I got an email back from Corvette regarding the Skull logo on the ZR-1 and I have to say that that the story behind it IS actually quite interesting.
Short story is this. It is an homage to the ZR1 Corvette’s racing heritage. It is the official logo of Corvette Racing. Long story is as follows.
The smirking skull is called “Jake.” The Corvette Racing team had been using various ’skull’ iconography for a while in various ways, but the guys at BadBoyVettes.com felt that there was a need for a proper logo. This is a scan of the original napkin design from that came from a night at the bar after the 2004 LeMans drawn up by Bad Boy Vettes while sitting with the Corvette Racing team. Since then the logo has been on the C6.R b-pillar as the official “mascot.”
According to BadBoyVettes, Chief Engineer Tom Wallace, “saw the crossed flags on the ZR1’s supercharger along with the conventionally placed ones on the nose and the intake snorkel he balked at the 3x arrangement. His solution? Honor the ZR1 connection to its racing roots and replace one set of flags with the embossed Corvette Racing skull.”
What is really cool is that later they invited the guys from BadBoyVettes to see a preview of the production ZR1 and popped the hood to show them their logo on the air intake. The full story can be found here. Congrats guys. Very cool to find your design inside of the fastest production American muscle car ever.
The new Corvette ZR1 has a subtle design element that quietly speaks volumes. When you peak under the hood you see the awesome LS9 from the standard Corvette with a hi-tech supercharger strapped onto the top. Normally in a Corvette you see the the “twin flag” emblem all over the place. It is on the hood, under the hood, on the steering wheel, on the door sills, on the wheels, and on the floor. The ZR1 is no exception to this except that when you lift the hood, instead of seeing the standard twin flags on the airbox you see the twinflags making the eyes of an extremely stylized skull.
Now that is tough. This seems to represent only one possible thing. That the ZR1 means death. The 620hp in this 3300 lb car are meant to destroy the competition. There is no doubt that the Vette is going to take down the Viper throne, which it currently only holds in terms of American power. The Z06 has always been hoping to wrestle with the Porsche 911 Turbo which it has always fallen behind, but with this new Corvette rendition we will have to see.
The Corvette ZR1 is basically the fastest, most powerful, production corvette in history. That is the short story. The long story is that the ZR1 is so heavily modified from its origin that it is almost a completely different car altogether.
The ZR1 is targeting 100hp / liter making 620 hp at 6500 rpm and hits 585 lb-ft of torque at 4000rpm. Those numbers are high but get this. From 2600 to 6000 rpm you will have 90% of the torque available. With that much low end torque, I am imagining this to be a great car for power in the twisties. The horsepower starts to really kick in at around 3000 rpms with 300hp right in the middle and it just keeps climbing from there.
You might notice the brakes on this beast. They are Brembo 15.5 inch carbon-ceramic rotors on the front and 15″ on the back. That is a $20,000 option on a Ferrari. Impressive to say the least. There should be no question of its stopping abitily.
There is plenty more to discuss involving the ZR1 and so we will continue to cover it. Right now it looks plain awesome. Somehow I think I need to talk my wife into taking out a few mortgages against the house as well as convincing her that 110hp is completely inadequate for our growing family and that 620 would be far more reasonable. I am sure she will understand the need for a $100,000 Corvette when I tell her that it is the best one yet.
Allen: I concur! If the devil had to drive a new production car, I’m pretty sure this would be it. The ZR1 Skull just adds to the attention to detail that Chevy has put into its high performance car for years, turning an already awesome car into something sinister. That little skull screams “Death to all who oppose the mighty ZR1″ with its half grin.
As for Austin taking out a second, third, and four mortage for the ZR1, I’m all for it but you might have to explain to your daughter why she gets left behind. Even with its $100,000 price tag they still didn’t make the ZR1 with a back seat.
I’ve been noticing an increasing trend in some of the import cars. The front end of the cars seem to be similar to a degree that I almost feel like manufacures are loosing thier individuallity.
Interview with the representative from G2 Cycles. Allen: I wanted to put into perspective the performance of this vehicle. The Ferrari Enzo, your modern day super-car, can take a turn at 1.02 Gs. Why is 1 G important? Continue reading →
On sale in the spring of 2008, the 1 Series Coupe will be available in two versions; the 128i and the 135i. Powered by a 3.0-liter, 230 horsepower inline 6-cyinder engine that generates 200 lb-ft of torque, the 128i Coupe will feature Valvetronic valvetrain management and aluminum/magnesium construction—core elements of BMW’s EfficientDynamics. The powerful 135i Coupe features BMW’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and an incredible 300 lb-ft of torque from as low as 1,400 rpm. With its direct piezo gasoline injectors, twin low-mass turbochargers and air-to-air intercooling, optimum performance and economy is achieved with no loss in engine response. For the 135i Coupe, acceleration from 0-62 mph is accomplished in 5.3 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Both engines feature on-demand engine coolant pumps that improve fuel economy and reduce parasitic losses for increased output.
In order to reflect the wide variety of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles, the focus of the new design will be on uniform imagery. In future the various communications activities will not only feature images of automobiles, but also photos of architecture, people and landscapes. Generous compositions with unusual perspectives and specific use of lighting will create excitement and illustrate the personality of the brand. Vitality and dynamism are major components of the visual idiom, as are the inventive use of focal depth and unfocused images. Continue reading →
Finally after a long wait, the official images have been release of the 2009 Nissan GT-R.
The long awaited supercar is believed to have a 3.8L V6 pushing around 450 horsepower to all four wheels although official specs will not be announced until the Tokyo Auto Show.
According to Nissan the GT-R will have a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and can complete the 1/4 mile in only 11.7 seconds. This makes for one freaking fast car.
ATLANTA, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 - Porsche underlines the real sporty edge of its successful Cayenne series with the addition of a new model to be unveiled at the Frankfurt International Auto Show next week and going on sale in 2008: the Cayenne GTS boasts a specially developed chassis with permanent all-wheel drive, a V8 engine that offers a sizeable increase in horsepower and for the first time in North America will be available with a six-speed manual transmission. Continue reading →
The highly anticipated Lancer EVO x (10) is now for sale in Japan. Its bigger and a little softer, but should still be a whole lot of fun. I am really psyched about driving this. I am eager to pair it up against the new STI.
“The development goal for the new Lancer Evolution X was to make the car as fast as possible, while also making it as safe to drive as possible. To that end Lancer Evolution X is loaded with the very latest in automotive engineering technology, including the S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) vehicle dynamics control system and the newly developed, power-efficient Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission).”
Here it is. The brand new Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Like all of the WRXs before it, I have mixed opinions on the styling. I imagine in a year or two I will be completely in love with it. It has taken me at least a year to actually like the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI (I didn’t quite like the Tri-grill.). This grill looks better, but it feels similar to a Civic SI. The new 2008 Subaru reminds me of the Lexus IS300 (which I personal like better then the latest model of the IS in terms of looks) five door wagon but with a bit more flare. The wide body of the Subaru, to my surprise, flows almost seamlessly into the tail lights from the fender vents. Yes, I actually like the fender vents on the fender for a couple of reasons. One they are subtle and not flashy, and the other reason is they are functional like everything that Subaru designs into a vehicle. I can’t wait to see one up close and personal. You know, it might not take me a year to be fond of this model year.
but the guys at BadBoyVettes.com felt that there was a need for a proper logo. This is a scan of the original napkin design from that came from a night at the bar after the 2004 LeMans drawn up by Bad Boy Vettes while sitting with the Corvette Racing team. Since then the logo has been on the C6.R b-pillar as the official “mascot.”
