America’s hottest new supercar sets production-car lap record
After the jump, we ask that you relax, press play, and enjoy in-car footage of Corvette’s awesome new supercar, the ZR1 (pictured), setting a new lap record for production cars at the Nurburgring. The ZR1 set a time of 7:26.4, faster than both the Pagani Zonda F and the Porsche Carrera GT.
The car set the lap time with a bog-standard set-up, aside from necessary alterations to comms and safety equipment. It used the same Michelin Pilot tyres that the car will sport when it goes on sale later this year, and its suspension, including ride height and damping, was not altered.
It’s a remarkable performance, and one that sends out a defiant message to European and Japanese manufacturers - after a long time in the doldrums, the USA is back, baby!
F1 world champ purchases Hollywood star’s barely used car
The most unlikely story to come out of Monaco this year was the news that Kimi Raikkonen spent €200,000 (!!) on Sharon Stone’s 1974 Corvette Stingray at the Amber fashion show auction, a star-studded charity event in support of Elton John’s AIDS Foundation.
The Stingray had just four miles on the clock - one careful lady owner indeed. Looks like Kimi picked up a bargain. If you want to know what a ‘74 Stingray looks like, click below:
Old-school U.S. car manufacturers are finally realising that the auto industry is not stuck in the 1950s; nor is it centred around the States. To compete with Japan and Europe, which have been producing better, sexier, more modern cars for decades now, it needs to… copy Japan and Europe, by producing sexy, modern cars.
