Via Camaro5
All in all, Chevrolet will air five 30-second commercials during the big game including “Misunderstanding,” featuring the Cruze Eco; “Discovery,” with the Volt; “Tommy,” showcasing the Silverado HD; and “Al’s Chevrolet,” starring the Camaro.
The company will also air a longer-form Chevrolet spot during the “Glee” episode following the Super Bowl as well as a second Camaro ad named "Ms. Evelyn,” which will be shown after the presentation of the MVP Award.
All of Chevrolet's ads at this year’s Super Bowl were created by the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners agency. Chevrolet returns to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence.
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By Csaba Daradics
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By Csaba Daradics
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Source: Youtube , Via: Autoblog
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After some recent fails, let’s see a dyno test with a happy ending. This is a 2005 C6 Corvette built by Dallas Performance, which recorded a whopping 1,302 hp and 1,662 Nm (1,226 lb-ft) of torque on the rear wheels, according to the performance charts.
To achieve this, the tuning firm upgraded the V8 powerhouse with twin turbos, Performance Induction LS3 heads, RC120 injectors and single plane intake. The power is transferred to the rear wheels through a TR-6060 transmission and a C6 Z06 differential. The clip is available after the break.
By Csaba Daradics
Source: Youtube, Via: GTspirit
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Nowadays, the appearance of all-electric and extended range hybrid electric cars in showrooms has forced [ahem...] the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to embrace a new method to measure the energy consumption of alternative fuel vehicles called MPGe (Miles Per Gallon Equivalent).
The idea is to allow consumers to compare the energy consumption of EVs or Electric-Hybrid models such as the Leaf and the Volt to those of gasoline or diesel powered vehicles in terms of miles per gallon.
Knowing that many consumers are still baffled by the concept, General Motors released a short video where it tries to explain the new EPA ratings on the Chevrolet Volt. Scroll down to watch the clip.
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The answer lies, in part, with the Aerovette: a mostly forgotten concept that made just two auto show appearances before being relegated to the GM Heritage Museum.
In the late ‘60s, GM engineer Zora Arkus Duntov and his team were toying with the XP-882, a mid-engined design and engineering exercise built on Oldsmobile Tornado underpinnings. Though fascinating from a design and engineering standpoint, Chevy General Manager John DeLorean saw no future for the XP-882 and canceled the project in 1969. It was simply too expensive and too impractical for the impending 1970s America.
When Ford announced it would be selling the Italian designed / American engined De Tomaso Pantera at its Lincoln / Mercury dealerships in 1970, DeLorean hit the roof. He immediately ordered Duntov and GM designer Charles Jordan to dust off the XP-882 and ready it for the New York Auto Show.
Renamed the Aerovette, the XP-882 was a revolution. After being re-engined for the 1973 Paris Auto Salon, the Aerovette now featured four transversely mounted Wankel rotaries, a full five years before they would be popularized in the United States by Mazda’s RX-7. Beneath that sleek glass fibre skin was a steel and aluminium birdcage that was both lightweight and strong.
Innovative features abound such as the bi-fold gullwing doors, V-shaped front windscreen and deformable plastic bumpers. Pop up headlamps, a fully independent coil spring suspension and four wheel disc brakes were also incorporated into the design.
Inside, a digital instrument panel displayed speed and engine rpm, while a switchable screen could show fuel, water temperature, oil pressure or voltage. A second digital display in the centre console could display the date, time and radio station as well as the elapsed time in minute or seconds for time trials.
Though the Aerovette / XP-882 never progressed beyond the concept stage, its design was highly influential in the third generation (C3) Corvette. Many of its ingenious design features would find their way into production cars; though in some cases this process took as long as then years(!).
So there you have it. The Aerovette: a car that was ten years ahead of its time but doomed by the ‘70s oil crisis. Gone, but hopefully, never forgotten.
By Tristan Hankins
Photos: GM / Wikipedia
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By Csaba Daradics
*PS: If you liked this story, you may also want to check out the Subaru Impreza WRX STi-powered ATV
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Still, I'd find it hard to believe that anyone, even lovers of the '09 Concept, would consider putting down over US$40 grand on this so-called replica. It's even harder to believe that underneath all that fibreglass is a 2005 C6 Corvette; it could just have easily been based on a twenty year old Mazda Miata / MX-5 like so many other eBay customs.
So what does the US$42,500 "Buy It Now Price" get us? For starters, the underpinnings from the C6 Corvette including its 440 hp LS2 V8 and 6spd automatic transmission. You get a clear title and 29,111 miles on the odometer to boot.
So, what else? Well, the bodywork, exhaust, air intake and interior decals are all new. And an ECU tune is good for a purported, though still unconfirmed, 430 hp. Jet stream blue paint. There's also Jet Stream Blue Paint, LED headlights (which surely can't be road legal) and "adjustable ride control" with "electric tilt front end". Is this a car or a sex toy?
Better still, is trying to choose a favorite quote from the seller's description. My two picks are:
"BUILT BY A PROFESSIONAL CAR BUILDER..... NOT SOME KID IN HIS GARAGE... And take a close look and you will see the difference."
And:
"Now with most "Replicas" you can tell from ten feet away that they are a replica's... We are proud that this "CONCEPT" car looks like a FACTORY BUILT CAR. NO one would ever know that this was not build by Chevy."
Oh, and the capitalization and grammatical errors are all the seller's own doing, not ours. Honest.
There are at least three of these replicas roaming about the Pacific Northwest, one of which allegedly appeared in Vette magazine. Oh, and there's a video too. We'll leave it up to our readers to properly "dissect" this abhorrent mutation, in the comment's section below.
By Tristan Hankins
Link: eBay , Seller: Z & M Customs
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Thomas, who was also known as "Mr. Corvette", used a Corvette small-black V8 as the donor engine. He increased the displacement to over 6 liters and fitted it with Rochester Fuel Injection, which he himself had developed.
Maximum power is said to have been around 520 hp, which was phenomenal in those days. The innovation didn't stop there, as Mr. Thomas used an advanced spaceframe chassis, seen at that time on European racers, and managed to distribute the weight almost perfectly between the front and rear axles (48:52 front/rear).
Unfortunately, just as the Cheetah started to rise as a true "Cobra Killer", Thomas' shop burned to the ground. Shortly after, Chevrolet had a change of heart and decided to drastically reduce its racing program, so the Cheetah's career came to an abrupt end.
By Csaba Daradics
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GM says the conversion from coupe to convertible comprised of four strategic reinforcements to enhance the body structure including, the addition of a tower-to-tower brace under the hood, a transmission support reinforcement brace, underbody tunnel brace and, front and rear underbody "V" braces. The company's goal was to match the coupe as closely as possible in ride quality, handling and overall performance.
Additional safety structural reinforcements include a hydrofromed tube in the A-pillars, an inner reinforcement bracket in the windshield header, a reinforced front hinge pillar and reinforcements inside the rockers.
"To compensate for the reduced structure of an open car, engineers often will make the suspension softer, making the convertible a boulevard cruiser," said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. "Instead, we took the more difficult, but better path of bolstering structure rather than softening the suspension. We didn't change a strut, bushing or spring rate from the Camaro coupe."
According to GM, the result of the structural changes to the convertible body give it better torsional stiffness than the BMW 3-Series convertible.
The Camaro Convertible comes equipped with a standard power-folding top that retracts in about 20 seconds. Furthermore, a folding, one-piece tonneau cover is standard on 2LT and 2SS models and optional on 1LT/1SS.
Other changes over the coupe model include the relocation of the radio antenna to the boot and the trunk lock cylinder from between the taillamps to an area between the rear seat back cushion and driver's side interior panel.
The soft-top four-seater will be offered in similar model configurations as the Camaro coupe, meaning buyers will have a choice of two engines, a 312HP 3.6-liter V6 delivering 29 mpg highway and an 6.2L V8 with 426 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, with an optional six-speed automatic.
Finally, nine production exterior colors will be available available, with tops offered in black or tan. All models will be equipped with rear parking assist as standard.
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