A stolen Corvette equipped with a LoJack vehicle tracking device led investigators to crack a major auto-theft ring based in northern Illinois that specialized in the theft of high end muscle cars. Illinois State Police picked up the LoJack signal in March and tracked it to a house in Grand Detour, Illinois. When police converged on the house, they found not only the Corvette they were looking for, but a second stolen Corvette, a Honda motorcycle and other stolen vehicle parts. A suspect was arrested and the investigation that followed led police to other stolen cars including Z06 Corvettes, Ford Cobra’s, Dodge Vipers and Ford F-250 Diesels. Police tracked down another suspect and found a stolen Ford Mustang Cobra, along with 23 pounds of marijuana, 20 guns, cash and $30,000 in chop shop tools. The Mustang was one of three Cobra’s stolen from the same dealership in one night. Additional searches led to the recovery of a computer that was used to program Ford transponder keys that had been stolen from a dealership. Read the entire account of this story.
Technorati Tags: Corvette | LoJack

Robert Cummings house is for sale. Three bedrooms and four baths, 2525 square feet and access to a 600 acre lake in a suburb of Detroit. The house features a home theater with built-in flat panel televisions and a multi-room audio and intercom system. But what really separates his house from the many others for sale is what’s in the garage. Robert is offering a 1995 Red Convertible Corvette as part of the package.

“I just thought it would be a unique approach to selling a home,” he said. “It’s a way to differentiate the house from other houses.” “The Corvette is flawless inside and out with about 40,000 miles.” The car is not driven in the winter or even in the rain. It features automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows and a CD player.

While I’ve seen this once or twice of the last couple of years, this is the first time I’ve seen the offer with a Corvette. Robert’s real estate agent was obviously thrilled with the idea. “If it make us stand out above our competition, then we’re all for it,” Christy Brown-Ambrose of RE/MAX 100 said. “If it motivates a buyer to pick up the phone and make that call, then it’s a good incentive.” Interested? Click here for the article from the Novi News
Photo by John Heider/Novi News
Technorati Tags: Corvette | Real Estate | RE/MAX

Peter DeLorenzo is quickly becoming one of my favorite reads. In March, Peter ripped GM for not doing anything to celebrate Corvette’s win at The 12 Hours of Sebring, America’s top road race event, which coincidentally was also the 50th anniversary of Corvette Racing. This week, Peter had a chance to drive the 2006 Z06 Corvette and came away from the experience with the same reaction by the majority of auto journalists that have preceded him:

“The Corvette ZO6 is simply the most seductive combination of power, speed, drivability, value and overall efficiency that exists in the world today. A high-performance super car for the real world, it is a milestone achievement that deserves recognition as much for its capabilities, as for the people behind it.”

Peter quickly turns his commentary from his driving experience in the Z06 to the culture of “True Believers” at GM who made building the sports car possible. If the “True Believers” where able to be set free from the “Bean Counters” on their most pressing new model rollouts including the Impala, DeLorenzo argues, then the company “would be able to build the kinds of desirable cars and trucks that consumers want to come in and buy of their own volition.” The Z06 is that kind of car and the resurgent success of the Corvette in recent years is once again beginning to fuel the innovation in other GM brands, namely the Cadillac V series, Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky and Aura models. It took Corvette’s “True Believer” in Dave Hill to make that happen. Other brands within GM should also be working hard to find their own Dave Hill. Great rant, Peter. Read it at AutoExtremist.com. And while your there, make sure you read the “RoadKill” article which contains another of their writer’s review of the Z06 Corvette.
Technorati Tags: Corvette | Z06 | GM

AutoWeek is reporting that Corvette’s Chief Engineer Tom Wallace has confirmed that GM will be building the “Blue Devil” Corvette, a high-end variant of the Z06 which will reportedly have around 600 horsepower. Wallace tells AutoWeek the biggest challenge facing the so-called Blue Devil Corvette is figuring out how to get 600 hp to the ground in such a way that it can be handled by a driver with the money to buy the car. Wallace said GM is considering requiring that Blue Devil—and even Z06—buyers attend a driver school as part of the price of admission. Source: AutoWeek
Photo: AmericanCarFans.com
Technorati Tags: Corvette | Z06 | Blue Devil

GM Parts Supplier Delphi has received a contract to supply the new Ferrari GTB Fiorano with its MagneRide Suspension, the same that is used in both the Corvette Coupe and Convertible models, as well as the Cadillac STS and other premium GM models. The MagneRide suspension uses shock absorbers filled with a fluid capable of changing damping characteristics on the fly. MagneRide is not used on the Z06 Corvette or the Cadillac STS-V. Delphi also supplies the dual zone climate control system as well as the electrial/electronic systems to Ferrari. Some are saying “If it’s good enough for Ferrari…” while I say, “If it’s good enough for the Corvette, it’s good enough for Ferrari at three times the price!” Source: Inside Line
Technorati Tags: Corvette | Museum | Delphi