After a four-year hiatus, Detroit is abuzz this weekend with the return of GRAND-AM and IndyCar racing at the city’s 2.1 mile road course on Belle Isle.
Armed with a title sponsorship, Chevrolet will have the opportunity to show off its latest performance cars which will be serving pace car duties for the two major series races.
The 2013 427 Convertible Corvette will pace the Chevrolet IndyCar Grand Prix which will be held Sunday while the 2012 Camaro ZL1 will pace the Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 which is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Chevrolet calls the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible the fastest and most-capable convertible in Corvette history. It’s powered by the 427 cubic inch 7.0-liter LS7 from the Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower and 470 ft-lb of torque, it is the most powerful engine ever installed in a production Corvette convertible. With gratuitous use of weight-saving materials like carbon fiber, the 427 convertible weighs in a 3,355 pounds.
The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that will pace Saturday’s Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 is the most powerful Camaro ever produced. It’s supercharged LSA 6.2 liter V8 delivers generates 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque and has a top speed of 184 mph. Last year on the famous 12.9 mile Nurburgring, the Camaro ZL1 put down a blistering lap time of 7:41.27.
“With Corvette and Camaro, Chevrolet has two of the most popular, and most iconic, performance cars in the industry,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Global Marketing. “It will be very exciting to see them leading the field as racing returns to Detroit.”
Pacing races is not the only place where Chevrolet’s portfolio of performance cars leads the pack.
With cars like the 427 Convertible Corvette and the Camaro ZL1, Chevrolet has become the performance brand for sports cars in the US. Camaro and Corvette accounted for one out of every three sports cars sold in 2011 and that pace looks to continue in 2012.
Total sales for Camaro lead its nearest competitor, the Ford Mustang, by 13 percent through April. For the same period, Corvette sales are 39 percent higher than its nearest competitor, the Porsche 911.
Source:
General Motors
Related:
Corvette Racer and Car Sponsor Ready for Saturday’s GRAND-AM 200 at Belle Isle
GM Unveils New 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible and 60th Anniversary Package
[VIDEO] 2012 Camaro ZL1 Runs the Nurburgring in 7:41.27
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