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2008 427 Limited Edition Corvettes
Giclee prints (pronounced "gee-clay") are high-quality prints made on heavy Somerset watercolor paper with museum-quality inks. The prints look as if they are original works of art produced on watercolor paper and are available on the four sizes listed below. Order with the secure PayPal system or with a credit card by calling:
Color 11x17 Laser Prints: $24.95 + $4.95 S&H Order with the secure PayPal system or with a credit card by calling:
Here's the Story... The next time you’re admiring one of those ’66-’69 427 Corvette beauties, give a big thank-you to NASCAR. “What?” you ask. “Corvettes never raced in NASCAR.” True enough, but the top-secret “Mark II” 427 was Chevy’s answer to the big-block engines that powered the dominant Fords, Mopars, and Pontiacs in the NASCAR races of the early ‘60s. When it became clear that its small-block Impalas could no longer keep up with the competition, Chevy responded with the Z11 427 - essentially a 409 truck engine with a longer stroke. What is more commonly known as the Chevy big-block began in July ‘62 as a project helmed by Chevy engineer Dick Keinath. The engine was known internally as the Mark II, but the auto press called it “Chevy’s Mystery Motor.” The bottom end of the block was similar to that of the 409, but it was the cylinder heads that made the mojo. The new free-flowing heads had staggered valves that looked as if they were pointing in all directions, earning the motor the additional nickname, “The Porcupine.” The Mark II produced over 500 horsepower, more than enough for Smokey Yunick’s Impala at the ‘63 Daytona 500. The car had problems but shattered several speed records and garnered a lot of attention in the process. All this made for great magazine copy until GM proclaimed, “We don’t race” and canceled the Mark II project. Still, the new big-block was a runner, and Corvette product planners were looking for a way to make power than could be squeezed from the fuel-injected 327. Chief of Corvette Engineering Zora Arkus-Duntov didn’t like the new engine, as it ran counter to his lightweight philosophy for sports cars and racing. The total big-block package added 150 pounds to the car, mostly to the front end. Duntov lost this battle, but buyers won a big boost under the hood. Creating a production big-block Corvette involved a lot more than just dropping in a new engine. Here’s a list of the basic parts that needed to be modified or added: a new hood for engine clearance, a wider radiator, a larger fan and radiator shroud, a revised crossmember, stiffer front springs and a larger sway bar, a stronger clutch, heavy-duty rear axle shafts and universal joints, an improved Positraction differential, a new rear anti-sway bar, and host of smaller details. Print ads announced the new big-block this way: “You have heard the rumors, now hear this...There is a Turbo-Jet 396 from Chevrolet.” The production big-block had arrived, though not as a 427. In order to comply with GM’s policy of not offering cars with engines over 400 cubic inches, the first version displaced 396 ci. Conservatively rated at 425-horsepower (450 was closer to the real figure), the $292 L78 option had 50 more horses than the $538 fuel-injected 327. Obviously, it was the end of the line for the famous fuelie. With the new off-road sidepipes, the ’65 big-block Vette had lots of bark and bite. The following year, GM dropped all pretense and boosted the big-block’s displacement to a more appropriate 427 ci. And to prove that the engine could be civilized, the hydraulic-lifter L36 provided 390 hp without the solid-lifter hassle. Then, in ’67, Chevy created another Corvette legend—the 435hp L71, topped with three 2-barrel carburetors and a large, triangular air cleaner. In addition to the iron L71, Chevy would develop three other variations on the 427 theme. These included the aluminum-headed L88 and L89, as well as the ultra-exotic, all-aluminum ZL1. Now let’s fast-forward 40 years from the first 427 Corvette to the ‘06 LS7-powered Z06. Although considered a small-block engine, the high-tech LS7 shares nothing with its SBC predecessors. Packing 505 net hp (at least 600 horses by the old “gross” rating system) the C6 Z06 can click off high 11s in the quarter-mile all day long, with the air conditioning and CD player running. The ‘08 427 Special Edition Z06 Corvette is a trim-only package that uses the same hardware as a regular Z06. The $12,920 option comes with Crystal Red Tintcoat paint, “stinger” hood graphics and 427 badge, exclusive 10-spoke chrome wheels, a body-colored rear spoiler and door handles, “427” embroidery on the seats and floormats, and Z06 door plates. Additionally, every car is signed and numbered by recently retired Corvette plant manager Wil Cooksey. The production run is limited to 427 units domestically and 78 imports, for a total of 505—the same as the LS7’s output rating. Corvettes have a long history of being bold, fast, and uniquely American. The 427 Special Edition Z06 fits right into that tradition. - K. Scott Teeters |
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