August '08 Corvette Report: 2008 427 Limited Edition Z06

August 2008

Scott Teeters' Corvette Report

A Look at the Past, Present & Future
of America's Favorite Sports Car... The Corvette
This Month...
The 2008 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette "Past & Present"

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Corvette Report
with a Vette buddy!

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on the Planet!

To check out the latest
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 138
2008 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette
"Past & Present"

CLICK HERE

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Greetings!
   Well, usually by the end of August, we're pushing 100-plus heat index numbers. But so far this year, it's been a delightful Summer here in Southern New Jersey. Autumn is less than a month away, but there's still plenty of time to enjoy Corvette activities.

Here's what I have to share with you this month...

* Illustrated Corvette Series No. 138
   The 2008 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette
   "Past & Present" A stunning tribute to the big-block 427       Corvettes of old.

* 427 Corvette Engine Art
   High-performance engines are works of art in metal. Check out our 427 Chevy engine art prints!

* Vette Videos:
   1. Taking delivery of a NEW 2008 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette at K. C. Kerbeck in Atlantic City, NJ
Take a trip to the largest Corvette dealer in the U.S.A. and check out Chevy's latest special edition Corvette.

   2. Take a ride in a Big Block 67 Corvette Coupe
An excellent complement to our first video. It's a walk around a Rally Red '67 427 big-block Corvette with factory knock-off wheels and side-pipes.

   3. 1967 Corvette 427/435hp Test Drive
Take a ride with Joshua in this black beauty, '67 427/425 Corvette coupe with 4-speed and side-pipes.

   4. Corvette "Teaser" Commercial
Not a for real Chevrolet commercial, they should hire this guy. Very cool!

   5. 850-Horsepower C5 Z06 Turbo Screamer
This is a seriously modified C5 Z06. Nice 2-wheel drift action!

* Let's Play Corvette Odd-Ball:
   Who REALLY designs Corvettes?
Enjoy this April 1994 VETTE Magazine interview with C1 Corvette designer, Bob Cadaret. He has some very interesting insights into several Corvette heros.

* Rumor Mill:
   Is GM really leaving racing? Say it ain't so!

* Corvette Billiards Anyone?
   Check out this one-of-a-kind 2-piece, custom-made Corvette billiard cue! This cue was made by master billiard cue-maker, Jerry Olivier with scrimshaw work by Sandy Brady. It's a beauty!

Let's cruise!

The Latest Illustrated Corvette Series: ICS No. 138
2008 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette
"Past & Present"

"427" In car lore, it's a magic number. Back in the olden days, before computer controlled engine systems, the easiest way to more power was cubic-inches. The classic small-block Chevy engine, in its original form, was a small engine. It was actually a miniature version of the early-50s Cadillac engine. Due to the size of the block, the maximum cubic-inch displacement was 400 C.I. D. A larger bore would seriously compromise the durability of the engine.

Chevy had their 409 truck engine, but the cylinder heads didn't flow well at high RPMs. The 409 engine was made into a 427 for racing, but the head design wasn't enough to keep up with the Fords, Mopars, and Pontiacs in NASCAR where high RPM power was essential. The arrival of the Chevy Mark II "Mystery Motor" in '63, with its free-flowing "porcupine" heads was the birth of Chevy's famous "big-block" engine. The potential was obvious and it took less than two years for the big-block to make its debut in the '65 Chevrolet lineup.

Even though it was "only" a 396, the new L78 engine was a true stump-puller. Underrated at 425-horsepower, the new solid-lifter big-block took Corvette performance to a new level. The following year, the 396 grew to it's proper size - 427 cubic-inches and remained the performance icon through '69 and then had another growth spurt for the '70-1/2 model year as a 454 cubic-inch engine and remained on the option list through '74.

Corvette engineering teased us in '91 with an engineering study called the "ZR-2 454." Officially it was to see how a C4 Corvette would perform with a 454 big-block. The conclusion was obvious - the car was fast... very fast. I think they were just having fun. Unofficially called, "Big Doggie," this was the last time we saw a late model factory Corvette with a big-block Chevrolet engine.

Corvette product planners learned some time ago that limited edition Corvettes sell VERY well. In the last few years we've seen an annual parade of very well done, highly desirable limited edition Corvettes, such as the Anniversary cars (25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, and 50th), Indy 500 Pace Car Specials, the '04 CommemorativeEdition, the '07 Ron Fellows Limited Edition Z06, and several others.

For '08 Chevrolet dished up two beauties. First we had the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car Special and last Spring the 427 Limited Edition Z06 was released. Since they always sell out, one can speculate that we'll see many more special, limited edition Corvettes as the years roll on.

You can also read the complete '08 427 Limited Edition Z06 Corvette story HERE.

The article will appear in the December 2008 issue of VETTE Magazine on the very last page.

To see the LARGE VERSIONS of this month's prints, just click the images.

You can order the ICS No. 138 parchment paper print directly from The Illustrated Corvette Series website and simply use the PayPal payment buttons for payment.

Or you can order with a credit card by calling us
TOLL-FREE at: 1-800-858-6670.

Usually we offer 2 layouts of each article - one with the story copy and the other without. Due to the unique nature of the 427 Corvettes, we decided to offer two different alternate layouts - one with the '08 427 Limited Edition Z06 in profile, and another with a '66 427 big-block coupe in profile.
Below are the alternate layouts.

(Illustrated Corvette Series II No. 138A)

(Illustrated Corvette Series II No. 138B)

Both versions are available HERE.

All of our prints measure 11" x 17", are printed on tan parchment paper, are signed by the artist and cost $19.95, + $4.95 S&H. For an additional $10 you can have any of our prints personalized! An excellent gift for that hard to buy for Corvette person in your life.

Corvette Engine Art
It's the answer to the question, "What's under the hood?" that's made the Corvette an American performance icon.

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Let's be honest. if Corvettes were powered by "regular" car engines, you wouldn't be reading this. Yes, radical styling has always made the Corvette a genuine head-turner. But what has always given Corvettes their edge has been what's under the hood.

Since we're highlighting the 427 Corvettes in this report, we thought we'd remind you that we have 18 individual Corvette engine prints, including the famous L71 427/435 big-block, the all-aluminum 427 ZL-1, and the 427 LS7 Z06 all-aluminum small-block . Plus a montague of Corvette engines called, "Corvette Power."

You can check out all 18 images HERE.

Let's Play, "Corvette Oddball!"
Quirky Vette Factoids

Illustration by Bob Cadaret

Question: Who REALLY Designs Corvettes?

Answer: That's a very interesting question. It's a group effort. Performance Chevys have had some very colorful heroes. Arguably the biggest shadow was cast by Zora Arkus-Duntov. But there have been many others that eventually were inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame.

The reality is that designing a car is a large group effort. Duntov set the mechanical design parameters for Corvettes but never had anything to do with styling. Mechanical details were worked out by staff engineers. Harley Earl is considered the Father of the Corvette, but many other hands were involved in Corvette styling. Earl's prot�g�, Bill Mitchell set the design shape for the C2 Sting Ray with his '59 Stingray Racer. He also directed the styling of the Mako Shark II that blew everyone out of the water on the '65 and '66 show car circuit. (Mitchell used to like to say, "I'M the only one around here that designs Corvettes!) The strength of the Mako Shark design can be seen even in the design of the C6 Corvette. The "shark" design has become a Corvette icon.

In the April '94 issue of VETTE Magazine, on page 32, there's a very interesting interview with Chevrolet designer and stylist, Bob Cadaret. Bob isn't a household name in the world of Corvettes, but he had his hand on the first restyling of the Corvette in '56. Some consider the '56 and '57 Corvette to be the cleanest of the C1 Corvettes because of its twin headlights and minimal use of chrome.

Jeff Koch interviewed Mr. Cadaret, who had some very interesting insights into what goes into designing a Corvette. Each body part is meticulously designed. For example, one designer could say, "Well, I did the shape of the tail lights." and another could say, "I worked on the shape and design of the grille." Various elements were parsed out to different designers.

Mr. Cadaret's story is a very interesting one and something that we don't often hear about. Bob was also an outstanding illustrator. The article interview also features several of his beautiful pieces of art work. You can find some of Bob's art prints on eBay by searching the name, "Robert Cadaret."

To read the complete interview, CLICK HERE.

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Got a "Corvette Oddball" factoid or an unusual Corvette that you'd like to share?

Zip me off an e-mail at, lightoak@comcast.net and I'll include it in a future newsletter.

MotorheadGear.com Store Update!!!

Work is progressing nicely with our partners at SolidCactus.com. The homepage layout and design is complete. For a Sneak-Peek, CLICK HERE.

So far, we are on target for our September 15, 2008 launch date.

MotorheadGear.com will have over 625 Corvette, Muscle Car, Nostalgia Drag Racing, Sports Car, and Vintage Car art prints available. Plus, die-cast cars, DVDs, CDs, jackets, shirts, caps, steel GM car emblems, vintage signs, neon car signs, and much more.

Next month we'll have a LIVE LINK to share with you!

From the Rumor Mill:
Is GM really Leaving Racing???

Note the "Jake Rake" stripe on the hood and roof C6.Rs.

Say it ain't so!

It doesn't take an insider to be aware of General Motors' financial troubles, just pay attention to the financial news. So it's not a stretch to speculate the future of the factory supported Corvette racing team.

GM has their hand in NHRA drag racing, NASCAR racing, as well as the American Le Mans Series. One can well imagine the financial bean counters telling GM's upper management, "We have to stop spending money we don't have on racing!"

Does the old "Race and win on Sunday, sell on Monday." axiom still hold true? Your guess is as god as mine. While we all have enjoyed seeing the Pratt & Miller prepared Corvettes beat up on everyone on the road circuits, have those wins moved you to buy a Z06 or place your order for a '09 ZR1?

The official announcement from Corvette Racing for the '09 American Le Mans Series is supposed to happen sometime in September. I suppose we'll all just have to wait and see.

PS - About the Corvette Racing teams mascot, "Jake." You can read the story of how the team adopted the skull mascot on page 64 of the October issue (this month's issue) of VETTE Magazine. Or, you can read the story on VETTE Magazine's official website, VetteWeb.com, HERE.

If you hear of something juicy, e-mail me at: lightoak@comcast.net

Here's What's NEW at Our Corvette Gear
eBay Store

It was a very busy month, but we were able to put a few cool new items in our Corvette Gear eBay store.

Here's the latest...

JAKE's HERE!

In '07 the C6.R factory team took their graphics to a new level of edginess. What started out as just a skull & crossbones decal on the interior's roll cage has developed into the team's mascot. The stylized C6 Corvette logo has been integrated into a racing helmet graphic and for a time was emblazoned on the '07 C6.R racing Corvettes No. 3 and No. 4.

Check out this stunning 1:18th scale die-cast that only has a 6,000 piece production run. If you're into the C6.R action, DON'T WAIT on this offering. The cars will be available for Sept / October delivery and will go faster than a C6.R on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans.

Check out the number 3 car HERE.
Check out the number 4 car HERE.

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Corvette Metal & Neon Signs

Looking for something unique for that hard to buy for Corvette person in your life? (We're not really "hard to buy for," just get us another Corvette!)

We now offer a selection of C1, C2, and C3 Corvette metal and metal-neon signs. The metal Corvette signs measure 25.5" and 42" dia. The C1, C2, and C3 Corvette Neon Signs measure 29.5" dia and are available in 5 neon colors - red, white, blue, yellow, and green.

Check out the Metal Signs HERE.
Check out the Neon Metal Signs HERE.

Corvette Billiards Anyone?

This is the most unique Corvette item I have ever contributed to. Custom billard cue specialist, Dick Abbott, contacted me last year looking for several tight, detailed Corvette illustrations that he needed as visual reference for a one-of-a-kind, official GM licensed Corvette Billiard Cue. Built by master billiard cue maker, Jerry Olivier, with beautiful scrimshaw work by Sandy Brady, this is one stunning cue!

Yes, it's very expensive, but there will never be another one like it. Plus, this cue is featured in the latest edition of "The Billiard Encyclopedia."

You can check it out HERE.

Coming Up In The Illustrated Corvette Series

Here's what's coming up in the series for the next few months in VETTE Magazine on the very last page...

No. 138 - '08 427 Z06 Special - '66 427 Big-Block Comparison
(August 2008)

No. 139 - 'Duntov's '56 150.583 MPH Daytona Flyer
(September 2008)

Well, that's a wrap! Autumn is just around the corner, but there's still plenty of time for Corvette fun. The 2009 ZR1 is in production and making the rounds at the major car shows. The Corvettes at Carlisle had several on hand. Mighty sweet!

See ya next month and remember, Save the Wave!

Scott