My Generation

The High Price of “Living the Dream” - Le Mans 2013
By Rick Tavel© 6-24-13  All rights reserved.  Do not duplicate without permission

 Like many Corvette “true believers” I watched the 24 Hours of Le Mans with hopeful anticipation that the Corvette team would somehow be able to add victory number eight to their impressive twenty first century record of class wins at the legendary race.  It would have been an impressive and fitting end for the final Le Mans appearance of the C6-R, next year the racing version of the new C7 will take its place.  It was the first race in the last several years where the Corvette racing team was not the favorite going into Saturday’s race, arguably the most grueling endurance event for sports cars in the world.  The two car Compuware C6R team qualified seventh and eighth in the GT Pro (GTE) class, behind the dominant  two Aston Martin Vantages, Porsche’s two new 911 RSRs and two Ferrari 458 Italias and just ahead of the new SRT Viper GTS.

 However, in what proved to be one of the most challenging and tragic Le Mans event in years, the Corvettes were prevented from adding an eighth Le Mans victory.  Not only was the new competition a factor but the weather made the race one of the most challenging in recent times. 

Sadly the GTE pole winning #95 Aston Martin driven by Allan Simonsen left the slippery track at the infamous Tertre Rouge resulting in a devastating wreck that took Simonsen’s life and cast a pall over the event.  Thankfully all six members of the Corvette team survived the grueling 24 hours without incident due to their almost faultless driving.  It was evident that the Corvette team’s sheer persistence, experience and skill paid off in their impressive finishing positions, even though the Aston Martins, Porsches and Ferraris were clearly faster. The #73 C6-R driven by Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, and Jordan Taylor consistently improved their position moving from seventh to a just off the podium fourth place finish.  And the #74 C6-R driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Richard Westbrook improved their position two spots and finished seventh. 

 Prior to the race Corvette Racing Team Manager Doug Fehan admitted that this year the Corvettes were searching for more power to be able to compete with the newer, faster cars.  And almost prophetically, it was the factory Porsche cars that finished first (#92)and second (#91) in class followed by the #97 Aston Martin.  Afterwards Fehan praised the driving abilities of the six Corvette drivers.  But perhaps it was veteran driver Tommy Milner who said it best, “I’m really proud of all the guys at Corvette Racing – both the crews and everyone involved.  To perform in conditions like these shows how strong the team is.”

 And as Corvette aficionados we should all be proud of the six members of the Corvette racing team, proud of what they accomplished not only at Le Mans but of all the time they have spent behind the wheel of the Corvette testing and refining the car’s performance.  For every hour they put in during an actual race event they spend countless more hours testing and tuning the car so that it performs up to expectations.  And there have been no GT cars that have been more successful than the C5-R and the C6-R.

 As avid Corvette fans I’m sure that we have all had the thought one time or another of how lucky the Corvette drivers are to be able to “live the dream,” be able to spend countless hours racing our favorite cars, to be able to experience the thrill of victory in a world famous race, to have legions of fans and admirers, and to be sponsored by a factory team.  For those of us who have raced you know how important and what a full factory sponsorship means to a driver, knowing that you can take calculated risks, often necessary to win, knowing that if it doesn’t pay off the damages will not come out of your pocket.   And every race driver knows that to win a major race requires risk, pushing the limits of the car and yourself.  We can look at the Corvette racing team and think how fortunate they are to be able to be behind the wheel of a successful race car like the Corvette and have a full factory sponsorship.  And they are fortunate, they will tell you that themselves.   But what they won’t tell you is the countless hours they spend testing, the thousands of hours of practice and hundreds of races to get where they are.  They won’t tell you about the important times they have had to give up with their families, birthdays and anniversaries missed,  times when they should have been with a family member during an illness or had to miss a child’s special event at school because they had to be in the car racing or testing.  They won’t tell you about the agonizing hours of concern and worry their spouses and partners endure each time they get behind the wheel of the race car or the strain it puts on a marriage.  Those are just some of the hidden prices of “living the dream.”

 As fans we should remember the courage it takes to get behind the wheel of a car as powerful as the Corvette C6-R and race it against others at speeds over 200 MPH.  It is something that successful drivers are almost oblivious to because once they start thinking about the dangers they face every second, once they let fear enter their thoughts their performance will suffer.  It takes more than a little courage to race cars at the speeds required to win, even though they may not be conscious of it, but to do it in the rain takes a special kind of courage, rain like the miserable weather the drivers had to experience at this year’s Le Mans.  Tommy Milner said, “I’ve never been part of a Le Mans that had conditions as difficult as this. They changed on every lap and on every corner.”  Then of course in addition to the rain there was the reduced visibility and the dismal, dreary pall that engulfed the track throughout much of the 24 hours.  Then add the reduced visibility of night.  Oliver Gavin called it out, “You had to wing it and take a big gamble sometimes.”  It takes a lot of courage to “live the dream” when that dream is driving for the Corvette racing team.

 

And they do it because they love it, they love the competition, the wheel to wheel battling with another car, they do it because they love to win.   And of course they do it for us, their fans, despite the risks to their families and themselves.  The love of what they do is their consolation and the justification for risking it all.  But this year at Le Mans the driver of the GT poll sitter, Aston Martin Vantage, Allan Simonsen, paid the ultimate price when his car hit a barrier at the Tertre Rouge.  An experienced 34 year old driver, he had raced at Le Mans seven times and raced in hundreds of other races all over the world.  From Denmark, he had acquired the title of “The Great Dane” to Australians where he frequently raced.   Respected throughout the racing world, his social media biography simply stated, “professional racing driver, living the dream”.  He had driven that same turn countless times over the years but on the fourth lap, in the rain he became the first driver to lose his liin a Le Mans endurance race since Jo Gartner in 1986.

 

Though the design and safety of race cars has improved dramatically over the last few decades, as fans we frequently forget just how dangerous racing can be.  Though with the safety of the moncoque  frame , the Hans device, improved fabrication materials, safety equipment and the improved crash barriers surrounding modern race tracks serious injury and loss of life has been drastically reduced, but the risk and the danger is ever present.   It’s things that we, as fans of the sport don’t like to think about.  We’d rather think about the thrill of watching our favorite driver expertly hitting the apex at the Tetre Rouge corner and getting on the gas, passing another car down the long Mulsanne Straight at over 200 MPH.  And rightfully so, that is what it is all about, that is what keeps us coming back.  But every so often we should think about what our Corvette drivers, and all race car drivers, are putting on the line when they get behind the wheel.  We should remember what they and their families are sacrificing.  Allan Simonsen will no longer be able to cuddle up to his wife on a cold night or see his baby daughter grow up .  We should remember as fans just how much it costs to “live the dream”.

My Generation FIRST READ

My Generation

First Read
By Rick Tavel© 6-7-2013

 It happened just the other day.  I was browsing one of my favorite automobile image sites,

Omnibus of Speed (http://omnibusofspeed.tumblr.com/) and there it was, something I had not seen in over fifty years, a picture of the cover of the first book I had ever read (excluding of course the Dick and Jane books that our school class was forced to read together), Henry Gregor Felsen’s Hot Rod.  Felsen wrote several novels centered around the growing interest in hot rodding  and the car culture in  the 1950’s. 

Though his books may not be considered to be the great American novel, sorta 50’s pulp fiction for teens, it would be interesting to know just how many young boys’ imaginations and love of books Felsen’s books inspired.   Felsen was able to portray a young boy’s coming of age centered around the culture of hot rodding, car clubs and the teenager’s special relationship for his car.  In fact, it was Felsen’s ability to accurately depict this which earned him the title of, “the granddaddy of the street rod”.

 Felsen wrote over sixty books on various subjects as a novelist, getting his start as a freelance journalist while in the Marine Corps, stationed in the Pacific.  While serving in the Marines he also edited the Marine Corps magazine Leathernecks.  He lived most of his life in Iowa and taught part time at Drake University.   During his long career as a writer Felsen’s most success came from the series of books centered around hot rods, speed, and car clubs.  His most successful novel Hot Rod, first published in 1950, was followed by Street Rod, in 1953, Crash Club, in 1958.  Rag Top and Road Rocket were also part of the series.   Combined, his hot rod novels sold over eight million copies. 

 

Today Felsen still has a following from several of those who were lucky enough to discover his novels before they were old enough to get their drivers license. A first edition Hot Rod sells for several hundred dollars and most all of his hardback hot rod novels are considered rare.  In fact  there is a hot rod car show tribute to Felsen on September 22 in West Des Moines, Iowa. http://www.henrygregorfelsentribute.org/

Though Henry Gregor Felsen my not be considered to be in the same category as Hemingway or Salinger, millions of young readers can thank him for the hours of exciting reading he provided before video games and the internet, often under the bedcovers with a flashlight after their parents ordered “lights out”. 

 

My Generation

My Little Fixed Roof Coupe

by Rick Tavel© 5-22-13 All Rights Reserved

 

If you are like most other enthusiasts you have owned or still own that one special car that you enjoy above all others, a car for which you have developed a special relationship.  And often times that car is neither the best performer, most valuable, the rarest, nor the most significant car you have owned.  Often times it may, in fact, be the antithesis of those attributes nevertheless it doesn’t change your feelings towards the car.  It is not unusual to feel this way about a car, not like the guy on “Boston Legal” that fell in love with his alarm clock.  No, it is more like the feelings the Beach Boys had for their “Little Deuce Coupe”.    Now that I am firmly ensconced in my sixth decade and having owned more cars than the years I have racked up a few of just such cars come to mind.   One of those is my little Fixed Roof Coupe, a 2000 metallic pewter Corvette.

To many Corvette enthusiasts that may seem an unlikely choice, especially when compared to a the other more potent and more valuable Corvettes I have owned over the years.  I have had faster and more optioned Corvettes.  I have purchased most of my Corvettes brand new and have been the sole caretaker of those beloved cars, but none of those cars hold my complete attention and excite me like the unpretentious 2000 FRC,  purchased used from a collector’s estate with less than 15,000 miles on the odometer.  It currently shares our Arizona winter home’s garage with a Daytona Sunset Orange metallic C6 which I bought new the first year the C6 was introduced in 2005.  In addition I subsequently also added a new blade silver Grand Sport convertible.  So the thirteen year old C5 had some very competent siblings.  And these were not the only cars in the collection, only the newer, more powerful, fully optioned and technically superior Corvettes with which the hard top had to compete. 

 

Those of you who know the history of the fifth generation Corvette or have read James Schefter’s informative book All Corvettes Are Red about the very difficult endeavor of designing and building a replacement for the aged C4 at a time when GM was in an upheaval and economic crisis, may recall the debate about building a stripped-down, entry level car referred to by some as the “Billy Bob,” know today as the Fixed Roof Coupe.   Schefter’s book touches on this controversy but does not go into great detail about it, staying more focused on getting the C5 coupe to market.   In short there has always been a debate within GM whether to build a stripped down, “decontented” and lower priced model of the Corvette to help entice younger buyers or those that could not afford the “pricey” sports car.   Once it was decided to build the “fixed roof coupe” officially designated the hardtop within GM, there was a great deal of speculation and heated debates about just what the FRC would actually be.  There were two camps among the enthusiasts and also within GM who each held their own very specific ideas of what the FRC would be and what its purpose would be. The marketing group very clearly wanted a

decontented Corvette with less performance that would help boost sales from a considerably lower entry level price point.  Engineering disagreed and wanted the FRC to be a performance model, a street legal race car, that would take advantage of the new model’s lighter weight and stiffer chassis.  That faction was headed by Dave Hill, then Corvette’s chief engineer. The marketing group, opposing Hill’s performance model, was led by Brand Manager Dick Almond, who saw a stripped down, lower priced, Corvette as a way to capture those buyers who lusted for but couldn’t afford the ever rising price of America’s only real sports car.  Both sides had valid points to make. 

As the development program for the C4 replacement got underway, Jim Perkins, then Chevrolet’s General Manager, advocated a lower priced Corvette he referred to as a “Billy Bob.”   There is an exciting story about the ensuing battle up until 6 months before its introduction over what the car would actually be.  In fact the Chevrolet dealer’s ordering guide released in the spring of 1998, just a half year prior to the car hitting the dealerships, actually was based on the Billy-Bob version of the car with an automatic transmission, base suspension, limited engine speed and a minimal list of options.  The ordering guide quickly had to be recalled and revised when Dave Hill and his team won the battle for the FRC to be a performance model - not the Billy-Bob that had almost made it to production.  In fact when the final version of the car was unveiled you could not order the car with an automatic transmission or a base suspension, all FRCs were 6 speed manuals with the Z51 performance suspension.   The only options available on the car was a power driver’s seat and the sound system, the other Corvette options were left to coupe and convertible buyers.   Today we know for two years it was the predecessor to the acclaimed Z06 which debuted to an enthusiastic public in 2001.  The Z06 then became the only Corvette hardtop designation within GM.  

And maybe its controversial inception is just one of the reasons that the FRC has endeared itself.  It is unassuming and yet extremely competent.  Put aside the controversial opinions when it was introduced about  the “too fat” rear,  it was the best performing Corvette in the model line-up, the result of the stiffer chassis (over 10% stiffer than the coupe) and lighter weight (90 lbs to 110 lbs) due to the lack of the coupe’s heavy rear hatch glass, roof panels and other luxury options.  When introduced the Corvette brand manager said, “We’ve tailored the hardtop to appeal to those buyers who are primarily interested in performance.”  Despite the outstanding design and engineering that went into the hard top, many of those who had not experienced the car considered it no more than  a Corvette stepchild and assumed it to be the cheap, economy Corvette even though it cost only a few hundred less than the Coupe and could outperform it.  But after the little hardtop earned its stripes on the track the former “Billy-Bob” model became respectfully known as the “Hardtop for Hardcores.”

Moving on to the design and engineering it is interesting to note that the 1999 Chevrolet Corvette convertible was voted to be the best engineered car of the 20^th century by the Society of Automotive Engineers a model that shared almost all of its desgn and engineering with the hardtop.  The performance and quality improvements the C5 made to the problem plagued C4 are huge and owning both models I can attest to that fact.  The C5 is virtually rattle free and leak-proof, notorious problems that plagued most C4’s.  The interior design, access, egress and comfort is much improved over the C4.  The redesigned chassis, utilizing an inventive backbone design, eliminated the high door sills which almost required any older Corvette owner with hip issues to be hoisted in and out of the cockpit.  Analog instruments returned, succumbing to pressure from Corvette owners, ending the hated “video game” electronic dash of the C4. 

 The most controversial  issue of some vocal Corvette enthusiasts in the design of all C5 models was that they considered the derrière of the car was too large, referring to the car as “ass heavy.”  But regardless of design preferences the wider rear of the car allowed the use of larger tires which was a critical component in the outstanding handling of the Corvette.  Most of those criticisms have faded over time in favor of praising the overall smooth, flowing, even sensuous body lines.  But in many enthusiasts’ opinion the C5 is the most beautifully designed Corvette in history and some consider the Fixed Roof Coupe and Z06 models to be the most beautiful of the entire generation.  John Cafaro and his design team, led by Dan Magda, created a timeless, classic and at the same time modern exciting body that continues to garner accolades a quarter century after the original design was penned.

My 2005 Daytona Sunset Orange Coupe

But despite the great design, quality and performance of my little Fixed Roof Coupe, I am constantly reminded by my other C6’s that they are clearly “better” cars, at least in every quantitative measurement.  It is something my son, “the engineer”, lectures me on and I appreciate him taking the time trying to educate me about all the mathematical and performance theory as to why my preference for the C5 is clearly a sign of “old age.”  And even though he is really a car guy first and an engineer second, he does understand the subjective allure of a particular car.  He understands the importance of the way a car “feels” and concedes even though he still prefers the C6 and C7.  And it isn’t that I don’t love the my C6s and realize just how outstanding they truly are.  I know that the C5 would get its ass kicked by a competent driver in a C6 every time.  It is just that to me the little FRC is like a pair of fifteen year old Levi’s or a pair of broken in Birkenstock sandals – comfortable, and in my sixth decade comfort is important.

When I turn the key in the C5 and my aftermarket Borla® exhaust bellows and burbles there is no better sound.  Literally I never have turned on the radio in the car other than when the car was purchased to see that it worked.  Once that was determined it has remained silent.  Though Pink Floyd, Metallica, and even REM is nice to listen to, it just doesn’t compare to the  symphony of sounds the “outdated” LS1 makes.  And maybe it’s just my imagination but it seems to me the road feel communicated through the leather steering wheel, which feels like it was custom made for my hands,  is the perfect balance.  The often maligned leather seats seem like it was molded for aging ass and I can get in and out of the driver’s seat without having an engine hoist lower me in or hoist me out of the cockpit like I do in the C4.  And even after all these years the inside of the car smells like leather, not like the evaporating PVC molecules (or whatever the stuff is) in my C6.  By the way whatever happened to the smell of a new leather interior – I am interested to find out if the new C7’s upgraded interior has been able to rediscover the smell of real leather.  I hope so, even if it is “canned”.

In the performance category the C5’s 345 HP LS1 coupled with the lighter weight of the FRC offers me a good balance of performance and handling.  It offers me a spirited driving experience and is plenty fast for the public roads.  If I were going to race the car I would want more power and better handling of the C6, but I gave up my SCCA pro license years ago so I won’t be doing any competitive track events in the foreseeable future.   So my other C6’s and their even improved suspension and power may never be put to the ultimate test, at least not by me. I’m content to watch my son on the track these days.  The car handles the turny-twisties country roads like on rails – and yes the C6’s are even better but at this stage in my life the C5 can handle everything I can in good judgment throw at it.

Quantitative analysis and statistics aside, simply we are a good match.   If not a match made in heaven, then a match made in John Cafaro’s and Dave Hill’s design studio, deep in the bowels of the GM’s Warren, Michigan tech center and on the assembly line during the second week of November of 1999 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  When I am driving my little Fixed Roof Coupe  every one of my senses (other than taste) are “maxed out” and what else can an enthusiast ask from any of their cars.  To paraphrase a popular song from the sixties, “I’m not braggin’ babe so don’t put me down, But I’ve got the hottest set of wheels in the town… It’s my Fixed Roof Coupe, now you know what I got!”

So long old friend...
 
by Rick Tavel©

 I don't want any of my readers to be upset or think they are on a different blog after I change the title header's background picture of my beloved Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic 2005 Corvette.  I sold the car yesterday in anticipation of getting a new Corvette.  You can read about my dilemma of deciding which new Corvette to buy in my former post, "To Buy or Not To Buy and the Disappointment of Global Marketing" posted here in March and on other sites and publications.
  

It has been quite a while since I personally sold one of my Corvettes or collector cars and I have pretty much shied away from the hassle and inconvenience of advertising and showing the car.  As some of you know you pretty much have to arrange your schedule around potential buyers who want to inspect the car.  And in the past I have to say that most of those "potential buyers" were simply "tire kickers" and habitual "lookers" that had no intention of buying no matter how nice the car was or how low it was priced unless it was a pure giveaway.  For that reason it was always prudent to build in a few "negotiating dollars" to the advertised price.  This however is a double edge sword  because it can turn away some valid buyers.  So as much as I wanted to get the new Vette I was skeptical about listing it. So much so that I considered just adding it to the collection even though I have no space in the garage and was risking being evicted from the house by my otherwise very patient and accommodating wife.

 

 

Interior of my DSOM C6

Of course "trading it in" on the new one was unacceptable by any real car guy.  We all know that trading in a car is fiscally not the right move because as we all know you never get what the car is worth on a trade - either they give you what you want for the trade in and then raise the price of the new car to off set the trade in offer or they simply do not give you a fair price.  You do however avoid the hassles and inconveniences of selling the car outright.  So I was very apprehensive at becoming a "temporary used car salesman".

But I absolutely knew that the time had come to find my new Corvette so due to lack of garage space I had to find my current C6 a new home.  This time however I vowed to make this at least a "tolerable" endeavor.  My first very wise decision was that I would not list the car in the local newspaper, Craigslist, or eBay.  Understand I am not bashing eBay, I have purchased more than a few collector cars there as a "buyer" but know some of the disappointing stories that some sellers encounter and also know that several of the sales do not get consummated and results in having to relist the car.  More than a couple of enthusiasts I have known that used Craigslist to attempt to sell their car report horror stories about the myriad of calls and showings to totally unqualified buyers.

Actual miles 4339

This time I decided to market my Corvette in four specific ways.  First I would show it for sale in local car shows and "cruise-ins" which I regularly attend. Second I would advertise it on local Corvette Club sites.  Third I put an ad on all of the Corvette forums I belong to. And fourth and the most significant marketing tool was placing the car on "VetteFinders".  Deciding on this method allowed me to price the car at very close to the price I wanted to get.  This was decided on after researching other Corvettes of the same age and with the same options and mileage (though I found no others with mileage as low as mine (4500 miles).  The condition of the car was honestly advertised, it was virtually a new car and absolutely perfect for a 4500 mile car.  But I was also honest when I told prospective buyer about the 1/2 inch tiny scratch the car had on the drivers lexan clear headlight cover and had a picture ready to send upon request.  Let me tell anyone selling a Corvette, perhaps the most important feature in selling a Corvette that is in "good to excellent" condition is mileage - plain and simple.  Prices of two cars in the exact same condition will vary by thousands of dollars based on mileage.  As I mentioned my car had 4500 miles on it and had five thousand less miles on it than the closest comparison car so I knew my car would bring a premium. 


At Cruise In

The other important part of selling your Corvette is to price it correctly.  Seek the advice of experienced Corvette owners and sellers.  I was simply amazed at the prices some owners put on their cars.  We all know our cars are special to us but in the market they are Corvettes, and there are thousands of them.  The comparison car I noted above, with more than double the mileage of mine, was priced $5000 above the price I listed mine and my car was priced at the high end of those Corvettes sold for that model year.  It is no surprise that the car had been on the market for almost a year.

Those of you who have never used VetteFinders probably do not realize how "user friendly" and simple to use it is.  I would recommend that you sign up for the premium package which features your car at the top of the listings with a small thumbnail picture.  It is well worth it.  Unlike "free sites" the listings are up to date and manageable and have a reputation of offering decent cars.  And there is a subliminal consideration that if the seller is willing to spend a few dollars advertising the car for sale then probably the owner did not "skimp" on maintaining the car.  Another benefit of using VetteFinders is the fact that a potential buyer must first contact VetteFinders before they can contact you.  Then VF will contact you via email letting you know that a specific person had questions about the car.  This helps weed out "tire kickers" and lookers which often takes hours of your time simply responding to their questions and requests for more pictures. 

Two Beauties

In the two weeks the car was listed on VetteFinders I received four emails from VetteFinders' interested potential buyers. I received two serious and five not serious emails from the forums and two serious customers through "cruise in" exposure.  From these I received four offers to purchase, three of them through VetteFinders clients and one from the cruise ins.  I ended up showing the car five times in the two weeks, two of those were to VetteFinder clients.  The first two offers received were approximately 95% of my asking price, the third was a full price offer based on the customer selling his Corvette and the fourth which I accepted was an immediate cash offer of 97% of my asking price and above the average selling price of similar 2005 & 2006 Corvettes with miles under 10,000.  

I was more than pleased with the professionalism and simplicity of the VetteFinder service and will not hesitate to list my next Corvette sale with them.  In addition to the site being easy to use, if you need any assistance with your listing or even advice on pricing the people at VetteFinders are more than willing to assist.  I know of one example where a VetteFinders' customer was having difficulty listing their car on one of the Corvette forums and Keith, the owner of VF, actually went onto the forum and listed his client's car for him.  I can't speak for other clients but I was amazed that I only got serious, interested potential buyers from VetteFinders.  It isn't very often that I can so enthusiastically recommend any "service" company but I am pleased to have found just such a service in VetteFinders.  So much so I want to provide you with the link, VetteFinders .

It only seems fitting that my beloved Corvette was sold the way it lived, fast, comfortable and trouble free.   Now, as my Sunset Orange Metallic C6 fades into the sunset, all that is left is to allow me a few quiet moments to mourn its passing...Farewell, old friend, you will be missed.

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