s the easiest way to keep up with what’s happening at CorvetteReport.com?

Published on by Scott

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!

Enter your email address:

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 “Say, what’s the easiest way to keep up with what’s happening at CorvetteReport.com?” →

Vette Videos: C6 ZR1 vs Jeremy Clarkson – ZR1 WINS!!!

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 8.26.11
Mr. “I DON’T LIKE Corvettes” goes GAGA over the new ZR1!!!

Here's how Clarkson remembers his C6 ZR1 experience in his dreams...

Watching Jeremy Clarkson reminds me of Dr. Greg House from the last TV series I watched, “House.” He’s blunt, brutal, but honest! In the past, he’s been brutally brutal on Corvettes, once describing the C6 he test drove as a “heaven and hell experience.” Then he closed out his report by saying, “It’s a funny car. I mean, it’s a Corvette, so obviously it’s rubbish. But, you can’t work out why.” Then he whispers, “I actually like it.”

THEN… He met the Z6 ZR1! You could say, “He got the Corvette religion!” Except that he keeps calling the car a “Zed-L-One.” (STOP THAT!) I think it was the 638-HP that converted him. Continue reading “Vette Videos: C6 ZR1 vs Jeremy Clarkson – ZR1 WINS!!!” →

Vette Videos: C6 ZR1 Corvette “SMOKIN!!!” TV Commercial

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 8.13.11
Is 638-horsepower from the factory HOT ENOUGH for ya?

So far we have heard no news at all as to the possibility of a C7 ZR1 Corvette. But, then again, we’re not getting any news about the C7 base Corvette either. Corvette engine developers and engineers have proven that the computer controlled emission devices on the ZR1’s LS9 engine are more than up to making sure high horsepower and emissions standards can be maintained. And with the winds of change swirling around Detroit and rumors of much smaller Corvette engines, turbo versions, hybrid setups, etc… it’s anyone’s guess as to what will be under the fiberglass or carbon fiber hood of the next generation Corvette.

Depending on where Detroit goes in the next few years, the ZR1 may be the hottest factory Vette for a long time. We'll see!

In the mean time, the ZR1 is still with us, at least for another two years. Who knows, Continue reading “Vette Videos: C6 ZR1 Corvette “SMOKIN!!!” TV Commercial” →

Cool New 2012 Centennial Corvette Pull-Out Ad

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 6.30.11

DNA of a Supercar – Chevy shows off their Z06 & ZR1 all-aluminum frame.

Click the images to see the REALLY BIG version.

The August 2011 issue of Motor Trend Magazine arrived in my mailbox today with a special treat from Chevrolet. Starting on page 35, there’s a 6-page, fold-out, tear-out, double-sided ad for the 2012 Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition Corvette. You are first greeted with a passenger side front 3/4 view of the latest Special Edition Corvette at speed on a lonely road.

The flip side shows Corvette fans a view of the Z06 that we don’t get to see very often… Continue reading “Cool New 2012 Centennial Corvette Pull-Out Ad” →