GM’s upcoming Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was at Laguna Seca Raceway today for a couple hot laps between American Le Mans Series practice sessions and we’re told it’s already been put back on the trailer to head back to Detroit. Luckily, we were trackside to get this exclusive shot (bottom two shots courtesy of the American Le Mans Series). While this prototype still wears some of its masking, it’s the clearest shot we have yet of what the production Corvette ZR1 will look like.
What do we know so far about the Corvette ZR1? We know it will be producing some 650 horses from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine and massive carbon ceramic brakes may very well be used to keep that power under control. Carbon fiber is reportedly being used heavily in the body of the car to reduce weight, with A and B pillars as well as the blacked-out roof being made out of the lightweight yet massively strong material.
Best guesses are that the Corvette ZR1 will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in under 3.5 seconds and will hit a top speed of over 200 mph. Heady stuff. The official ZR1 debut will come in January 2008 at the Detroit Auto Show with a production launch later in the year as a 2009 model at a price that will likely be upwards of $100,000.
Click on image above for high-res gallery of the Roush P-51A Mustang
var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/motorsport/ROUSH_P_51A_Mustang_takes_inspiration_from_WW2_fighter_plane’; Say what you want about all the numerous types of Mustangs, but you have to admit that this is one that deserves the attention. Roush’s latest Mustang, the P-51A, is the most powerful one to date at 510 horsepower and 510 lb-ft torque, and features styling cues based off of the P-51 fighter plane that played a key role in World War II. The new Mustang features completely forged internals including pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft that allows for higher horsepower from a brand new supercharger system. The 3-year/36,000 mile warranty is also retained on this macho muscle car. Visually the P-51A is a stunner, with a Roush body kit, black high flow grille, a silver and green paint scheme replicating the airplane, and red and yellow shields that pay tribute to the 357th Fighters Group. Only 100 will be produced at a price tag just north of $65,000. Seeing how Roush hasn’t had a problem quickly selling out of its previous special edition Mustangs, we’d venture to guess that this one will go pretty quickly, as well.
Gallery: ROUSH P-51A Mustang
Stop by AmericanMuscle.com and check out their large selection of Mustang Stickers
Road & Track has given the Shelby Super Snake its very first thrashing, and the first impression is good. For $28,000 over the price of a GT500 KR (R&T’s as-tested price was $70,670), you get 50 more horses, two tenths taken off the 0-60, three tenths off the quarter and half a G more on the skidpad. You also get a lot of Shelby parts, Shelby build quality, Baer 6-piston stoppers, some carbon fiber body panels, and a juggernaut of a car that’s still under the manufacturer warranty.
How’s it drive? The Pirellis on the car apparently can’t handle the power as well as RT would have liked, but what tire could? And Shelby is working on a stickier tire anyway. Outside of that, the verdict is yes. The car rips, roars, and snorts with all appropriate aplomb and vitesse. Speaking of roaring, RT does mention that conversations at speed can be challenging because of gear whine that causes 80 dBA of cacophony at 70 MPH. But the car does come with a 500-watt sound system, which should make enough noise to cancel that out. As if you’d really want to. Click the link to get the rest of the story.
Click image for live HF-S Concept gallery from SEMA
Honda’s Accord Coupe has barely hit the pavement and we’re already seeing what the platform can host in terms of modifications. Today at SEMA Honda showed off a BMW M6-like Accord Coupe HF-S Concept that looks extremely hot (may be those lights) and features a retuned throttle, suspension and exhaust. You can see the full list of upgrades by viewing the placard, but it’s basically a carbon fiber and body color aero kit that really makes the shape pop. This particular Accord Coupe was built by Honda Access America, Inc., Honda’s U.S. accessory development team, so it is conceivable that you could replicate it for yourself. We would highly recommend it.
Follow the jump for the brief press release and check out the gallery for some lives shots.
SEMA 2007: Honda Accord Coupe HFP Concept you can build yourself
Click image for live gallery of the Honda Coupe HFP from SEMA
The second accessorized Accord from Honda is the Accord Coupe HFP Concept. This is the one that you can replicate with a careful parts checking in the Honda Factory Performance accessory catalog, not the HF-S as we previously reported. This red sample looked pretty good, but not nearly as racy as the HF-S. After the jump you’ll find the limited press release and a photo of the placard that provides details about what specific mods this coupe is sporting that you can buy for your own coupe. As we pointed out earlier, the great thing about factory accessories is that if you have the dealer affix them to your car, they carry a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.
