AUTO CAR ZONE

2013 Chevrolet Corvette

Older and is not a traditional sports car. For 59 years, builds the Chevrolet Corvette.


In 1953, Chevrolet oneself against radical roadsters by American standards. Two years earlier, the legendary designer Harley Earl, GMs chief executive, who had invented the tail fin, in a race in the Chevrolet Corvette: unrecognized ModellathletWatkins Glen is an elegant open two-seater Jaguar dropped into the eye, the XK 120th To develop the new athletes can really secretly, gave the project the code name "Opel". After the start of series production, the demand was for the two-seater, however limited. An ancient pre-war six-cylinder brought by far not the performance that could be expected to form. Only from 1955 the career of the oldest and most successful sports car in the world was right to ride as General Motors "small block" V8 introduced. The technically simple eight-cylinder with a central camshaft between the cylinder banks and the control valve became instantly using push rod to the standard engine in the Corvette.

2013 Chevrolet Corvette

Currently, the Corvette is the sixth generation. The C6 has developed to date for the highly talented sports equipment. The 4.44-meter-long two-seater coupe and the convertible is a "convertible" available. The "Small Block" with its eight combustion units has reached 6.2 liters. What not the end of the story is, because the Z06 performance version brings it to a flat seven liters. The "base Vette" appeals to the heart and ignorance with 321 kW/437 hp. As the only 1461 pounds, a maximum of two people and move full tank 69 liter fuel must be the amino snaps from a standing start in 4.5 seconds to 100 kph, and provides exactly 300 km / h.
How to childhood, the eight-cylinder engine is content with one central camshaft and only two valves per cylinder, the unabated get their power via push rods. Despite alloy for block and head, forged pistons and titanium connecting rods for the Z06, the spoiled of many valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and twin-turbo European sports car enthusiast is still inclined Chevrolet Corvette: turn up to unrecognized model athlete a nose on the American "stone-age technology."
The performance of the V8 is completely flawless. The fact that a displacement dertiger automatically generates a torque-like steam engines, illustrated by a numerical comparison. The Corvette is from 4 600 r / min 575 Nm available, the current Porsche 911 Carrera with 257 kW/350 hp, the sheet has 390 Nm at 5 600 r / min. Thanks to the extremely high-ratio sixth gear of the Chevrolet Corvette circuit can relax and move long distances especially amazing frugal. What are the trade journal "auto motor und sport" demonstrated impressive in its issue 11/2012. An editor put the 622 kilometers from Stuttgart to the editors at Lausitzring quite speedy return ride with 56 liters. Which corresponds to a practical use of nine liters per 100 kilometers.

The Swabian car magazine had ennobled the Corvette already in issue 8/2012. The tester had the Z06 with 377 kW/512 hp Vresion strengthened in a comparison test with the 380 kW/517 hp Mercedes C 63 AMG is sent. The American sports car decided not only for the comparison test, he presented with a stopping distance of 30.5 meters from 100 km to the best brake test point in the history of the magazine.