Why do we bring up the 420 horsepower special edition now? Because Leno just took delivery of it. The latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage pours over every last detail of the car before hitting the road.
We like the idea of a better-handling, more track-focused Camaro, and while the Camaro ZL1 has scratched that itch for plenty of people, Leno's V6 bruiser is very cool.
Courtesy of Auto Blog
Welcome to Hamtramck, a city within the heart of Detroit and home of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant where the Chevrolet Volt is produced. "Recharging Hamtramck" is a documentary that unveils the core values that drive the residents of this town as they look forward to a bright future.
On this day in 1959, Lee Petty defeats Johnny Beauchamp in a photo finish at the just-opened Daytona International Speedway in Florida to win the first-ever Daytona 500. The race was so close that Beauchamp was initially named the winner by William France, the owner of the track and head of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). However, Petty, who was driving a hardtop Oldsmobile 88, challenged the results and three days later, with the assistance of news photographs, he was officially named the champ. There was speculation that France declared Beauchamp the winner in order to intentionally stir up controversy and generate publicity for his new race track.
Today, the 200-lap, 500-mile Daytona 500 is one of auto racing's premiere events and the first race of the NASCAR season. France, a gas station owner and racing promoter, officially co-founded NASCAR in Daytona Beach in 1948. The following year, Lee Petty, a mechanic from North Carolina, began his racing career at the age of 35. He went on to win more than 50 races on NASCAR's Grand National circuit (subsequently known as the Winston Cup from 1971 to 2003, the NEXTEL Cup from 2004 to 2007 and the Sprint Cup from 2008 onward) and three championships before being seriously injured in a crash during a qualifying event at Daytona in 1961. Following the crash, Petty drove in a handful of races before retiring from competition in 1964. He went on to found Petty Enterprises, which became NASCAR's oldest and most successful racing team. In January 2009, Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and became Richard Petty Motorsports.
Petty's son, Richard (1937- ) became one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times between 1964 and 1981. Richard Petty's sixth victory at Daytona, in 1979, also marked the first time the race was shown live, flag-to-flag, on television. Due to a snowstorm on the East Coast, a larger-than-anticipated TV audience tuned in to the race, which included a memorable fistfight between drivers Cale Yarborough and brothers Donnie and Bobby Allison, and the broadcast was a key moment in NASCAR's rise to become one of America's most popular spectator sports.
The Petty racing dynasty also includes Richard's son, Kyle Petty, and Adam Petty, Kyle's son, who died at the age of 19 in a crash at the New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000. Adam's great-grandfather, Lee Petty, had died less than a month earlier, on April 5, at the age of 86.
Courtesy of History.com
After hours of track tuning and vehicle development, watch the Camaro ZL1 take on the Nurburgring in this final installment of exclusive ZL1 videos.
Join the Camaro community at http://www.facebook.com/chevycamaro, and learn more about the Camaro ZL1 at http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro-zl1-performance-sports-car/.Introducing the most capable Corvette convertible ever created: the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible. You don't have to take our word for it, though. Tommy Milner, 2011 24-Hours of Le Mans Class Winner, shows off just what it means to be the car that really has it all.
To connect with the Corvette community, visit http://www.facebook.com/corvette. To learn more about the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible and other Corvette models, visit http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette.
On February 15, 1998, after 20 years of trying, racing great Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally wins his first Daytona 500, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) season opener and an event dubbed the "Super Bowl of stock car racing." Driving his black No. 3 Chevrolet, Earnhardt recorded an average speed of 172.712 mph and took home a then-record more than $1 million in prize money. Following his victory, crews from competing teams lined the pit road at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, to congratulate Earnhardt, who drove his car onto the grass and did several celebratory doughnuts, or circles.
Earnhardt, whose tough, aggressive driving style earned him the nickname "The Intimidator," was born on April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The son of a racecar driver, the younger Earnhardt dropped out of high school to follow in his father's footsteps. He went on to become one of NASCAR's most successful and respected drivers, with 76 career victories, including seven Winston Cup (now known as the Sprint Cup) Series championships, a record he shares with Richard Petty. Despite his success as a driver, victory at the Daytona 500--a 200-lap, 500-mile event first held in 1959--eluded Earnhardt for years. At the 1997 Daytona 500, Earnhardt's car flipped upside down on the backstretch; however, he managed to escape serious injury.
His win in February 1998 represented Earnhardt's sole Daytona victory. Tragically, on February 18, 2001, Earnhardt died at the age of 49 during a crash at that year's 43rd Daytona 500. After being cut from his car, he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead of head injuries. As it happened, the race which cost Earnhardt his life was won by Michael Waltrip, who was driving for the Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) racing team. Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr., also a DEI driver at the time, took second place. Three years later, on February 15, 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Daytona 500, with an average speed of 156.341 mph.
Courtesy of History.com
PHILADELPHIA — Bruce Springsteen's 1960 Chevrolet Corvette will be one of the key pieces at a new exhibit celebrating the American songwriter that kicks off on Friday at the National Constitution Center.
Springsteen, the working-class guy from New Jersey who has chronicled the American dream in songs ranging from Born to Run to Promised Land, bought the vintage Corvette in 1975, after the success of Born To Run.
The classic Corvette is one of more than 150 artifacts from the musician's career. Springsteen wrote many of his songs about his experiences in and around his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. The National Constitution Center, which is devoted to the U.S. Constitution, describes Springsteen as an artist who has "pushed the boundaries of the First Amendment."
"Bruce Springsteen's music is all about achieving the American dream," said David Eisner, the museum's president and CEO in a video on its Web site.
<p>Introducing "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen" from National Constitution Center on Vimeo.</p>
The exhibit, which was created by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, also includes Springsteen's Fender Esquire from the cover of Born to Run, along with family photos and his 1993 Academy Award for Best Original Song for Streets of Philadelphia.
The exhibit runs until September 3.
Courtesy of Inside Line
Don't Just Turn It Off; Fix the Problem
When your car's "Check Engine" light comes on, it's usually accompanied by a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. The light could mean a costly problem, like a bad catalytic converter, or it could be something minor, like a loose gas cap. But in many cases, it means at minimum that you'll be visiting the car dealer to locate the malfunction and get the light turned off.
The Check Engine light — more formally known as the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) — is a signal from the car's engine computer that something is wrong. The car dealer's service department can diagnose the problem.
The Check Engine light can even be turned off by some code readers, even though this action alone does not actually repair the underlying problem. In many such cases the light will simply come back on later.
Experts say that many drivers confuse the "service required" light on the gauge cluster for the Check Engine light. These warning lights are unrelated. The service required light just means the car is due for an oil change or other routine maintenance. It is not the indicator of trouble that the Check Engine light is.
Check Engine lights come in orange, yellow or amber, depending on the manufacturer. If the light begins flashing, however, it indicates a more serious problem, such as a misfire that can quickly overheat the catalytic converter. These emissions devices operate at high temperatures to cut emissions, but can pose a fire hazard if faulty.
Don't Ignore That Light
So if the Check Engine light comes on and it's steady rather than flashing, what do you do? The most obvious answer, of course, is to get the engine checked. But many people do nothing, perhaps fearing an expensive repair bill. Some drivers with older cars want to squeeze out as many remaining miles as possible without visiting a service garage. But before they can pass their state's vehicle inspection, they have to get the light turned off. And a state inspection is a good motivator for dealing with the problem. If the light is lit, there's a good chance the car is releasing excess pollutants or consuming too much gas.
Ten percent of all cars on the road have a Check Engine light on, and the drivers of half of these cars have ignored the light for more than three months, says Kristin Brocoff, a spokesperson for CarMD.com.
Courtesy of Edmunds
The new music video from OK Go, made in partnership with Chevrolet. OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording. There are no ringers or stand-ins; Damian took stunt driving lessons. Each piano had the lowest octaves tuned to the same note so that they'd play the right note no matter where they were struck. For more information and to download the studio version of the song for free, visit http://www.LetsDoThis.com/stunts and http://www.okgo.net. Many thanks to Chevy for believing in and supporting such an insane and ambitious project, and to Gretsch for providing the guitars and amps.
Director: Brian L. Perkins & Damian Kulash, Jr.
Best Resale Value Awards are yet another accolade in a stellar model year
Resale value. We understand that it’s a critical factor driving people’s decisions on what new vehicle to buy.
At Chevy, it means designing, engineering and producing vehicles that perform beyond expectations now and maintain their quality and value over the long haul. It’s because of this dedication that five of our 2012 vehicles received the Best Resale Value Award by Kelley Blue Book.
The 2012 Chevy winners by category are:
Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com says consumer research is especially important during tough economic times.
“When keeping every dollar in your wallet as possible, car buyers should carefully review this year’s 2012 Best Resale Value award winners,” Nerad said.
At Chevy we’re learned that even small changes can lead to big improvements.
For example, the Camaro V6 — the only winner in the best sports car category — now features a 323-horsepower V6 as its base engine for improved performance. Its sister model and winner in the high-performance category, Camaro SS, broke with tradition offering a multi-link rear suspension instead of a live axle to improve handling on twisting roads. The gas-electric Volt (available to order at participating dealers) and Traverse — winners in the electric and full-size SUV categories — have also ventured away from traditional thinking to meet the changing needs of drivers.
“Vehicle depreciation is a new-car buyer’s biggest expense, yet many shoppers don’t realize that resale value information is available for free on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com”, Nerad said. “Taking the time to research and choose vehicle makes, models and options wisely now can help new-car shoppers get as much money as possible when they sell or trade-in the vehicle in the future.”
To Chevy, the greatest reward is that drivers can turn to us knowing they will get the best value. That’s why we continue to push ourselves to improve each and every model every year. We don’t do it for awards, but it is nice to have something shiny to put on the shelves.
Courtesy of Chevrolet
1) Replace the fancy gasoline with low-octane fuel
In filling up your car , make sure to buy the lowest grade of gasoline. However, choose the most appropriate gas for your automobile. Knowing which fuel works best for your car is always located in your owner's manual. Look it up.
Filling up your car with premium gasoline, even if it can be filled with low-octane fuel, is just a waste of money. Besides, not buying the high-octane gasoline won't boost your car's performance, anyway.
2) Remember to tighten the gas cap
Gas naturally evaporates from your car when the gas tank has an escape. According to the statistics, over 145 million gallons of gas evaporate yearly due to missing, damaged and loose gas caps. Why be one of those careless car owners? Tighten those gas caps now.
3) Air conditioning and shade
During summer, the intense sun can evaporate fuel instantly and make the insides of your car burn your skin up. For this reason, parking your car in the shade can be an effective gas-saving routine.
Besides, once you've parked your car in a shady place, using the gas-hogging air conditioning can be counted out. Just remember that air conditioning can drag your car's fuel economy by 10 to 20 percent.
However, when air conditioning is necessary, cool your car down by opening the windows, vents and sunroof. Turning on the air conditioning at full blast once you go into your car will definitely waste your money and gas.
4) Engine Care
A car that is out of tune or failed an emission test can drag your gas mileage down to up to 4 percent. Regular tune-ups as well as spark plug and air filter replacements can provide your car with over 30 percent of fuel efficiency.
5) Fast Cars with good mileage
Buying cars with a good mileage is probably the most important tip in saving money on gas. To know which car provides good gas mileage, check with an unbiased car dealer.
Believe it or not, these five simple routines can stretch up your gas dollar. Try it now and let it become your daily habit.
Courtesy of Fast Lanes
"Great place and great cars." - Kylie
The Chevrolet Sonic has been busy lately – taking part in a host of adventurous activities like sky diving, bungee jumping, kickflipping, and making a music video. We've seen snippets of a lot of the extreme sports activities the Sonic hatch has been involved in, but we have yet to see the music video for OK Go and its song "Needing/Getting." However, Chevy has just released a teaser to whet our appetites.
If you're hungry for more, check out what these masters of choreography are capable of!
