Autoblog has a post entitled “What Dave Hill Meant to the Corvette.” I thought I’d post my two cents. Dave Hill was essential to the success of the C5 and C6 Corvettes. Nearly every major decision he made during the development of these two generations was made not only with the thought of how it would impact current and future Corvette owners, but also how it would conform to the history of this great car. Not an easy feat on either account. Corvette owners embraced him as one of their own. He attended the major Corvette shows and was always accessible to both Corvette enthusiasts and the Corvette media. On the forum sites you hear story after story about someone meeting Dave and they all say the same thing: He was always gracious and he cared about what I had to say about Corvettes. While I never had the opportunity to meet Dave, I can imagine that my experience would have been the same. In an industry that doesn’t always listen to consumers, Dave not only broke the mold, he shattered it. He will surely be missed.

DETROIT – General Motors Corp. announced today that David Hill, currently vehicle chief engineer (VCE) of the Chevrolet Corvette and vehicle line executive (VLE) of performance cars, will retire effective Jan. 1, 2006 after more than 41 years of dedicated service. Tom Wallace will replace Hill as vehicle line executive of performance cars and vehicle chief engineer of the Corvette. Additionally, he will assume responsibilities for compact rear-wheel-drive performance cars including Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Wallace currently is VLE of small and midsize trucks. Lori Queen, currently VLE of compact cars and the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, is appointed VLE of small and midsize trucks, replacing Tom Wallace. The North America compact car team will now report to Peter Mertens, vehicle line executive of global compact cars. Mertens is currently leading the Global Compact Car Development Team located in Germany. “Dave Hill has taken the Corvette to heights that few of us can imagine. In terms of performance, refinement and value, he has truly helped to make Corvette second to none. He is a true car guy who will take his rightful place among the legends of Corvette lore,” said Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman, global product development. “What do you do to replace a guy like Dave? You do your best to get another one. Tom Wallace also is a car guy and racer who will make a perfect choice to lead the Corvette and Performance team. Besides, Tom was Dave’s choice too. That should tell you all you need to know,” Lutz concluded. Hill has a rich history with GM since joining Cadillac Motor Car Division in 1964. He moved through various engineering positions and was named an executive in 1979. In 1982, he was named chief engineer of the Cadillac Allante. Following the introduction of the Northstar engine in 1992 in the two seat luxury roadster, Hill assumed chief engineer responsibilities for the Cadillac Deville and Concours. Hill was named chief engineer of the Chevrolet Corvette in 1993, only the third chief engineer for the sports car in the vehicle’s 53-year history. In 1995, Hill was named vehicle line executive of performance cars and led the development of the fifth-generation Corvette and the introduction of the Cadillac XLR. Last year, Hill launched the sixth-generation Corvette followed by the introduction of the new 505 bhp Corvette Z06 for 2006. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. Wallace has been with GM since 1966 when he joined Buick Motor Division in Flint, Mich. He was named to an executive engineering position in 1980 while still with Buick and was later named to the GM Truck Group in 1995. Wallace holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI), and was a Sloan Fellow, earning a master’s in business administration from Stanford University. Wallace and his team were responsible for the development and launch of Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Chevrolet SSR. Additionally, he led the highly successful launch of the Saab 9-7X and the HUMMER H3. An avid performance car enthusiast, Wallace has enjoyed competing in both amateur and professional road racing, rally car and drag racing. He started racing with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) more than 30 years ago and has raced in a variety of Sedan and GT classes with race-prepped Oldsmobile, Buick and Chevrolet models. Queen received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI). She recently led the launches of some of GM’s most successful products currently in the market: Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR, Saturn ION, the Pontiac Solstice and the soon to be released Saturn Sky. Queen has been with GM since 1974 and has held numerous Engineering positions, including vehicle chief and VLE assignments for both cars and trucks.

Wow. It’s about all I can say after reading MPH Magazine’s Z06 Corvette review. Let’s say Chevy gave you the keys to the new Corvette Z06 for just one day. Do you put it on a skid pad or try to determine the lateral G’s? MPH writer Eddie Alterman did something much better – and probably much closer to what most of us would do if we could drive this car for just one night. “I am sitting at a stoplight on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue, checking the rearview mirror of this black Corvette Z06 for pork. To my right is a white 2004 Dodge Viper, and its owner’s only visible part, his head, is engulfed in a penumbra of cologne, hair products and ego. He is a douchebag. And he has no concept of the sorry fate about to befall him.” Stoplight kung fu… Eddie’s hunt continues for four hours. He racks up the kills: Chevelles, Hemis, Camaros, Vipers, NSXs and a ’67 Shelby GT. Pure automotive stealth as he puts it. Hunting the hunters. And while Eddie finally meets his match in the form of a 600 hp and 625 hp Nitrous-breathing Cobra and Firebird, he comes to the realization that the Z06 is no ordinary sportscar, transforming him from mild-mannered magazine editor to Zeus. Eddie, thanks for the ride!

We alluded to this here that with all the pre-sales testing, press junkets and favorable magazine reviews, the Corvette was setting itself up for a nice sales increase in Europe. GM annouced that sales of Corvettes had topped 1,000 units so far, more than triple what was sold in Europe all last year. GM’s overall unit sales rose 5.7% in September and are up 1.7% over last year’s sales totals thanks to new products like the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira minivan and the Chevrolet Matiz small car. With three months to go and the new Z06 officially making its presence known to European car owners, Corvette will be in a position to strongly increase its market share in 2006 and beyond. Full Story at Reuters News Service