1953 Chevrolet Corvette: King of All Corvettes

William Jason
http://musclecarmonster.com

 

The Chevrolet Corvette C1 will always remain close to the hearts of Americans, as it was the first two-seater sports car in the nation. Since it was merely an experiment at first, only 300 cars were initially produced. The external body of the Corvette was made out of fiberglass, which was considered a new composite material back then. This fiberglass material made it possible for the radio antenna to be incorporated inside the trunk lid. All the 300 units produced had a Polo White exterior and a red interior. The first 15 units produced were built hand-made in Flint, Michigan. 225 of the first 300 manufactured units still exist up to the present. At that time, the Corvette was priced at $3,498.00 inclusive of federal excise tax. It made its debut appearance on January 17, 1953 at the GM Motorama in Waldorf Astoria. As of the moment, that display is now at the Kerbeck Corvette Museum in Atlantic City. 

The car had a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission and Chevrolet's standard drum brakes. The Corvette also featured the Blue Flame inline six-cylinder trunk engine, a standard component of Chevrolet. It wasn't what the engineering team wanted, but it was their only option because other GM brands were not willing to share their V8 motors that time. It wasn't the best engine, although it was reliable. The engineering team just upgraded some parts to make up for it which included a radical camshaft rubbing on solid lifters and higher compression ratio cylinder head from 7.5:1 to 8.0:1. The biggest upgrade to the induction system was in the form of the Three Carter type YH sidedraft carburetors with bullet air cleaners equipped with an aluminum manifold. The result was an increase in output from 150 bhp to 4,500 RPM. Even if the engines output was upgraded, it did not do much to improve the performance. Critics said that overall, the Corvette's performance was below average. 

It wasn't a good start for the Corvette. Sales were low in 1954. GM even thought of halting the production but thanks to Zora Arkus Dunto of GM's engineering department, the Corvette became one of the most legendary cars in history. He upgraded the V8 with a three-speed manual transmission. Thanks to that modification, the Corvette morphed into one of greatest cars ever built. In fact, the 1953 Corvette is considered the holy grail of the Corvette lovers. This innovation also earned Arkus-Duntov the title Father of the Corvette. The car even gained the National Corvette Homecoming Sapphire Award in 2007, cementing its legacy as one of the best. 

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William Jason has admired classic cars ever since he was a young child and you can read his blog at: http://musclecarmonster.com/

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Review - Aggressive Good Looks

By Gary Witzenburg
http://www.autoMedia.com
 
Automakers often infuse a model's lineup with a specialty version near the end of a vehicle's product cycle as a way to re-energize sales and interest before revealing the next-generation. Chevrolet did this before, for example, when they introduced the limited-production 1994 Grand Sport.


The new 2010 Chevy Grand Sports fill the gap (for just $5-6K premiums above base MSRP) between the most Spartan Vettes and the Z06 and even more expensive ZRI. Chevrolet expects them to account for nearly half of 2010 Corvette sales, and�given their forceful good looks and outstanding performance value—we see no reason to doubt that prediction.


Purists complain that Corvette V-8s (like Chrysler's HEMI V-8s), with their single camshaft nestled deep in the center of their blocks driving overhead valves through pushrods and rockers, are inefficient "old tech" compared to other modern engines with camshafts mounted atop their heads. Yet the many advantages of cam-in-block construction�including lower cost and complexity, lower weight and center of gravity, easier build and serviceability and smaller overall size for a given displacement�provide truly notable performance for the money. Few complain about this 6.2-liter non-turbo LS3 V-8's prodigious power and torque and surprising fuel efficiency (16/26 EPA city/highway mpg) at the Corvette's fairly affordable price. And if the standard 430 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft. of torque are not sufficient, an optional two-mode exhaust system bumps those remarkable numbers to 436 and 428.

Amazingly (at the price), the LS3 engines in six-speed-manual Grand Sports are hand built alongside Z06 and ZR1 V-8s at GM's Wixom, MI special engine build facility and boast racer-like dry sump lubrication with a remote oil reservoir to prevent oil starvation during extended hard cornering, plus a differential cooler and a rear-mounted battery. Also standard with the six-speed manual is a terrific launch control system that modulates full-throttle torque 100 times per second to maximize available traction. The driver can simply stand on the gas and side step the clutch for consistent four-second 0-60 launches.

Grand Sport Corvettes roll on large (275/35ZR18 front, 325/30ZR19 rear) high-performance tires on unique alloy wheels with Z06-size brakes: front 14-inch rotors with six-piston calipers and rear 13.4-inch rotors with four-piston calipers. A step above standard Corvettes in performance (thanks to more insistent gearing) and especially in dynamics, they are civilized on the road yet fiercely capable on a track. You could comfortably pilot one to work each day and pound it around a racetrack every weekend.

We tested manual and automatic coupes and convertibles on local roads and freeways, then brutalized manual-shift coupes on GM's Milford, MI high-speed development track, and found much to love and little not to like. On climate-cratered Michigan roads, their ride was controlled but comfortable and compliant. On the track, their handling and stability were near-Z06 awesome. Acceleration was strong from any speed, braking was consistently powerful and stable and steering was crisp and precise. Uphill and down, through hairpins, fast sweepers and tight, tricky esses (with standard stability control on), they took a slight tail-out set powering out of each turn then dug in and rocketed toward the next one.

There is now a well-defined hierarchy within Chevy's 2010 Corvette line-up, beginning with the base coupe at $49,880 MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) and climbing through the standard convertible at $54,530, the Grand Sport coupe at $55,720 and Grand Sport convertible at $59,530 before jumping to the $75K Z06. Standard on all 2010 Corvettes are keyless access, stability control, side air bags, OnStar with Turn-by-Turn navigation, AM/FM/CD radio with steering wheel controls, launch control (with manual transmission) and steering wheel paddle shifters with optional automatic.

Two available interior packages fill the gap between the standard trim and the posh leather-wrapped cabin, and a Heritage Package adds those front fender stripes and two-tone seats with Grand Sport embroidery. Additional major options include DVD navigation with voice recognition, Bose premium audio with XM Satellite Radio and a six-disc CD changer.

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2008 Sunburst Corvette Club Show Photos

Photos from the 2008 Sunburst Corvette Club Show are now online at The Crittenden Automotive Library.

100 photos all of Corvettes!

Geneva Motor Show To House 2009 Chevy Corvette XR1 European Debut

By Anthony Fontanelle

In a few weeks’ time, the European car market is going to meet yet another new vehicle from the United States. This new vehicle is a supercar and it is scheduled to have its European debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show which is happening this March, Auto Spectator wrote. The new supercar? The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

General Motors, the genius company behind the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, shared that the vehicle has specialized components. Although designed separately, when put together in the vehicle, these components work in smooth harmony so as to allow the vehicle to become the fastest vehicle in the GM range. It is also, at present, the most powerful unit that General Motors has. It can zoom to a high of 320 kilometers per hour as its top speed.

The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 boasts of a better performance compared to all other supercars in the auto market. Behind the creation of this vehicle, General Motors did work on the current Chevrolet ZR1 so as to be able to complete the creation of a supercar like the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The result is something really good for statistics have it that the latter is better than Porsche’s 911 GT2, Lamborghini’s LP640, and Ferrari’s 599 in terms of power-to-weight ratio.

What makes the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 go that fast and perform that good? General Motors actually put in a new engine - a LS9 V8 engine with 6.2 liters. This new beast has the capacity to create 620 horsepower as well as 807 Nm for its torque. A supercharger that is large and has a four-lobe design for its rotor has been added to the beast’s prowess. Interestingly, the new engine has been assembled by hand at the company’s facility in Wixom, Michigan.

Mated to the engine is yet another piece of equipment that helps make the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 work better and move faster. This is a new six speed transmission that is manual in nature. Along with that, there is also a twin-disc clutch which is capable of providing a strong amount of power.

The vehicle’s Chevy parts all ride on alloy rims that come with 20 spokes. For the front rims, these measure 19 inches while the rear ones measure 20.

Chevrolet Teams Continue Dominance

By Anthony Fontanelle

The current season of the NASCAR Nextel Cup has been all Chevrolet. Teams using the Impala SS from the General Motors marque have won the majority of races. Midway into the season though, Chevrolet has to fight off a strong resurgence from Ford and Dodge. On one stretch, Ford has won two races and Dodge with one while Chevy only has one. But after that, Chevrolet drivers are back in their dominating form as they have won three out of the last four races.

The latest race was the Centurion Boats at the Glen held at the Watkins Glen International. The race was won by two time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. Stewart has posted the last three victories for Chevrolet. Going into the race though, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon are expected to win since both have shown their capabilities on road courses in the past.

Jeff Gordon was leading towards the end of the race with almost everyone believing that Gordon has the race already won. A mistake though opened a window for Stewart who overtook Gordon and never looked back. Gordon lost control of his car at turn one of the track on the last lap of the race. This enabled Stewart to pass him.

It is interesting to note that Stewart was the one leading the race before Gordon. On lap number 44 of the 90-lap race, Stewart was unable to control the effect of his car’s Chevy brake pads which sent his car spinning.

“Jeff lost it the same way I lost it,” said Stewart after the race. “I had to keep fighting back. I kept the pressure on Jeff hoping he made a mistake and he did. I just had more time to make up for my spin. I was probably the most shocked person to see that happen. He's won here and won 4 championships; it was tricky in turn one.”

Gordon, on the other hand, was furious at his mistake. He currently leads the drivers’ championship standings but he failed to get the ten extra points that would further cement his lead going into the Chase for the Nextel Cup. “Pretty much the same thing that happened to Tony earlier in the race in the braking zone getting into turn one,” said Gordon. “Just stupid. I knew I had to push, Tony was really good. I wanted that win really bad. Points don't mean anything. I pushed and I pushed too far. What happened is the team deserved to win and the driver didn't get it done.”

Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hope of a championship bid in his final year with his father’s team suffered a setback. His car was running well until his engine failed. His car was then towed into the pits. The engine failure means that the most popular NASCAR today did not earn any points. This dropped him to 14th in the standings. He is now trailing Kurt Busch by 100 points. Only the top twelve will be qualified to participate in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.