Corvette
October 30th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
General Motors has just announced that the motor from the 2009 Corvette ZR1 will be available as a complete crate engine from late next year. The ZR1 is the fastest production car in GM’s history thanks to it’s LS9 6.2L supercharged V-8 which delivers 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).
The LS9 crate engine is packaged up for enthusiasts and racers who want the big-boy LS power plant for their project cars, vintage Corvettes, muscle cars and street rods. The supercharger and charge cooler are integrated in the engine’s valley for a lower profile, allowing creative builders to fit the engine in a variety of applications with plenty of hood clearance.
The engine’s 6.2L displacement is shared with the LS3, but the LS9 is built for high-revving power with a supercharger. It uses stronger cylinder head castings and steel cylinder liners that are honed with a deck plate installed to maximize performance and cylinder sealing.
High-rpm-validated lightweight reciprocating parts, including titanium intake valves, are used, along with high-flow cylinder heads that draw the charge forced on them by a sixth-generation supercharger. A new, four-lobe rotor design delivers greater power at the low end and holds it longer through the rpm band for, on-demand power, whether off-idle or at speed. A dual-brick charge cooler is integrated on a unique manifold system that mounts the “blower” in the engine’s valley, with charge cooler on top.
GMPP’s LS9 crate engine assembly comes fully dressed, including the ignition system, supercharger assembly, exhaust manifolds and more. It also includes the production dry-sump oil pan and provisions for the charge cooler’s liquid cooling system. Builders will need an external oil tank, external coolant tank (for the charge cooler) and an ECU/wire harness.
October 28th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
There are some really legendary Corvettes like the L88 or Z06, and some of the more modern day examples will become future icons. It would be difficult to beat the status of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Only five were produced by the “father of the Corvette”, Zora Arkus-Duntov, to battle with Shelby’s Cobra roadsters before General Motors cancelled its motorsports activities in 1964. A Grand Sport like this is almost never offered for sale and this is the very first time one is being put up for auction. Experts have declared it the most important Corvette ever to be offered from sale.
This particular Grand Sport is chassis #002 and is one of only two roadsters made. It has a completely original unrestored body and was previously owned by Roger Penske and George Wintersteen. No price estimates were given, but the bidding is tipped to easily go into millions of US dollars. The auction is set to take place on the 16th of January in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
October 26th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
Following the lines of The Mustang Dynasty book, this offering from the same publisher presents a beautifully illustrated history of the Corvette that is surprisingly comprehensive.
Like the Mustang book, The Corvette Dynasty is uniquely packaged to showcase many items of removable memorabilia from GM’s official Corvette archives and, once again,
the book includes a CD of Corvette engine sounds and classic advertisements. Best of all, it’s fi lled with an excellent collection of never-before-seen photographs from GM’s archives. An instant collectible.
The Corvette Dynasty by Matt DeLorenzo
Review book supplied by the publisher
Review by Ashley Webb
October 24th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
Hard man actor Bruce Willis is auctioning off some of his classic cars at a Bonhams auction being held at the The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, USA this weekend.
The sale, which also includes Steve McQueen memorabilia and a diamond-covered matchbox car, will auction off five cars from Bruce’s personal collection. Bruce will be offloading a prized collection of American steel, including a pair of Corvette roadsters (an original ’57 and a ’67 Stingray), a 1955 Chevy Nomad, and a ’69 Dodge Charger. But the gem in the crown is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible which has been carefully restored and is estimated to sell for $150,000 – 175,000 ($254,200 – $296,500). The star factor is sure to push prices up.
October 8th, 2008 by NZ Classic Car
American CNG conversion company AFVTech is at work developing a dedicated compressed natural gas hot rod based on a 1933 Ford Roadster.
AFVTech is determined to make a statement being, “that natural gas can be fun to drive, fast and wrapped up in a package that will turn heads,” said AFVTech President Kevin Fern in a recent interview.
“We are investing a lot of engineering time in this project, highlighting the technological advancements that we use in the Natural Drive Dedicated EPA Certified CNG retrofit systems,” he said.
The clever conversion uses a modified General Motors LS7 seven-litre V8 engine (as used in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06), a six-speed transmission, drive-by-wire controls and ABS disc brakes. Power output is expected to be around 600hp.
The special Hot Rod is being prepared for the upcoming Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Institute Expo over in the States next May.
October 12th, 2007 by NZ Classic Car
Designed and built by the Stanton brothers in Christchurch, the Stanton-Corvette was an advanced sports racer in its day and is still a regular sight on South Island circuits. Eoin tells the story of this ground-shaking Kiwi special
Words Eoin Young | Photos Terry Marshall
The Stanton-Corvette thumped into rumbling life, shattering the paddock silence of the Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park on a freezing Sunday morning.
The night before there had been rain and hail at Jade Stadium while the All Blacks trounced the Lions. Now we were transported back in racing time to a car created by a Kiwi crew that pre-dated the Chevrolet-engined McLaren CanAm cars by a couple of summers. The grandstands named for Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme watched the circuit quietly, without spectators.
There was a McLaren CanAm family resemblance in the Stanton, perhaps generated by the more recent snub nose that replaced the original chisel front as raced by Maurie Stanton in 1964, and later by speedway star, Geoff Mardon. It actually looked quite elegant in a brutally home-made fashion. Read the rest of this entry »
August 28th, 2007 by NZCC Editor
Our October cover car will be a McLaren M22 F5000 single-seater — a race car that has only just arrived in New Zealand to swell the ranks of McLaren cars resident here. Purchased by well-known McLaren and Corvette racer, Tony Roberts, this F5000 car was first raced by Tom Jones in the US. No, not the Welsh singing star! We look into the history of this racer — which is scheduled to make its NZ racing debut at the Icebreaker race meeting at Pukekohe on 15-16th September.
In keeping with a racing theme — to mark the opening of the 2007/08 classic racing season — we also travel to Australia to follow the Sun Coast Rally. And, as a bit of a side excursion, we also visit the Bowden Collection to gape at a brace of Falcon GT-HOs — Phase I, Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV. Try counting up the dollar value of that lot!
Back on home soil, we journey down to Tauranga to check out a beautifully restored Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII. Fresh out of the restoration shop, this gleaming black beauty has to be one of the best Big Healey’s in NZ.
And, just because we like to travel around NZ, we also visit Nelson to profile a delightful 1949 Ford ‘Woody’ — and look at the history behind this particular car.
There’s loads more — this month’s Salon feature casts the spotlight on a lovely ’58 Corvette and we also test-drive the new Maserati Gran Turismo.
Below is a great photo of Tom Jones racing our featured McLaren M22 back in the early ’70s. For more photos, check out my image collection (NZCC-October).
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