corvette get-together today in Fort Lauderdale

[Normy]

I was driving to the Galleria this morning and while stopped at a light, noticed a big hub-bub at the local chever-lay dealership. Seems the local chever-lay people were having a get together. Every decent corvette in the county was there apparently, along with a spattering of other chever-lays.

[amazing: Not a single mobile home was within 3 miles of this gathering of chevys! This is probably a first~]

In any case, there were plently of interesting cars there. Several ZR-1's, the new supercharged V8's. There was an older ZR-1, one of the 32 valve cars that chever-lay built in a desperate attempt to compete with the 928, and this was probably my favorite.

-I really don't have a problem with corvettes. I have a problem with the corporation that produced them. In my opinion, gm produces cars that they term "good enough for you", while they use silly cheap plastic on all the surfaces, and technology from the 1950's in their engines. It is vaguely insulting, and certainly isn't symbolic of the United States of America, which put Hitler in his grave, men on the moon, communism to bed, and a shuttle on a runway...after a trip to space. Not to mention the most hygienic society on earth where even waitresses drive to work in sleek leather-lined automobiles! That's America, not some cheap plastic excuse for a car that is designed for PROFIT first and transportation second. In short, gm cars are nothing short of insulting, and to this day when I tell people where I am from I say "Florida" instead of Michigan, were I was born, because I am so disgusted with this company.

Some observations of the corvettes there:

1. corvette enthusiasts are far less likely to be purists than Porsche-philes.

2. corvette enthusiasts are more willing to drive a marginal car to a car show than Porsche guys.

3. corvette guys all are 55+, they all look their age or older, and for some reason....all wear hats. At the Porsche things I've been too, most people didn't wear hats.

4. The average corvette sounds way! better than the average Porsche.

5. The average corvette DOES NOT sound better than the average 928.......

6. corvette guys never drive their cars fast.

7. The occasional bad taste rears its head at chever-lay meets: there was a white 2001 corvette that had a body kit installed to make it look like a 1953 corvette. This really doesn't work- the result was ungainly at best...pug f**king ugly in reality! GOOD LORD what was he thinking!

Oh well, it was a neat way to spend 30 minutes perusing cars this morning.

N

[bivenator]

"The most hygienic country on earth..." you are a trip normy, enjoy the bars tonite.

[Racerbvd]

. The occasional bad taste rears its head at chever-lay meets: there was a white 2001 corvette that had a body kit installed to make it look like a 1953 corvette. This really doesn't work- the result was ungainly at best...pug f**king ugly in reality! GOOD LORD what was he thinking!

I have seen some of them, you are much kinder than I am on that Plastic Pig..

[exc911ence]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

I have seen some of them, you are much kinder than I am on that Plastic Pig..

Love the knee socks and shorts combo on the mullet'd guy in the video!

[R K T]

I stopped watching at 1:10 when the guy said "such a cooool car".

[pavulon]

uff-da.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Normy

-I really don't have a problem with corvettes. I have a problem with the corporation that produced them. In my opinion, gm produces cars that they term "good enough for you", while they use silly cheap plastic on all the surfaces, and technology from the 1950's in their engines. N

1950 technology? I guess so. Of course SOHC or DOHC were around near the turn of the century.

A 1993 Corvette ZR1 (5.7L DOHC 32V) made 405hp, where a 1993 928 GTS (5.4L DOHC 32V) made 345hp. I'll take 60 hp in a lighter car, thank you.

Of course in 2011 the 'new GM' doesn't make a Vette with that new fangled technology. Just good 'ol NASCAR pushrod lumps. The weakest variant is the LS3 in the cheapest base Vette. It only makes 436 horsepower at 5900 rpm, and only 428 ft-lb at 4600 rpm. It makes 300 ft-lb or torque from 950 rpm to its weak 6600 rpm redline. It makes more torque than a 928GTS (369 ft-lb @ 4250 rpm) from 1950 rpm to redline. It makes more horsepower than a 928GTS (345 hp @ 5700 rpm) from 2650 rpm to redline. All the while taking up less physical space and weighing almost 200 pounds less than the 'high-tech' DOHC Porsche motor.

Of course, that's 1993 Apples to 2011 Oranges. So let's look at the 928 successor, the 2011 Panamera S. The highest-tech NA motor is a 4.8L DOHC V8 making 400 hp @ 6500 rpm and 369 ft-lb @ 3500 rpm. That's no more torque than the 93 928 GTS. Again, the Vette LS3 makes more torque from 1950 rpm to redline, and more horsepower from 5200 rpm to redline. All the while taking up less physical space and weighing almost 200 pounds less than the 'high-tech' DOHC Porsche motor (deja vu?).

Oh, but what about the Panamera Turbo? 500 hp @ 6000 rpm, 516 ft-lb @ 2250 rpm. Turbocharging works its magic. GM's Corvette Z06 jsut can't keep up. The naturally aspirated 7.0L LS7 only makes 5 horsepower more (505 hp @ 6300 rpm) and has a serious deficit in torque (only 470 ft-lb @ 4800 rpm).

So let's match high-tech forced induction (turbocharger) versus redneck old school supercharging. The new Corvette ZR1's engine, aka LS9, is a pushrod 6.2L with a screw-type supercharger nestled in the valley. It makes 638 hp @ 6500 rpm and 604 ft-lb @ 3800 rpm. It makes more torque than the Panamera Turbo (yes, even the Sport Chrono's 'overboost' mode briefly making 568 ft-lb) from 2800 rpm to redline. And more horsepower from 4400 rpm to redline. And it redlines higher. All the while taking up less physical space and weighing almost 200 pounds less than the 'high-tech' DOHC Porsche motor (deja vu x2?).

50's tech or not, I'll take the motor that makes more horsepower, more torque, over a broader powerband, while weighing less and taking up less space.

And having a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

[Laneco]

Careful with the "cheap plastic" comment there, Normy. Alot of people on this board are fans Porsche's 904 whose body was made of "cheap plastic" aka fiberglass...

angela

[Laneco]

Careful with the "cheap plastic" comment there, Normy. Alot of people on this board are fans Porsche's 904 whose body was made of "cheap plastic" aka fiberglass...

Regarding the car in the video - I absolutely hate it. Someone else did a rebody wherein the entire chassis is used but the body looks EXACTLY like the original. So the car looks like a 62 or whateer year it was, but the chassis/brakes/engine etc., are all late model. Kind of the ultimate retro-rod.

angela

[AFC-911]

Originally Posted by Normy

3. corvette guys all are 55+, they all look their age or older, and for some reason....all wear hats. At the Porsche things I've been too, most people didn't wear hats.

To a guy in his 20s, both Corvette guys & Porsche guys are mostly old...Just out of curiosity Normy, how old are you?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by AFC-911

To a guy in his 20s, both Corvette guys & Porsche guys are mostly old...Just out of curiosity Normy, how old are you?

Guys who belong to any 'marque' club are usually older. Getting together, polishing your car, and sitting around in your folding chair just doesn't appeal to the twenty somethings.

[Jim Bremner]

I bought my platic lump at the ripe age of 40. I looked at buying another plastic lump..the Lotus Elise. I knew that I would track both cars and I couldn't imagine driving from LA to Laguna seca and back to track the Lotus. also wanted a 930, that's how I found this forum.