the Revenant

My Generation

One-14-Fourteen
By Rick Tavel© 3-27-2013  All rights reserved Do not duplicate without permission

I’ve got a problem.  As an avid Corvette enthusiast I have been somewhat distraught recently.  It just seems that ever since the introduction of the new Corvette C7 I have been on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows.  I have been able to resolve most of the conflict I have experienced over my disappointment with certain styling issues on the new car, but I have not been able to resolve my most recent disillusion with the C7.  How do we come to resolve the issue that the 2014 Corvette Stingray will no longer be Chevrolet’s star performer and king of American performance cars.  Not since the infamous “409” of the early 60’s has the Corvette not had the most potent of all Chevrolet engines.  The Corvette is and has always been Chevrolet’s, if not America’s, ultimate performance car. It was “gospel”, something you could depend on, you could take it to the bank.  It was as certain as the rich having to pay taxes.  But like we have come to learn many of the rich do not pay taxes and as we learned on March 26^th from Mark Reuss, President of GM North America, for 2014 there is a new top gun in town.  The fastest gun in the performance wars is the new Z28 not the new Corvette Stingray. 

Before the “true believers” (and remember I’m perhaps the “truest believer” of all) begin to throw rotten eggs and tomatoes in my direction, along with a few colorful comments about what you would do to or where you might put all and sundry objects into my anatomy, let’s look at some recently released engine option and performance data.   We were recently introduced to the new Camaro SS and the new Camaro Z28 and from what we saw and heard, Camaro enthusiasts probably now have a better understanding as to why Chevrolet saved the legendary “Z28” moniker for the 2014 car just unveiled.  So at this point Chevrolet now offers a specific Camaro to meet every enthusiast’s performance need.  And at the top of the horsepower performance ladder is the impressive ZL1 at 586 HP. 

But those who have driven both the ZL1 and the new Z28 give the overall performance nod to the incredible Z28 which is 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1.   Mark Reuss called the new Z28 the closest thing you can get to a street legal race car and he was not just spouting a mouthful of unsubstantiated corporate bullshit.  The new Z28 is just what Reuss said it was - the closest car you can get to a street legal racecar.  If you are still not a believer, you will be when you learn that the Program Engineering Manager for the new Z28 was Mark Stielo.  And if you are a serious Camaro enthusiast, you will recognize Stielo as the acclaimed builder of the “Red Devil”, a 1969 modified Camaro, built in Mark’s garage, which convincingly outperformed the 2012 ZL1 in a head to head performance shootout on the track at Gingerman.  (link to Red Devil vs L1 shootout  http://vimeo.com/61405825 ).  Steilo’s history with the Camaro “runs deep”.  As a young engineering intern, Stielo was an important member of the GM team that developed the now legendary 1LE RPO for the 1989 Camaro.   Having Mark Stielo as the PEM for the new Z28 guarantees its performance qualifications.  

If that’s not enough or if you are a “numbers guy”, here’s a comparison to illustrate Chevrolet’s 2014 Horsepower rankings between the Corvette and Camaro.

         Chevrolet Model Horsepower Ranking For 2014

2014 Model	Horsepower	Rank	Size
Camaro ZL1	580	1	6.2 L V8
Camaro Z28	500+	2	7.0 L V8
Camaro SS	426	4	6.2 L V8
Camaro Base	323	5	3.6L V6
CorvetteStingray	450	3	6.2L V8
Corvette Z06	N/A	N/A	N/A
Corvette ZR1	N/A	N/A	N/A

 

 

 

 

 

So I am sure you can see the source and severity of my consternation and why I have been crying myself to sleep at nights.  2014 will be the first time in a quarter of a century that as  Corvette owners  we will be NOT be able to drive the best performing car in America – not unless we slide behind the wheel of a new Z28.  Being the King of the Hill of performance cars meant a lot to Corvette owners and to many was a major reason for choosing the car.  I’m sure the bean counters and analysts at GM considered the potential economic impact of dethroning the Corvette.  But the affect that has on Corvette sales may turn out to be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. 

 What may turnout to be the bigger impact for GM is the affect dethroning their “halo” car will have on sales of other Chevrolets.  It has taken sixty years to develop and defend the Corvette’s image and as a result GM has reaped the benefits of the Corvette as Chevrolet’s flagship, the car in their line-up that drew customers into the showroom, a brand enhancer, atheir “halo” car.   You know, the guy who goes into the showroom to look at Chevy’s offering of new compact family sedan.   The guy has looked at similar cars from other manufacturers and is unsure whether to buy the new Chevy Cruze, the new Dodge Dart or the Ford Focus.  That is until he sees the new Cruze sitting next to the legendary red Corvette, the car that kicked the Dodge Viper and Ford Mustang’s butt on the track.  He knows what everyone else knows, the Corvette is the undisputed fastest American production car.   He buys the Cruze, not because it is clearly the better car but because he believes he is buying a Corvette offspring.   That is the immeasurable brand enhancing value that GM risks by dethroning the Corvette, even though the insurrection was spearheaded internally by the Chevrolet’s own Camaro.

 Though all of this is concerning it is not disastrous since the king of the hill for 2014 remains a Chevrolet.   But it is imperative that GM act quickly to restore the performance crown to the Corvette.  We all know that usurpers are taking aim at both the Corvette and Camaro.  Take a look at what is currently out there and imagine the competition’s numbers by 2015 model year.

Simply GM needs to mount a full court press to bring the Z06 back no later than the 2015 model year.

	HORSEPOWER WARS
2013/14 Model	Horsepower	Engine	Rank
2013ShelbyGT500	662 HP	5.8 L V8 SC	1
2013 SRTViperGTS	640 HP	8.4 L V10	2
2013 CorvetteZR1	638 HP	6.2 L V8 SC	3
2013/14CamaroZL1	580 HP	6.2 L V8 SC	4
2013 Corvette Z06	500 HP	7.0 L V8	5
2014 Camaro Z28	500 HP	7.0 L V8	5
2014 Corvette C7	450 HP	6.2 L V8	6

 

So to help me resolve my latest issue, I have decided to, you know, make “lemonade from lemons” so to speak.  To turn my despair into dreams of just what is in store for the die hard Corvette enthusiasts for 2015.  And though I am no engineer,  my dreams actually turn to fantasies knowing there are engineers like Mark Stielo just waiting to get their hands on the new LT1, turning it from a “capable” engine into a roaring, “fire-breathing”, competition-eating beast.

First, foremost and perhaps the most important ingredient in restoring the Corvette to supremacy is the support of Mark Reuss.  I’m confident Reuss recognizes the importance of keeping the Corvette the dominant performer in the GM line-up and understands the importance the Corvette plays influencing the sales of many Chevrolet models through association.  Reuss also realizes that unless the Corvette’s status as GM’s top performer is restored there is little chance of it becoming the “global car” GM envisions.  And unless it becomes GM’s “halo” car for the global market there is little chance that it can be used as a brand enhancer to help  turn the disastrous European sales around. 

Though all of these reasons are important the critical part of the strategy is timing.  The importance of acting fast cannot be overemphasized.   And I’m confident that being a real car guy, someone that knows more than a little about what it takes to build a true performance car,  Reuss already has the engineering team hard at work getting the modified, high performance version of  LT1 engine ready for production. 

Now the part that really helps to remedy my dissonance over the 2014 “milk toast” LT1 is simply imagining what Reuss and his team will likely deliver based on what has already been delivered in the form of the 2014 Camaro Z28 and ZL1.  Imagine just for a moment what the new Z06 or ZR1 will be like in terms of performance.  Knowing how important it is to get these versions to the market by 2015 and understanding the timing necessary to get a modified powertrain to market, there has to be a prototype or two burning up Milford’s test track as you read this.

One of the real exciting parts is simply speculating on the performance specifications necessary to recapture the performance title.  To arrive at what is not only likely, but necessary, we have to look at not only the 2014 Camaro specifications but also look at the numbers from the 2013 Corvette Z06 and ZR1 and then add in what the 2013 Shelby GT500 and the 2013 SRT Viper GTS is churning out.  Based on a compilation of the numbers the new modified LT1 would have produce between 650 to 700 HP.  Torque will likely come in around 650 lb-ft;  with 0-60 times in the neighborhood of 3.2 to 3.5 seconds;  a top speed over 200 MPH and cornering capability of 1.2g or more.  And those, Vette fans, are not just fantasy specs.  They are what will be required to simply remain competitive in 2015.

We all know how frustrating it was as we waited in anticipation of the new C7.  We had to endure all of those “teaser ads” while the days seemed to drag on.  But one thing was guaranteed; on 1-13-13 we’d get to see the new C7.  On “One-13-Thirteen” the car had to be finished, ready and those inside GM were committed to making that date.  It is that same commitment and drive necessary to get the Z06 completed and to market for the 2015 model year.  We don’t have the four years it took to get the C5 Z06 to market, we don’t even have two years to get the C7 Z06 to market.  Though I’m not sure I can endure another agonizing countdown, at this point, to get the 06 to market I am willing to even advocate GM to mount a new campaign,  “One-14-Fourteen.”  The unveiling of the new Z06, the return of the beast. I think that is an unveiling that all of the Corvette lovers would welcome.  That would be a date that would live in history, “One-14-Fourteen”, the day the performance King was returned to the throne.

 

One-14-Fourteen