New ZR1 (Blue Devil) at Laguna Seca….. October 24, 2007
Posted by wilsonniblett in Auto News, Enthusiastic Commentary.1 comment so far
GM has given Corvette fans a taste of the Corvette Blue Devil, now believed to be named the ZR1. Several Corvette fans was at the Laguna Seca that day and manged to get some pics of the car making 2 laps around the track. The car was unloaded from the Corvette Racing Team trailer and Johnny O’Connell was the driver that got to take this impressive car for a blast around the track. By all accounts the Corvette sounds spectacular! While we don’t have any video with sound, we do have a clip that has music set to it.
If you wish to see some still shots of the ZR1 Corvette at Laguna Seca, they can be found at www.digitalcorvettes.com
The spoiler on the rear is very similar to the Ron Fellows Edition, however it does look taller. The wheels have a definate resemblance to the actual race wheels used on the C6R Corvettes at one time. It is difficult to tell in the photos but the tires look much wider, especially in the front.
While this test car may not reflect the ultimate ZR1 Corvette that will be displayed at the Detroit Auto Show this coming January, it is certainly exciting for those of us that have been waiting for more information. We are all eagerly awaiting this beast to hit the showrooms!
Bring it on…..we are ready!
The Chevy Enthusiast
Corvette – ALMS Series Finale October 19, 2007
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Corvette Racing Spotlights “Jake” Mascot in ALMS Season Finale
Conceived on a cocktail napkin and seen in winner’s circles from Long Beach to Le Mans, Corvette Racing’s skull mascot will have star billing at the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, Oct. 20. Affectionately known to the team and Corvette enthusiasts as Jake, the skull mascot will adorn the Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars in full-body graphics for the four-hour season finale of the 12-race American Le Mans Series.With the GT1 manufacturer, team, and driver championships clinched, the last race of the season will be a celebration of Corvette Racing’s success. “We wanted to do something special for Laguna Seca, and the guys on the team are totally behind Jake,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “He’s a little edgy, urban, and underground. Young fans get it. The special Jake cars are a one-time only deal, just for fun, to make the last race of the season memorable for the fans.”
The Monterey Sports Car Championships, the final round of the 12-race ALMS series, will start at 2:43 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 20. The four-hour race will be televised live on SPEED Channel from 5:30 to 10 p.m. ET.
This news item came from the National Corvette Museum. If you love Corvettes then you should visit the museum and become a member. Tell them the team at Wilson Niblett Corvette sent you!
Visit their website at http://corvettemuseum.com/
The Chevy Enthusiast
2008 Malibu is coming soon………. October 15, 2007
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The excitement is starting to build as we eagerly await the new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. They should be in our showroom inventory in the weeks to come.
This classic nameplate bears no resemblance to it’s predecessors having been completely engineered and designed from a clean sheet of paper. The 2008 Malibu is the midsize Chevy of your dreams and will be a much desired vehicle. Contact us and get your name on the list to make sure that you don’t miss out. You don’t want to be driving a car that is “so last decade” while you conquer or save the world today!
The Chevy Enthusiast
2008 ALMS Race – Mosport October 11, 2007
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AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES RETURNS TO MOSPORT IN 2008
August 21-24 set for the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport
(BOWMANVILLE, ON – OCTOBER 10, 2007) Mosport International Raceway will once again be the only Canadian stop on next year’s American Le Mans Series schedule when it hosts Canada’s biggest sports car race, The Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, August 21-24, 2008.
The 2008 Series schedule was announced in Atlanta during the Petit Le Mans race weekend with Mosport as the ninth stop in the 12-race championship, which opens at Sebring on March 12 and includes events in Long Beach, Houston and Detroit, before wrapping-up in Monterey, California at Laguna Seca in mid-October. Several American Le Mans Series teams will also compete in one of the world’s great auto races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
“We’re excited to welcome back a series that combines world class racing and unbeatable off-track entertainment for our fans,” said Mosport President and General Manager Myles Brandt. “The American Le Mans Series weekend has been a staple on Mosport’s schedule since the series began in 1999 and the popularity of the Mobil 1 presents The Grand Prix of Mosport has grown tremendously over the years. Being the only Canadian race in this prestigious series makes this event a stand out on Canada’s motorsports schedule.”
The American Le Mans Series is the premier sports car championship in North America, featuring teams, drivers and manufacturers with world class renown. Throughout the four classes of competition are many of the world’s top marques such as Acura, Audi, Corvette, Ferrari, Mazda, Panoz and Porsche. The teams are operated by some of the most famous names in the sport including Michael Andretti, Roger Penske and Bobby Rahal.
Behind the wheel of these sophisticated machines are many of the finest road course racers in the world such as Audi R10 TDI pilot and 2006 co-champion Allan McNish and Timo Bernhard of Penske Racing’s Porsche Spyder prototype team. Open-wheel veterans Adrian Fernandez and Bryan Herta joined the series in 2007, and in 2008 the series will welcome new Corvette, Dodge Viper and Ford GT-powered teams.
2008 American Le Mans Series Schedule
March 15- Sebring
April 5- St. Petersburg
April 19- Long Beach
April 26- Houston
May 18- Salt Lake City
July 12- Lime Rock Park
July 19- Mid-Ohio
August 9- Road America
August 24- Mosport
August 30- Detroit
October 4- Road Atlanta
New Onstar Feature…..”Stolen Vehicle Slowdown” October 10, 2007
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GM and OnStar Create Innovative Technology to Help Save LivesNew capability to assist OnStar subscribers and public safety officials in stolen vehicle cases WASHINGTON D.C. (October 9, 2007) – General Motors (GM) and OnStar demonstrated today a powerful technology that will gradually and safely slow down a stolen vehicle. This new prototype technology, known as Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, is the latest enhancement to OnStar’s stolen vehicle service. OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown will allow advisors working with law enforcement services to send a signal to limit fuel flow to the engine, gradually slowing down the stolen vehicle and protecting innocent bystanders and police from potential injuries resulting from a dangerous high speed pursuit. “OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is a powerful tool that could help prevent high speed police pursuits,” said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service, and marketing. “This innovative technology can help save lives, aid in the recovery of stolen vehicles and make our roadways safer for everyone.” Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is an enhancement to OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, which uses Global Positioning Technology to pinpoint the location of a vehicle reported stolen. OnStar receives approximately 700 Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance requests from subscribers a month, and has helped in 28,000 requests over the past decade. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is powered by Onstar’s newest generation of hardware (Generation 8), and it will be available on nearly 1.7 million Model Year (MY) 2009 vehicles. The process for Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is:
- Once the vehicle has been reported stolen to law enforcement, the subscriber can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance.
- OnStar will use real-time GPS technology to attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle and provide this information to law enforcement to help them recover the vehicle.
- When law enforcement has established a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle, law enforcement may request OnStar to slow it down remotely.
- Safeguards are in place to ensure that the correct vehicle is slowed down.
- OnStar then sends a remote signal to the vehicle, slowing it down gradually.
Research has shown that 95 percent of OnStar subscribers want the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service available on their cars and trucks. In addition, OnStar continues to rank as one of the top reasons why customers purchase GM vehicles. OnStar subscribers have the choice to opt-out of the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service at any time if they prefer not to have this capability on their vehicle. This will not affect the rest of their OnStar services. “From its inception, the motivation behind OnStar has been the safety and security of our subscribers and others on the road,” said Chet Huber, OnStar president. “Every service we add builds on this original promise. The Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service will allow our subscribers added peace of mind by possibly preventing their vehicle from being used as an instrument of harm if it happens to be stolen.” OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is a GM-exclusive feature in the U.S. and Canada and will be included in the complimentary one year OnStar subscription customers receive when they purchase a qualifying MY 2009 OnStar-equipped vehicle. OnStar’s suite of services also includes Advanced Automatic Crash Notification, Emergency Services, Remote Door Unlock, Roadside Assistance, Crisis Assist, OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands Free Calling and OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics.
Ron Fellows Named Most Popular ALMS Driver October 26, 2007
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We received this communique from the fine folks at Mosport International Raceway
CANADA’S RON FELLOWS NAMED MOST POPULAR AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES DRIVER FOR THE FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR (BOWMANVILLE, ON – OCTOBER 24, 2007) The fans have spoken, and for the fourth year in a row Ron Fellows is the Most Popular Driver of the prestigious American Le Mans Series. The award is yet another special honour the 48 year-old Mississauga, Ontario native and Corvette Racing driver has collected recently. Earlier this year, General Motors announced a limited edition Corvette named after him- the Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette- and he also received a custom designed guitar from PRS Guitars. The Most Popular Driver Award was one of two honours presented to Fellows at the annual season-ending banquet following the Monterey Sports Car Championships in California. Fellows also took home a specially commissioned Corvette painting, awarded by American Le Mans Series founder Dr. Don Panoz in recognition of the efforts Fellows and his wife Lynda made at the Le Petit Elegance charity fundraiser at Petit Le Mans earlier this month. Fellows wore a specially designed pink race helmet that he signed and was auctioned off after the race with the proceeds going to Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery and its Program for Breast Cancer Research, based in Atlanta.
Fellows has competed at every American Le Mans Series race at Mosport (his home track) since 2000. In 2008, the American Le Mans Series returns for their only Canadian event as part of the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, August, 21-24.
A very deserved award for a true Corvette Racing enthusiast and strong competitor. Above all Ron has always been a true gentleman and a great ambassador for auto racing.
The Chevy Enthusiast