QUICK SHIFTS: New Gymkhana, C7 vs C8, 1988 ZR-1 Prototype for Sale, Blackwing News, Remembering General Yeager

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QUICK SHIFTS: New Gymkhana, C7 vs C8, 1988 ZR-1 Prototype for Sale, Blackwing News, Remembering General Yeager

Screen Capture via Everyday Driver


Welcome to another exciting edition of Quick Shifts! Quick Shifts is a content feature here at CorvetteBlogger featuring links to Corvette and automotive-related stories of interest.

This week’s gear-shifting stories include a new Gymkhana, a look at the C7 Corvettes vs the C8, A 1988 Corvette ZR-1 prototype resurrected and now offered for sale, Cadillac reveals more on its Blackwing project, why no Camaros will be sold in certain states next year, and remembering the great American General Yeager who capped his high-speed exploits in the air by driving the 1986 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car and representing GM’s Goodwrench parts.

FIRST GEAR:

The only thing that could knock new C8 reviews from their perpetual first gear slot is a new Gymkhana! Ken Block has handed the reigns of his juggernaut drifting series to Travis Pastrana who rips through his hometown of Annapolis, MD in his carbon-bodied Subaru STI that makes a whopping 862 ponies with just 2.3 liters of displacement!

Pastrana somehow ups the ante and breathes new life into a series that has shot installments around the world and, as far as your author’s math skills can tell, amassed more than a half of a billion views! Highlights include a jump over a speedboat in a channel, taking one wheel off of a pier, a 150 MPH jump on a little two-lane with a posted speed limit of just 25, and Travis’ very animated expressions through the entire run! It also ends on a high note that is sure to please our founder (who flipped a coin between Corvettes and ‘80s Rock when he was first getting into the blogging game, more than a decade ago); Twisted Sister’s I Wanna Rock (Rock!). Enjoy!


SECOND GEAR:

After weeks of intensive focus on drop-top C8s, SportsCar365 brings the spotlight back to the OG Targa body style. After you read their review, it is back to YouTube for Everyday Driver’s comparison test that brings the newest member of the Crossed Flags family face to face with its predecessor. It is C7 vs. C8, no need to say more!


THIRD GEAR:

Third is going to be our classified section this week. Both of these cars likely deserve their own post but each has a reason to be here instead. First, is your chance to own one of only two surviving 1988 Corvette “King of the Hill” prototypes! As of writing, the high bid on this most important of American performance cars is only at $10,000 and the online auction ends on the 15th; possible deal alert! I found this car the other day and sent it to Keith for the old sign-off, but before I started writing, Hagerty had perfectly captured its story. I don’t enjoy playing second fiddle, so be sure to reward the earlier bird with a click, the background here is almost as cool as the car itself!

Next is a beautiful Rally Green double-COPO 1969 Camaro that was originally ordered and customized by Yenko Chevrolet. It will be up for grabs between January 7 and 16, 2021 at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale. It is pretty obvious why it didn’t get its own post here, on Corvette Blogger, but the guys at GM Authority did go in depth with this 427-powered rarity, it is worth a closer look!

1988 Corvette ZR-1 Prototype

Photo Credit: Cars & Bids/Challeng98


FOURTH GEAR:

Speaking of not making it onto the site, last week, a story got cut from QS because it was only being reported by the Wallstreet Journal at the time, and I don’t post links to “pay to play” webpages. Now though, it is pretty widely known that nearly 20% of Cadillac’s 880 North American dealers have already taken GM up on their offer to buy out their franchise for somewhere between $300k and north of $1 million as a major pivot to electric vehicles looms for the non-wreathed crest.

I was going to spend a gear going over sales figures that demonstrate exactly how difficult it has been for the dealership networks of “legacy” premium car manufacturers to move examples of their brand’s electric efforts (I will spare you the numbers for now, but, trust me, it is the most difficult niche of the auto industry to break into) while also highlighting how regional EV sales are (ex. Tesla depends on their home state for a massive 40% of their sales) to argue that the newly-unfranchised dealerships are the smart ones, but, luckily for both of us, my favorite column, Avoidable Contact, tackled this very issue for us this week!

While what GM has shown of the “-IQ” designated future Caddy line-up does absolutely nothing for me, there are two bright spots to this story:

  1. The only EV that GM has announced so far that has registered on the cool scale, the Hummer EV, is… alive! A working prototype was caught testing, and looking great this week. When you consider that the (still) vaporware second-gen Tesla Roadster was first teased in 2014, it is extremely impressive how quickly the General is moving on the plug-in truck front!

  2. Before they relinquish their century-old membership card to the internal combustion club, Cadillac is bringing a final pair of super sedans focused on driver engagement to the market. These Blackwing Vs have had a slow and low-key (you get the feeling that someone high up at the parent company is embarrassed of any news that doesn’t beat the drum of the electric future) roll-out of teasers that keep us on the edge of our carbon fiber-backed seats, begging for more! The latest installment dropped late this week in the form of an official image of a 3D printed shift knob medallion that marks the first official look at the top-dog CT4 and 5’s segment-exclusive manual transmission. Keep them coming, Cadillac, and give the Z06 marketers a little nudge the next time you see them, we are beyond ready for some official tidbits on the first flat-plane Corvette!

Cadillac Blackwing Shift Knob

Photo Credit: Cadillac


FIFTH GEAR:

Remember when the Camaro ZL1 1LE first came out and it was announced that it wouldn’t be sold in Europe because it scared the locals? Well, Camaro-phobia has spread to our side of the pond. Citizens of two left-coast states won’t be able to order a ZL1 or its naturally aspirated SS sibling in 2021. Copper has overtaken gluten as the latest fad in intolerance and the brake pads on the Corvette-powered ‘Maros are dangerously close in composition to a penny to be allowed in the vicinity of the state that just decriminalized heroin and meth.

All joking and eye-rolling aside, the laws that lead to the no copper in brakes regulations were passed years ago and GM had plenty of time to get their cars up to snuff, so, really, this is on them. They say that the highest-end Camaros will return to lots in the Golden and Evergreen states for the ’22 model year. What isn’t at all funny though is that we fear this is only the beginning for this sort of legislation. Having mostly tamed (and even future-actively outlawed) engine emissions, the ruthless eco-police have set their sights on the dangers of tire and brake dust (and no, sadly, we aren’t making this up). Enthusiast drivers need to keep a weather eye on where this is going before we find ourselves unable to buy a decent set of rubber… or worse!

No Camaro for you!

Photo Credit: Chevrolet


SIXTH GEAR:

The final low-RPM forward gear of this mid-December edition of QS will be your light-hearted grab-bag of useful, interesting, and just plain fun stories from around the automotive web, starting with Car and Driver’s new gift guide! This is like the old Sears catalogue that my parents are always on about, except it is “geared” completely towards folks with motor oil running through their veins! Scroll through the main page linked above or score some ideas for car-loving teens and kids in your life while you think of crafty ways to drop hints about stocking stuffers to your significant other! Remember, Christmas is only 13 days away already and you are already two days behind if you celebrate Hanukkah.

While it doesn’t quite continue our recent run on automotive awards, our friends at Hagerty released their annual Bull Market List this week. Sadly, no examples of America’s sports car made the list this year but if you are looking for a vehicle that is likely to gain value in 2021, their list of 11 is a great place to start!

While we are talking about the media side of a collector car insurance company, another outstanding piece from Hagerty this week, shed some light on the semi-secret autocross team that GM uses to attract and train young talent, amongst other things. If you enjoy reading well-written stories about interesting topics that you won’t find on every other site, this one is for you!

Finally, when the opportunity presents itself, I love to feature stories about businesses in my home state are making their mark on the automotive sector. While Colorado likely doesn’t jump out in your mind when you think about the car industry, there is a lot of neat stuff going on in the Centennial state. We have Arrow building semi-autonomous Corvettes for quadriplegic racers. Denver is the home of Left Hand Utes who will convert Australia’s finest forbidden fruit into a US-legal modern El Camino, while the geniuses from Flyin’ Miata have been stuffing LS V8s into tiny Mazda sports cars on the Western Slope for almost as long as there has been a Miata to tinker with.

This week, Automobile ran a feature about the shop closest to my life-long home; EarthRoamer. If you haven’t heard of them, they take Super Duty Fords and turn them into high-end off the grid campers with starting prices between half of a million and 1.7 million dollars. It sounds incredibly pricy but, when you think about what you are getting, an EarthRoamer is a much better deal than similarly priced vehicles from Lamborghini or Bugatti and since Automobile failed to include any interior shots in their gallery, be sure to click around ER’s webpage to see how nice their products are on the inside, I’d happily live in one!

EarthRoamer

Photo Credit: EarthRoamer


REVERSE:

On Monday, American hero, Chuck Yeager passed away at the age of 97. I would like to honor the first man to break the sound barrier (and the subject of my 4th-grade book report) in a small way by dedicating this section to him.

Motor Trend had a similar sentiment when a 1986 cover story of theirs reappeared on their site. It was the iconic ‘Vette vs Jet story where General Yeager (a passionate Corvette owner, himself) was brought in to see how a twin-turbo Corvette prototype matched-up against a T-38 Talon.

That incredible trip down memory lane found the perfect complement in a new story over at Autoblog, where the legendary, Jean Jennings tells about her experiences with the man who should have been NASA’s first call in “The Right Stuff.” Once again, America’s sports car plays an integral role in Jennings’ experience with General Yeager. I am supremely glad that it did so that I could pass it along to all of you!

General Yeager in the 1986 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car

Photo Credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway


Have a great weekend, Corvette Nation and try to make the most of every second of it!

Previous Quick Shifts:
C8 Convertible Review, R&T’s PCOTY, RAM 1500 TRX Wins Truck of the Year, and More.
New C8 Corvette Reviews, Manual C8s, Price Comparisons, Awards Season, and More!
C8 Convertible Reviewed, SEMA360 Engine Debuts, Magnesium Wheels for the Blackwing, and More!

 



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4 COMMENTS

  1. Hears to Chuck Yeager, a true pioneer in every sense of the word. A simple man who scaled the great heights of flight as an explorer looking to test his limits. We wont see his kind ever again

  2. BTW, I mean no disrespect to my fellow Corvette owners who live in the Golden State, but what is the holdup on creation of the country of California?

  3. I live in central Florida. Where would be the best source to search for a 2019 Corvette, Z06, 2LT or 3LT, manual transmission, shadow gray metallic with low miles.

    I have looked at numerous online sites with no luck. There seems to be no or very few with manual transmission for sale

    Thanks

  4. Smittie,

    M7 2019 Z06s are an extremely tough find right now. Most of the stick-shift final-year Zs were custom ordered by people who have held on to them. There are only 8 currently listed on all of Cars.com!
    It looks like Harper Porsche of Knoxville has an example that is darn close to what you are looking for though; 7-speed, Shadow Gray, Comp seats, data recorder, the desirable stage II aero package, one owner, and just 5,459 miles! It is only listed as a 1LZ but with those other options, I know I’d be over the moon with it!
    https://www.harperporsche.com/used/Chevrolet/2019-Chevrolet-Corvette-541beaba0a0e0ae764ace21da89fe966.htm?utm_campaign=deeplink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cars.com

    If you want to try your luck at finding an even better match, I’d diligently check the C7s for sale section over on the forum, snagging one from a current owner before it hits a dealership could be your best shot!
    https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-corvettes-for-sale-161/

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