2012 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype Race Car Announced

November 15, 2011 at 9:15pm by Alexander Stoklosa

The Daytona Prototype class already hosts the quickest, hottest cars in the Grand-Am series, and Chevrolet’s new 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype looks to amp things up even more when it takes to the track at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. For those unfamiliar, the Daytona Prototype class is comprised of purpose-built, mid-engine racers that are far less related to street cars than, say, the ZR1-based Corvette C6.R, which races in ALMS.

Chevrolet’s DP entry wasn’t an entirely home-grown effort, and the Corvette Prototype was developed with help from chassis specialists Riley, Coyote, and Dallara along with Pratt & Miller, Corvette Designers, and Grand-Am itself. Other than a few Corvette styling cues—including a split rear window!—littered about the carbon-fiber bodywork, the prototype car shares nothing with a roadgoing Corvette. (To the Corvette speculators, the DP car may have that throwback rear window and a mid-engine configuration, but that does not mean the C7 Corvette will, too.) Among the vast array of specifics left out of the release were engine layout and size; a 500-horse, 5.0-liter Chevrolet V-8 was campaigned last year, however, so we have a sneaking suspicion that’s what lives under the Lexan window out back.

Four teams have been announced as running the new Corvette: Spirit of Daytona Racing, SunTrust Racing, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, and Action Express Racing. Given the Corvette nameplate’s long and storied history in road racing—and its huge pile of trophies—we’re excited to see how the car does next year.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Corvette |

Read more »

Chevrolet News for ’99: Trucks. Corvette. Bi-Fuel Cavalier! [Chevrolet Centennial, 1990s Edition]

Chevrolet is marking its 100th anniversary this week. To celebrate, we’re republishing two posts per day from our blog archives, each one plucked from a different decade of the marque’s long existence.

Well! It’s been an interesting century, hasn’t it? In a few months, the calendar will tick over to 1999. Everyone and their mother is playing that stupid Prince song, O.J. is still on the search for Nicole’s real killer—that will work out, we have faith—and you might have found our Internet Web Site by searching on something called Goggle Google. And people are saying Apple Computer is going to be relevant again. Riiiight.

So the century ends. Whither the bow tie? Back in the day, Chevrolet tweaked its entire lineup every year. Here, we get half effort. The Corvette line gains a new, lighter and cheaper hardtop coupe; Camaro Z28s and SSs now have a standard Torsen limited-slip. The big focus is on Chevy trucks and SUVs, which are selling so well, you’d think fuel is close to a buck a gallon. (Oh, wait. It is.) An all-new Silverado arrives this fall, along with a new Tracker and TrailBlazer model. The only major change to Chevy’s car lineup is the arrival of the bi-fuel Cavalier sedan, a version of the four-door Cav that can run on either gasoline or compressed natural gas. Thankfully, you can still buy the (aging) F-body Camaro. It’s a good, or at least entertaining, car that makes up for . . . well, that makes up for the Cavalier.

All things considered, the company’s position is interesting. In just over a decade, Chevrolet will be 100 years old. There’s momentum here, but not a lot of interesting product. Word out of Milford is that the next Corvette will be—my kids taught me this—the bomb. Time will tell.

–Samuel Smith, ss7482774901j@hotmail.aol.prodigy.compuserve.net.

Motorola StarTAC Direct-Line: 734-555-3600

Read more »