Illustrated Corvette Series Report: December

December / November 2007

The Illustrated Corvette Series Report

A Look at the Past, Present & Future
of America's Favorite Sports Car... The Corvette

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Illustrated Corvette Series No. 130
2008 Corvette
"The Mid-Cycle Refresh"

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To check out
the latest
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 129
1967 L-88 Drag Racer
"In Memory of Astoria-Chas"

CLICK HERE

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Greetings,
Scott Teeters here and welcome to the November /December issue of The Illustrated Corvette Series Report.

First off, we've changed our title. For several years now we've been calling this a "newsletter" because it was an update of what I've been up to in my monthly column in "Vette Magazine." Over the months I've been adding more Corvette general interest info to the "Corvette Odd Ball" and "The Rumor Mill" sections, as well as links to cool Corvette videos on YouTube and GoogleVideo. So, the newsletter has morphed into a report, and who knows where it will go from here.

We're down to the last few days of 2007. What a year it has been for Corvettes.

* The 2007 Corvette sold 40,561 units for the year. That is the best sales year since '76 to '79, and '84. Also, that is 4,794 more units than the best C5 year in '02.

* The amazing C6.R won 12 out of 13 races and came in 2nd at Le Mans.

* Last Fall the '08 Corvette upped the ante with the new LS3 engine and now packs 430-horsepower, STOCK.

* And last, but definitely not least, Chevrolet gave Vette fans everywhere an early Christmas present... a collection of 47 high-resolution images and specs of the 2009 ZR1.

That's right, the teasing is over. Forget the Blue Devil and the SS. It's official, Chevrolet's world-class supercar is officially christened "ZR1." Check the "Rumor Mill" section below for links to images and stats.

Here's what else we're covering in this month's report:

* This month we are featuring the last two installments of The Illustrated Corvette Series. ICS No. 129 covers one of a handful of successful stock configuration drag racing Corvettes, the '67 L-88 powered, Corvette Roadster, "KO MOTION" "In Memory of Astoria-Chas" AHRA National Record Holder. This is a sweet story that reads like the Buddy Holly story of drag racing.

* The second feature is The Illustrated Corvette Series No. 130 that covers the '08 production Corvette. Back in the olden days, a base model Corvette was pretty tame. Well, that was your grandmother's Vette. The '08 model packs 430-horsepower and has a top speed of 190-mph!!!

* In our "Let's Play Corvette Odd-Ball" section, I'm covering an experimental V-12 Corvette from the early '90s. That's right, 12-cylinders in a Vette.

Let's dig in!

The Latest Illustrated Corvette Series: ICS No. 130
2008 Production Corvette
"The Mid-Cycle Refresh"

There was a time when it was possible for your grandfather to have taken Granny to the local Chevy dealer and let her pick out one of those cute, little Sting Rays with a base model 250-horsepower 327 and a 2-speed Powerglide transmission, so's she wouldn't get her feet all tangled up with that pesky clutch peddal. The car was zippy, but wouldn't frighten anyone.

Fast forward to 2008 and unless your Granny is Shirley "Cha-Cha" Muldowney, DON'T get her get one of those cute little '08 Corvettes. Right out of the box, this wondercar can get you to 60-mph in just 4.3-seconds. If you aren't used to that kind of acceleration, that's a very scary ride. And are you ready for 190-mph in 6th gear? Are ya, Bunky?

It was only a few decades ago when one needed to be in an all-out race car to achieve performance close to that level. And then the car was impossible to live with on the street. Today, that's standard performance, in air conditioned comfort, power everything, and a state-of-the-art Bose sound system.

This performance and quality leap is the merger of the infusion of former Chief of Engineering, Dave Hill with his Cadillac quality background and the success of the C5-R and the C6.R race cars. Corvette engineers listen carefully to customers, while adding lessons learned from the Corvette Racing effort.

So in closing, if your Granny is up to the challenge, but still doesn't want to deal with that clutch pedal, just tell Gramps to get her the optional Paddle-Shift Tremec TR6060 automatic transmission. She can manually blast through the gears without ever taking her hands off the wheel. Is that cool, or what?

You can order ICS No. 130 directly and can read the actual copy with the history and more details of the car by clicking on this link-
The Illustrated Corvette Series website and simply use the PayPal payment buttons, or you can call us TOLL-FREE at: 1-800-858-6670.

There are also two other versions of this print. Illustrated Corvette Series II features the same art and no story copy, in a horizonal format.

Then we offer just the side-view profile illustration of the car.

All 3 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.

The Illustrated Corvette Series: No. 129
1967 L-88 Corvette Drag Racer
"In Memory of Astoria-Chas"

Illustrated Corvette Series No. 129 is the poignant story of one Charlie Snyder from Astoria, New York. Astoria is a suburban town on Long Island, not far from New York City. In '67 Charlie was a Chevy-loving motorhead that was completely wrapped up in the Long Island, Queens, muscle car street scene. Chas took delivery on a new, '67 427 Corvette Roadster and promptly drove the car to Joel Rosen's "Motion Performance" for a few enhancements.

It wasn't long before the stock 427 wasn't making it, so the decision was made to order one of Chevy's new L-88 engines and take things to the next level. Chas' dream was a National Record. While all this was happening, Chas was drafted into the Army and volunteered for paratrooper training. Less than a month after Snyder arrived in Vietnam, he was killed.

After many months, Rosen and a group of Chas' friends approached the family and asked for permission to race the Corvette and capture the National Record. Just a few words about the car. Rosen's expertise those days was in the careful extraction of latent horsepower by paying attention to performance-enhancements and careful assembly. This car was amazingly stock. The best run on the car was a 10.47. Aside from the aluminum heads, there were no exotic trick parts, no turbos, no nitrous. Just free-flowing heads, a huge carb, mega-hot spark, open headers, the right gears, and 10-inch slicks.

This is a sweet story that is as much about friendship as it is about the car. Oh yes, they got that National Record.

To read the complete story, CLICK HERE.

You can order ICS No. 130 directly by clicking on this link-
The Illustrated Corvette Series website and simply use the PayPal payment buttons, or you can call us TOLL-FREE at: 1-800-858-6670.

There are also two other versions of this print. Illustrated Corvette Series II features the same art and no story copy, in a horizonal format.

Then we offer just the side-view profile illustration of the car.

All 3 versions are available HERE.

Be sure to check out this short video clip of current owner Glen Spielberg driving the "KO-Motion" '67 Corvette into its display spot at a car show. The open headered L-88 is just a BEAST and sits in equal company. Although the engine runs, Glen has given the family his word that the car will remain as it was the last day it was raced and he promised he would never race or restore the car. Heck, the 10-inch slicks are over 35 years old!

To watch the video, CLICK HERE. And turn the volume UP!

Also, here is the link to the official KO-Motion Corvette website...

http://www.komotioncorvette.com/

"Corvette Gear"
Our NEW eBay store for Corvette folks!

Our Corvette Gear store has a large assortment of custom-made GM licensed leather bomber jackets, varsity jackets, windbreaker jackets, and lightweight racing jackets - embroidered with all 6 generation Corvette emblems. Whatever year Vette you have, we've got something for you.

Your Vette is going to look GREAT with you in one of our jackets!

SPECIAL NOTE:

If you are seriously considering buying one of our custom made jackets, please keep in mind that while we carry most items in most sizes and color variations, if an item is out of stock, it could take 2 to 3 weeks or more, depending on the item, to custom make one for you.

All jackets are custom made in limited quantities from sizes small to 3X large.

If you need an item soon, simply email us from our eBay store to check for availability.

Also, please DISREGUARD the "Quantity" indication on the eBay listing. That number indicates how many more times the listing will renew after a sale.

It is NOT an indication of how many jackets are in the warehouse.

And here is a special thank you to all our customers who have made our first Corvette Gear holiday buying season a huge success! Many of you made a first purchase, liked what you received and came back for more. We appreciate that!

Here's the Corvette Gear store address...

http://stores.ebay.com/Corvette-Gear

White Hot From the Rumor Mill:
It's OFFICIAL... 2009 ZR1

2009 ZR1 Front

The Return of the King!
The e-mail came through late in the evening on 12-19-07. It was titled, "2009 Corvette ZR1 "Blue Devil" Unveiled Today!"

The goofy-looking body covers and out of focus long-lens shots are history. The teasing is over and Chevrolet decided to let the legions of Corvette lovers have a bone with LOTs of red meat.

DigitalCorvettes.com posted 47 high-rev official GM studio shots, plus links to 5 GM press releases covering: the basic announcement, chassis and suspension details, performance-driven aspects of the design, a look back at the C4 ZR1, and specs for the all-aluminum, 364-cubic inch, supercharged LS9 small-block Chevy that pumps out 620-horsepower and 595 ft./lb of torque. (Go get a napkin.)

This is going to send the Corvette community reeling. The '09 ZR1 will be the fastest (the speedometer tops out at 220-mph), quickest (0-60-mph in a brain-swimming 3.5-seconds), and 1/4-mile blasts in 11-seconds, flat!

That's not far off the 10.47-second best run for the 427 L-88 Astoria-Chas drag racer covered above. It'll also be the most expensive Corvette ever. And just like the Z06, it will be a comparative bargan-priced supercar.

The very next day after I received the e-mail announcement, I saw the current issue of Car & Driver. Get ready for the flood of special edition coverage from the car mags. If you collect this kind of coverage, it's going to be feast time. Unlike the original '70 - '72 ZR1 engine option and the '90 - ''95 production ZR1, you can't miss this car. Actually, you WON'T miss this car.

Okay, enough stoking. I know you want at those 42, hi-res images to salivate all over.

Put your parking break on and go HERE.

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

Question: Did Chevrolet ever explore more than
8 cylinders for the Corvette?

Answer: Briefly, but not deeply.

The Dodge Viper certainly gets a lot of attention, thanks to its stunning good looks and impressive V-10 engine. Over the last few years we've seen high-end, luxury concept cars sporting V-10, V-12, and V-16 engines. But you know how it is with overcooked concept cars.

Back in '92 Corvette Engineering must have been in a press-teasing mood. They decided to show the car mags their latest engineering study that stretched a late-model Corvette to accommodate the 55.5-inch long, 601-C.I.D. Falconer aircraft engine that cranked out a leisurely 660-horsepower and 782 ft./lb. of torque.

The Corvette Engineering guys nick-named the car, "Conan the Corvette."

I guess they just wanted to see what they'd have to do to make it fit. Clearly they weren't real serious, as the exhaust dumped directly out of the tube headers and into long, collector side-pipes. It must have sounded AWESOME!

Of course, if you fast forward to today, no one imagined a day when a production Vette would be supercharged and pumping out 620-horsepower from just 376 cubic-inches. Yes, we'll be talking about the new ZR1 for a very long time.

Here's the official Falconer V-12 page from BlueThunderAirRacing.com...

http://www.bluethunderairracing.com/about/rfiv-12.htm

You can read about "Conan the Corvette" in Illustrated Corvette Series No. 93, HERE.

To see a larger verion of this print, just click the image.

Got a "Corvette Oddball" factoid 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.

Special Club Offer
and Commissions Information.

I'd like to make a special offer to you and your Corvette club. Each signed, parchment paper print retails for $19.95, plus $4.95 for shipping and handling. If your club places an order for 5 or more prints, each print can be yours for just $15.00 each. That's a $4.95 savings per print - almost 25% off.

Each print measures 11" x 17", is made on tan parchment paper, and is signed by the artist - me.

Also, when your club orders 5 or more prints, you not only get the volume discount, you also get FREE SHIPPING (an additional $4.95 savings) !!

So, I invite you to browse our online catalog at: www.IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com We have art prints of every production Corvette from 1953 to 2007. Besides reproductions of the Vette Magazine series, I also have side-view profiles of every production Corvette and 18 Corvette engine illustrations.

I also have a Commissions Page if you prefer a personalized or color commission of your special Vette! CLICK HERE to go to the Commissions Page for more details. These make fantastic gifts for all the Vette lovers in your circle!

If you own a Corvette,
we have an art print of YOUR CAR.

Illustrated Corvette Series Catalogs
Print Catalog or FREE PDF!

Our lllustrated Corvette Series website, is updated several times a month. But if you would like to receive a free 22-page catalog, you can send me an e-mail with your mailing address to:

lightoak@comcast.net

Or, you can call us toll-free at: 1-800-858-6670 and we'll be happy to send you a catalog package.

THIS JUST IN!!!

Our Corvette Art Prints catalog is now available as a FREE PDF file. Download it and save it to your hard drive. And or print it and give it to a friend!

To get yours now,
CLICK HERE!

Coming Up In The Illustrated Corvette Series

Here's what's coming up in the series for the next few months...

No. 131 - 1968 Owen-Corning Fiberglass L-88 Corvette Racer
(January 2008)

No. 132 - 2002 Tiger Shark Corvette Concept Car
(February 2008)

No. 133 - 2009 ZR1
(March 2008)

No. 134 - 2009 ZR1 LS9 Engine
(April 2008)

Personalized Corvette Prints

CLICK HERE, or on the above image to see the large version.

We now have over 345 Corvette art prints from which to choose. Every production Vette is covered, so if you have a Corvette, we have a print of your car.

Any of our Parchment Paper Prints can be personalized with the wording of your choice for just an extra $10. We'll personalize your print any way you want. Here are a few examples based on the above image;

2006 Z06 Corvette - Bob's Baby

2006 Z06 Corvette - Nicole's First Vette

2006 Z06 Corvette - Paul & Marilyn's Retirement Ride

To have your print personalized, you can use the PayPal buttons on the page showing the print you are ordering. Or, you can place your order by phone using a credit card.

Our toll-free number is: 1-800-858-6670

Everyone's Corvette is special, now you can make that print a real keepsake.

One last thing, we also have over 240 nostalgia drag racing and muscle car prints at Scott's "Motorhead Shop" website. Stop by for a look-see.

Suggestions Anyone???

Since The Illustrated Corvette Series started in the Spring of '97, it has been telling the chronological history of the Corvette. Beginning this September, the series will be covering interesting famous racing Vettes, specialty Vettes, and some of the more obscure prototype and show Vettes, such as the '63 4-seater Sting Ray prototype and the 1954 Nomad.

This should be a lot of fun, as there's always a good story behind race cars, prototypes, and show cars.

So, if you have a suggestion for something that you'd like to see in the series, please e-mail me at:

lightoak@comcast.net. I'm open to all suggestions.

Well, that's all folks! If you live north of the Mason-Dixon line, you're in for the long, cold haul to Spring. It's a perfect time to surf the net and read all about the latest offering from the Bow Tie Boys. Be sure to check out the magazine stands for the flood of '09 ZR1 coverage. It's going to be a lot of fun.

As always, drive safe, be careful on the ladder with those holiday lights, and Save the Wave!

Scott