So..this is the same as you can get with the Z51 upgrade kit which will work on all C6?

 

Many thanks for your fine coverage of this event but the above regarding performance IMO makes waiting for the first legitimate info on the C7 facts ,pics ,and figures worth the wait. .All these add ons be it nice but at the end of the day if you are already are the owner of a C6, will be what is in your garage weather you keep your current one or take a beating trading it in,in my case a Z for a Z? Not worth the beat down.Hope they continue to listen during the final design phase of the C7 and utilize state of the art options such as those introduced at this Bash.

 

I agree. Trade in is brutal however it will be worse when the C7 arrives. I think the marketing guys will largely determine when the C7 is coming out. It will be a closely held secret since if they said it was coming next year sales would suffer on the 2011 model. However with so many vehicles playing in the 400 HP plus arena I think they missed the boat by not providing some HP gains for 2011.

 

The Corvette still has the upper hand in power to weight ratio with the Mustang GT at 3,603 pounds and even using 450 HP is about 8.0 lbs per HP while the Vette at 3,311 lbs and using 436 is at 7.59 lbs per HP. But a nice round 450 HP would be nice.

 

John, Missed being there this year to see you and that fine machine you have. I hope to be there next year!! Tim

 

Thanks Paul for the great photos and information.

 

Really like the Alacantara "suede like" accents on the seat inserts, console cover and steering wheel as well as the contrasting top stitching.

Like the choices available for the headlamps.

Not feeling the new "orange", but someone will like it I'm sure.

The new 5 Star wheels look dated as if they were a last minute afterthought.........cmon guys; you can do better than that!

 

Many good reasons for us to trade up to a 2011!

 

You and me both,, time really flys

 

Amen. I'm telling you - this is a major -f-up for the Corvette. It was noted elsewhere that the average age of the Vette buyer is now 55. It may be too expensive for the younger crowd, but at least it was a dream/aspiration car. Now, staying at 436HP compared to Mustangs and the upcoming Camaro Z28, it is also becoming irrelevant. The Corvette team is backing themselves into a corner by waiting another year (or more) to boost the Vette performance. The prestige of a Vette is dropping faster than the value of a Greek bond.

I was think of buying a 2011 GS, if the HP was bumped (as it should have been last year!) - but now not likely.

 

You're making much ado about nothing. Even if they had bumped the 2011 to say, 450 or 460 horsepower, how different do you really think such an engine would feel vs. an LS3? There's a lot more to performance than horsepower; don't ignore the improvements that have been made for 2011.

 

I was at the bash and thoroughly enjoyed it. I did leave early Saturday morning to avoid the horrible weather moving in and glad I did!

Here are some observations:

1.) The Corvette engineers and marketing guys are REALLY into the Corvette and want to make it the best it can be!

2.) They do listen to the customers. I spent well over an hour talking to one of the engineers and he answered any question I had.

3.) I asked Tadge to autograph my fuel rail covers, along with Lee Mathews and Wil Cooksey and they graciously did!

4.) The Corvette Museum is awesome. I have been there before the expansion and it is greatly improved!

5.) The Corvette Museum crew does need to plan the event a little better. For example: On Thursday morning for the detailing clinic they had customers cars, waiting to be detailed for delivery, blocking the way to the area of the presentation. We were asked to be careful walking around them.

The presenter did not have a table to set his props and items on. The presenter did an excellent job, but had he had an area to work in (open area and no customer cars around to avoid) and a table for his training aids, it would have been much better.

During the unveiling of the limited edition Carbon Z06 (which I believe had the Z07 package- ZR1 rotors, brakes, wheels, in addition to the other "carbon" package items) Tadge did not have a microphone and had to yell to the crowd. When the Executive Director of the NCM showed up he even made a comment about a $10 million renovation and they should have spent a few more thousand for a microphone.

I did ask Harlon why they didn't offer the Z-51 as a stand alone package for those who don't like the gills on the Grand Sport (like me!). He didn't have an answer and I'd have to say that he probably never thought of it. He said "just buy a Grand Sport". But I mentioned I don't like the gills. He suggested I buy a Z06. But I want a removable roof! (Hopefully, they were listening on this topic)

I did the factory tour again (I took a VIP tour a few years ago) and on this tour they didn't have a tour guide, but after the safety briefing let you walk through on your own (within the green tour area) at your own pace. This was great, as you could spend as much time as you want in any area. They did have stationary guides along the way to make sure you didn't stray away or go into areas that weren't safe or part of the tour and could answer some questions. The workers were fantastic and took the time to speak to you and were friendly. The line was moving at a rate of 8 cars per hour and the work force was minimal. Most workers were doing multiple jobs. This is a big departure from my previous tour where one worker was doing roughly one job.

Anyway, long story short the Corvette engineers are GREAT and they listen and care! The museum is fantastic! The factory tour is amazing.

I have a lot of photo's, but haven't figured out how to post them (why can't it be easier??)

Glen

 

That is correct Tom, the tender is a universal accessory.

 

1, No unfortunately the A6 features can not be incorporated in to an earlier A6. No plans to update the transmission from previous years.

2. The MSRC system on the ZR1 is exclusive to the ZR1. The Z06 version is similar and the other models are yet again, similar. Some of the upgrades that came about from the ZR1 package were incorporated in to the software of the other MSRC controllers but not all is what I have been told. Each of the suspension systems on their specific models are tuned for those cars with (in some cases) subtleties and in other cases more advanced software (like in the case of the ZR1). They all use the same basic premise in the magneto-rheological fluid and magnetic controls but the characteristics of those systems vary by model.

Ron, that particular car was a prototype build and it was made in Detroit for the Bash. It just didn't get the steering wheel controls, they will have it going forward as far as I know.

 

As noted, it is going to work in any Corvette.

 

Exactly correct. They are now just a free form option available for any one with any trim level and suspension option to order on the base C6 coupe and convertible.

 

Thanks Paul,Your replies and contributions are greatly appreciated!!



Ron

 

Mike's got it. The only thing worth adding is that this feature has been incorporated in some of the 2010 cars. It was introduced as a running change and presented for 2011. Some of you lucky 2010 owers actually have it all ready. You get to it by putting the car in to competition mode and you should feel the required steering force increase.

 

The USB port and auxilliary in are additions to the current navigation radio format. The USB port is acutally a pretty neat option. Not only can you plug your iPod in (it charges as well) but you can put any USB based storage device (like a thumb drive for example) and it will bring up the list of audio on the navigation screen so you can select your songs. Not quite as advanced with the search capabilities as the PAL has but it is still a pretty nice addition. The auxiliary in jack is just the same as the 2008 and up non-nav radios. It gives you the ability to plug in anything with a headphone jack using a male to male 3.5mm phono plug. It does not allow for any control of the device, it simply plays whatever is coming out of the headphone jack over the cars speakers.

 

Sorry if I missed it, but I like those seats with the alcantara. Do you know if they'll be available for purchase (the skins), like the current seat covers are? Also, will any of them have different colored inserts, or just different stitching color?

Ideally, I'd love to get my hands on a set of those with red stitching and red alcantara inserts (I have the factory black and red leather now). Mmmmm.