For those Corvette C5 owners that think their cars could do with a little aero improvements, German aftermarket specialist Wittera has the answer: a new widebody aero package along with a light tuning program.

The widebody kit is offered in either carbon fiber or high-grade glass fiber-reinforced plastic, the latter of which undergoes a special process the company calls tempering. This means parts are heated to exactly 65° C (149 ° F) and then cooled down in a mold for 25 minutes in order to increase resistance and avoid cracks. The carbon fiber parts are 20 percent lighter than those made from glass fiber-reinforced plastic.

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The Chevrolet brand turns 100 this year, and unlike some people that like to hide their age after a certain point, the automaker is out to tell the world. Among the many celebrations planned for this occasion is the presentation a special 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette with a black color scheme and unique design elements.

“Racing and performance are the roots of Chevrolet, a tradition carried forward today by Corvette,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The Centennial Edition not only celebrates our 100 years, it once again pushes Corvette forward for a new generation of sports car fans.”

The 2012 Centennial Edition will be available as a special package on all Corvette models, including the Grand Sport that features a 6.2-liter V8 pumping out 430HP, the Z06 that comes equipped with a 505HP 7.0-liter V8 and the flagship ZR1 with its 638-hp supercharged LS9 V8 engine.

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What weights ten tonnes and costs more than US$240,000? If you said, “a gold plated bulldozer”, you’d be close but no cigar. The answer is three sub-100k supercars: the Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R. These three industry titans, with nameplates stretching as far back as the 1960s, were the recent subjects of an epic comparison test by MotorTrend. Here are three would-be-supercars – over 500hp and 3 second 0 to 60 mph times – that don’t command the supercar price tag. Read more »

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Continuing Chevrolet's tradition of offering the first production car of special models at Barrett-Jackson, GM announced today that the first of 500 retail 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition coupes will go to the highest bidder at the auction in Palm Beach, Florida on April 3.

"The Corvette Z06 Carbon will surely be an instant collectible," said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Chevrolet Marketing. "For that reason, we see Barrett-Jackson as the premiere venue to sell the first retail Z06 Carbon."

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A couple of weeks ago, we told you about General Motors' plans for the new Corvette, dubbed C7, that will hit the market by 2012. Now, Autoweek is bringing news on the for the next major model change, the C8, that's expected to be released after 2016.

While the Corvette C7 will essentially be a reskinned version of the current generation C6 with the emphasis said to be on interior quality and making the exterior styling more desirable to younger buyers in the States as well as to a broader international crowd, the C8 will ground-breaking, to say the least, if we are to believe the report.

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[*New Photos Added ] GM continues its tradition of special edition Vettes with the introduction of the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition that borrows several goodies from the range-topping ZR1 such as the Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and magnetic select ride control system.

Other features include a set of black 20-spoke 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires, enhanced cooling, black headlamps and mirrors, a ZR1-style body color spoiler, body color door handles, carbon fiber raised hood, and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter.

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Race Retro, billed as "Europe's premier historic Motorsport Show", recently wrapped up in Coventry. Carscoop reader and professional photographer Dario Carbone was there to take some special pics, which he was nice enough to put in our cold, dead hands.

He says "It's an event to commemorate the legends of Rally and other historic race cars. It also has a live rally stage where they run the group B monsters and allow those who weren't around in the early 80s to experience their brute force." Yes, please.

Now if I could find a poster of the jet-engine-to-the-face warning label, that would just be tops.

There's a gallery below; you know what to do. As always, let us know what you like in the comments section.

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Creating something different to stand out from the crowd can often have the wanted results but not in the positive way one might expect. Or at least that's what we think about this 1973 Corvette StingRay that appears to have been butchered into a shooting-brake-like model for the sole purpose of calling it "originality"... Nevertheless, if you're interested, it's up for sale on eBay with a 'Buy it Now' price of "only" $25,000. More pics after the break.

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GM is about to try something new: making Chevrolet's Corvette appeal to international markets. The General is soliciting designs from all ten of its styling studios, meaning that more than just American-market brains are weighing in.

The goal is to bring in younger buyers from the States, while also help gain sales in the all-important European market, among others.

"We have challenges in the States with the Corvette," Welburn told journalists in an interview at the Geneva Salon. "The average age of the customer is really rising." According to J.D. Power and Associates, the current average age of a Corvette buyer is 54.

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General Motors is joining in the efforts to help the people of Haiti after a catastrophic earthquake by auctioning off a limited edition 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z6 at this weekend's 39th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. All proceeds from the sale will go to the American Red Cross relief fund, while the GM Foundation said that it will offer an additional $100,000 cash donation to the Red Cross.

According to the automaker, the special edition Corvette was the last of 427 cars built specifically for North America and the only 2008 Z06 available in Crystal Red Metallic Tint Coat.

Powered by a 7.0-liter V8 with 505HP, this 'Vette also comes with spider design chrome Z06 wheels, Z06 plates, a Stinger-style stripe on the front hood and fascia, chrome exterior badges and a painted Z06 spoiler and body color door handles.

Inside, it boasts a Dark Titanium leather-wrapped interior and special Crystal Red center trim plate.

GM added that all 427 units of the limited edition Corvettes were signed and numbered in the center console area by Will Cooksey, the Corvette plant manager who retired in 2006 after 15 years running the plant.

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The makers of the Cobra, Daytona Coupe, and GT40 replicas over at Superformance, are at it again, this time with the launch of a special replica of GM's most coveted track racer ever, the 1963 Chevrolet Grand Sport. And mind you, Superformance's Grand Sport is much more than your everyday kit car as it's a licensed replica of the original model that was the secret brain child of renowned Corvette engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov.

Back in the early 1960s, Duntov wanted to develop a purpose-built-race car to win Sebring and Le Mans. Working under secrecy, Duntov and his Chevrolet staff went ahead and built a total of five specially engineered prototype racers based on the 1963 Corvette. However, for various reasons, GMs execs never approved the program and the production of the 125 street-legal cars that were required for racing-class homologation were never built.

The five prototypes that had already been crafted made their way on the race tracks (without GM's official endorsement though) during the 1960s in the hands of "private" racers with strong contacts within Duntov's engineering circle. All five cars exist today and are considered to be amongst the most valuable vehicles in the collector market.

Having acquired the original blue prints and molds from the No2 Grand Sport that had been transformed into a roadster by Chevrolet before the project was canceled, Superformance's replica is virtually a clone of the original racer sans the engine and transmission.

The Grand Sport clone will be available in both coupe and roadster forms and can be fitted with any crate engine currently offered by GM's Performance Parts division. Unlike the original prototypes, Superformance's licensed replica can be ordered to be completely street legal.

Superformance said that the first completed street version rollers will be available in the market sometime in mid 2010. Pricing has not been announced, but if you're interested, you can find out more and even place your order by calling the company at (949) 900-1950.

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Last week, GM took the wraps off the new 2010 Corvette Grand Sport model in front of a crowd of 'Vette owners and devotees. The folks over from Corvetteblogger participated at the event and shot a couple of live videos of the Grand Sport that you can check out after the jump. Available in both Coupe and Convertible forms, the new Grand Sport model pays homage to the 1963 racing model. Among other features, it comes with wider fenders that house chunkier alloy wheels and a race-spec suspension with revised shock, stabilizer bar and spring specifications.

Via: Corvetteblogger

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