Motor Trend’s Head 2 Head: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 vs 1968 Porsche 911L!

 

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Late 60’s Corvette-Porsche Rivalry on Video


Dateline: 2-10-15
– Motor Trend has taken the car magazine experience to a whole new level with their video productions.
And having the videos up on YouTube is just too sweet. This video was published last August and somehow I missed it. What’a matchup: The 1967 427/435 Corvette Sting Ray Roadster vs the 1968 Porsche 911 L.

Both cars are period perfect. What the Corvette has in brute force and beautiful stereo-music booming from the factory side-pipes, the Porsche makes up for in better braking experience thanks to the 911’s low weight and agility due to quicker steering. If you go strictly by the numbers, the Corvette slams the 911L. However, the driving experience isn’t just about 0-60 and ¼-mile times. Continue reading “Motor Trend’s Head 2 Head: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 vs 1968 Porsche 911L!”

Roger Judski Buys One of Two Official 1969 ZL-1 Corvettes


Roger Judski’s SUPER RARE 1969 ZL-1 Corvette

 

Dateline: 10.11.14 Twenty-three years ago today, October 11, 1991, at of all places, The Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Roger Judski, owner of Judski’s Corvette Center in Maitland, Florida became the owner of what is arguably the rarest of all high performance Corvettes, a 1969 ZL-1 Corvette. When this car was announced to the world in the fall of 1968 as an option on the ’69 Corvette, it became an instant legend for numerous reasons. Judski paid what was then considered a stunningly HUGE amount of money for the ZL-1, $300,000! Roger had been trying to buy the ZL-1 for 12 years. Continue reading “Roger Judski Buys One of Two Official 1969 ZL-1 Corvettes”

Chevrolet Debuts the New 1987 Corvette on October, 9, 1986

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The Gradual Refining Process of the C4 Corvette Is Underway


Dateline: 10.9.14
Twenty-eight years ago today Chevrolet released the new 1987 Corvette to the buying public.
A look back at the 1987 Corvette fills me with irony. Performance was back to ‘60s levels, fuel-injection was standard (yes, a Fuelie!), the car had a top speed of 150-MPH making it the fastest car in America in 1987, the Kim Baker’s Corvette was kicking butt in the SCCA Showroom Stock racing series, and it was one of Car and Driver’s Top Ten Cars of 1987. That’s not too shabby! Especially considering the Corvette’s dark disco days of the late ‘70s. Continue reading “Chevrolet Debuts the New 1987 Corvette on October, 9, 1986”

Sting Ray III Co-Stars in 1993 Film Demolition Man, Staring Sly Stallone & Wesley Snipes

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1992 Sting Ray III, Another Corvette Movie Star


Dateline: 10.8.14
Yesterday we told you about the debut of the 1960 TV series, Route 66. Well it was 21 years ago today that the film Demolition Man, staring Sly Stallone and Wesley Snipes debuted.

It was a dystopian, 1984, Brave New World, grim, not too far into the future, cop verses bad guy film, with lots of fighting, guns, sweat, muscle, and cool cars. Not surprisingly, the film got so-so reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 64% rating and Siskel & Ebert gave it a Thumbs Down, but Ebert liked the satirical wit. But it was good movie fun. The film debuted No. 1 at the box office and eventually grossed  $58,055,768 by the end of the North American run and $159,055,768 world-wide. Continue reading “Sting Ray III Co-Stars in 1993 Film Demolition Man, Staring Sly Stallone & Wesley Snipes”

Route 66 TV Show Debuts October 7, 1960

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The Corvette Becomes a TV Star on Route 66!


Dateline: 10.7.14
Fifty-Four years ago today, Route 66 made its TV debut. Beginning October 7, 1960
and once a week into early 1964,viewers followed the adventures of Tod Stiles (Martin Milner) and Buzz Murdock (George Maharis) as they tooled around America in a brand new 1960 Corvette, seeking… well, adventure. Even though Chevrolet wasn’t selling that many Corvettes (10,261 units in 1960) the Chevrolet PR guys couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make the Corvette a TV star. Continue reading “Route 66 TV Show Debuts October 7, 1960”

Chevy Debuts the New 1978 Corvette

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The 1978 Corvette Gets a Well-Deserved Major Refresh


Thirty-six years ago today Chevrolet released the new 1978 Corvette.
Chevy’s sports car was selling well considering the times. Muscle cars were all but dead, gas prices were up to around 75-cents-a-gallon (GOSH!), and the economy was in a slump. However, the Corvette was getting a little stale-looking, so when the ’78 model was released, it was a “WOW!”

The new bubble fastback roof was sweet indeed. One of the shortcomings of the ’68 to ’77 Corvette coupes was a serious lack of rear stowage area. Unlike the ’63-to-’67 Sting Ray Coupe that had a fairly good size space behind the seats (for a sports car), the C3 coupes up to ’77 had a narrow slot tall enough for a suit case and not much more.The new roof design not only yielded more room in the back, it helped brighten up the refreshed interior and eliminate a serious rear-view blind spot. Continue reading “Chevy Debuts the New 1978 Corvette”

10-5-65 The Running Mako Shark II Was Shown To The Automotive Press – WOW!

October 5, 1966, the Running Mako Shark-II Debuts at the Paris Auto Show

Mako-Shark-II-1Forty-Nine years ago today, October 5, 1965, the automotive press got to see the first, running Mako Shark-II show car at the Paris Auto Show in France. The non-running full-size model of the Mako Shark-II had been shown in April ’65 at the New York Auto Show and was a knock-out. The response was so overwhelming, Chevrolet brass quickly decided to build a running prototype for the next phase of development.

As V.P. of Design, Bill Mitchell laid out what he wanted the next Corvette to be. See if you can follow this.

He wanted the following; “a narrow, slim, center section and coupe body, a tapered tail, an all-of-a-piece blending of the upper and lower portions of the body through the center (avoiding the look of a roof added to a body), and prominent wheels with their protective fenders distinctly separate from the main body, yet grafted organically to it.” Continue reading “10-5-65 The Running Mako Shark II Was Shown To The Automotive Press – WOW!”

Corvette History:10-4-73 – The 4-Rotor Experimental Corvette Debuts In Paris!

The 4-Rotor Experimental Corvette Makes It’s Grand Debut 41 Years Ago In Paris!

 4-Rotor-Corvette-Photo Oui! Oui! Thanks to Zora Arkus-Duntov, Corvette fans were treated to a series of mid-engine Corvette through the ‘60s and ‘70s. But XP-882 was no “ordinary” experimental mid-engine Corvette. Behind the driver was a honk’n 390 cubic-inch Wankel rotary engine. Ed Cole was President of General Motors at the time and was hot on the smooth-running rotary engine design. So what better a hallo car to present the then-exotic engine that under a stunning Corvette.

Although VP of Design Bill Mitchell was the official “designer” of the body shape, Chuck Jordan supervised the project. The car had wrap-around glass and hidden A-pillars. The doors weren’t just gull-wing, they were bi-fold gull wings. The look was fresh, edgy, exciting, and definitely CORVETTE. Continue reading “Corvette History:10-4-73 – The 4-Rotor Experimental Corvette Debuts In Paris!”

Corvette History: 10-3-85 – The Return of the Roadster! The Convertible is Back!

1986 Corvette Convertible Is Back!!!

1986-Corvette-AdThe Corvette was born as a roadster, so it was a sad day in 1975 when Chevrolet announced that the 1976 Corvette would only be available as a Coupe. Yes, the convertible was history! “Safety concerns” were the stated reasoning. Yea, it was “A Bummer, Man!”

Fast forward to October 3, 1985 Chevrolet announced that the Corvette convertible was back! Yes, the Roadster Corvette had returned!

A large X-brace was added to the bottom of the frame to stiffen the chassis and the ride height was increased slightly, and no one cared. The drop-top, open-air motoring Corvette was back.

Later it was announced that the ’86 Corvette convertible would pace the Indy 500 and that ALL 1986 Corvette Convertible would be designated as Pace Car replicas, regardless of the color. Of the 35,109 Corvettes sold in 1986, 7,315 (20.8%) were convertibles. Continue reading “Corvette History: 10-3-85 – The Return of the Roadster! The Convertible is Back!”

Dave MacDonald Inducted Into National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame

Corvette Racing Legend, Dave MacDonald Inducted Into National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame

NCM-macdonaldDateline: 9-27-14 Auto racing legend Dave MacDonald was inducted into The National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame on August 28, 2014, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. MacDonald’s induction took place 50 years after the extremely talented young driver was tragically killed in his rookie race at the 1964 Indy 500 that also claimed the life of driver Eddie Sachs. After the race, an investigation determined that there was, “No driver error.”

MacDonald learned his driving skills in Southern California behind the wheel of several championship-winning first generation Corvettes. A gentle, quiet family man off the track, MacDonald was known as “The Master of Oversteer” and a fierce competitor. His driving skills were such that they attracted the attention of two other legends in auto racing of that time, Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and Carroll Shelby. MacDonald drove prototype test cars for Duntov and was eventually hired by Shelby to drive Cobras professionally.

His induction into The National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame was well deserved and more than a little overdue. Regardless, Dave MacDonald now has a prominent and permanent place in Corvette history.

I have written extensively about the life and times of Dave MacDonald and have had the pleasure of getting to know the MacDonald family. I have Dave MacDonald’s younger brother Doug to thank. Many years ago I created a piece of line art for VETTE Magazine as a column filler “spot art” illustration. Later I included the illustration as an art print on my IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com website and mistakenly titled the print, “Dave MacDonald’s 1961 Corvette Racer.”

The 2014 National Corvette Museum's Hall of Fame inductees included: Race Car Driver Dave MacDonald, Corvette Engineer and Race Car Driver John Heinricy, and Automotive Journalist & Author, Jerry Burton.

The 2014 National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame inductees included, left-to-right: Automotive Journalist and Author Jerry Burton, Corvette Engineer and Race Car Driver John Heinricy, and Race Car Driver Dave MacDonald.

Continue reading “Dave MacDonald Inducted Into National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame”

Corvette License Plate Art Print Series Update

NEW Corvette License Plate Art Prints – 2005 to 2014

LP-2014 Dateline: 9-25-14Our new Corvette License Plates Art Print Series is making progress. With 60 years of Corvettes and many model variations, plus four different print layouts, it’s a BIG project. Here’s where I am as of today.

I started out with one year for each generation Corvette, as shown on the slider at the top of the homepage. This week I have added the following year Coupe Corvettes: C6 – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Grand Sport Coupe, 2011 Grand Sport Coupe, 2012 Grand Sport Coupe, and 2013 Grand Sport Coupe.
Each year print is available in four layouts: a red-to-white, black-to-white, blue-to-white, and one print with all three layouts.

Plus, we have available the 1962 Corvette, the 1967 Corvette Coupe, the 1982 Corvette, the 1996 Corvette Coupe, and 2002 Corvette Coupe. And for owners and fans of the Special Edition Corvettes, we have all 16 Special Edition Corvettes from the 1978 25th Anniversary Corvette to the awesome 2014 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible.

Every 11” x 17” print is signed and numbered, then shrink wrapped on 12”x18” cardboard and shipped via USPS Priority Mail for fast delivery for just $29.95 + $6.95 S&H.

Specific number prints are available upon request. Continue reading “Corvette License Plate Art Print Series Update”

NEW!!! Corvette License Plates Art Prints Series

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Corvette “License Plate” Art Prints 1953 to Present. A Limted Series of these new prints are now available from artist. K. Scott Teeters Continue reading “NEW!!! Corvette License Plates Art Prints Series”