Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept

Are you a transformer addict? Or might be a die-hard fan of the movie? Then GM’s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is for you! This is exactly what you will have to see this summer’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” motion picture! This Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept or also known as the Corvette Centennial Concept will be called the Sideswipe.

As you can tell, it’s a Corvette-based concept that draws heavy inspiration from the 1959 Stingray race car and 1963 Corvette Stingray spit-window coupe. “This thing is all Stingray,” says Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design. The Stingray also combines many styling cues from contemporary ‘Vette designs into one sleek conceptual package. “Sideswipe represents an exercise in exploration for the Corvette,” Ed Welburn added in a prepared statement. “By giving my creative team the freedom to design no-holds-barred vision concepts, it helps them push boundaries and look at projects from different perspectives.”

Did I hear Ed Welburn say what Corvette has in store for us and the greater transporting public?

Chevrolet: Chevrolet “Transformers” Cars

This year, Chevrolet snatches the main stage with its four concepts and featured futuristic vehicles in the new Transformer motion picture that will hit theaters this summer. Not to miss any, here is the excerpt of the role play:

GM’s star lineup of vehicles featured in this summer’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” motion picture just made their debut at the Chicago Auto Show. Highlighted on the General’s display is the all-new Corvette Stingray concept (also known as the Corvette Centennial Concept) called Sideswipe (see it in the Chicago coverage). Joining the futuristic ‘Vette in the film and on stage are four new characters, all based on Chevrolet models and concepts.

Skids and Mudflap: These diminutive twins stay mostly true to their 2007 New York Auto Show concepts, the Beat and Trax, but incorporate a few accessories and color changes. If you haven’t heard, the Beat will make it stateside by 2011 as the Spark.

Jolt: It’s essentially the 2011 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid but all gussied-up for bigscreen duty.

Bumblebee: The star Autobot reprises his role but unlike in the previous movie where he was based on the Camaro concept car, he’s now sporting production model traits from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. Twenty-inch wheels and various SS model cues are donned by the ‘bot. He’s on display in Chicago as a 17-ft tall statue in Autobot form.

To see them in action, check out Michal Bay’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” when it hits U.S. theaters this June 26.

Dodge: 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

Dodge is clearly giving a hint where its line of automobiles is directed: comfort, muscled handsomeness, and functionality. These characteristics make the 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty with its big rig appearance in the McCormick Place. It will be powered by a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel which pumps out an extra stout 650 lb-ft of torque at 1500 rpm and a peak 350 hp at maximum high-idle speed of 3000 rpm. As a result, the HD is to get a 90 percent take-rate. Dodge claims drops NOX emissions by 90% in the HD due to the use of a particulate filter to its exhaust system. This 50-state legal diesel meets 2010.5 emissions standards and requires oil change intervals at 7500 miles.

That is all for today, friends! Chevrolet making the most of the space and events in the Auto Show, don’t you think so? But then, I think this new heavy duty truck from Dodge will also get the most attention and maybe market share come launching time. You see, there is really little choices for this class of pickups.

Very many of us are into the comfort and performance of modern automobiles, which we actually refer to as sports cars. But little do we know the real meaning of a sports car. What it really takes to say that it really is a sports car. The real thing about sports cars is that they appear small, light weight, and normally sporting a small but high-powered engine. There are also few sports cars that favor larger engines, which their engineers believe to be highly capable to outperform those equipped with smaller ones. In principle, a sports car is a class of vehicle that favors superior road handling, braking, maneuverability, and acceleration over space, comfort, and fuel economy. They are generally configured with two doors and seats.

In the United States, sports cars are known to be roadsters, speedsters, raceabout, or runabout. These names though, have been coined not before the World War 1 had ceased. Some confuse sports cars to sports compacts, sports sedans, muscled cars, and hot hatches. These are not really sports cars but their witty manufacturers and publishers use the tag for marketing purposes. They use the word ‘sports car’ to embellish in our minds the speedy and small types of cars careening on the road. Doing so ensures that they will make it big in the advertisements and promotions. These classes of automobiles though share some characteristics. Performance cars, on the other hand, are called grand tourer cars.

A major and strategic characteristic of sports cars is the use of small, light weight engines; though there are still some that preferred larger ones. The Lotus Seven and Austin 7 Speedy are the best examples for this. They lacked powerful engines, but have well-engineered and balanced chassis due to the use of small engines. They also sport modern suspensions; thus, perform effectively on tight, twisting roads than heavier and more powerful sports cars. Other smaller cars that were classified under the sports cars class are the Apperson, Kissel, Marion, Midland, National, Overland, Stoddard, Dayton, and Thomas. Chadrick, Mercer, Stutz, and Simplex were in those years are classified under the large sports sedans or grand tourers class.

Sports cars drivers are commonly inclined to having something of famous brand and racing reputation. Among the highest selling brand of sports cars are Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, and Lamborghini. You may notice that Lamborghini comes in line with topnotch racing brands, but that is true. The brand may not have as much fame as the others in terms of racing reputation but it is highly regarded for its well-crafted appearance and well-engineered driveline and layout.

In the US, in adherence to the increased North American Safety Regulation, small volume specialist manufacturers were banned from entering the US and Canada markets. As a result, TVR, Noble, and Pagani were largely made available only in the Middle East particularly UAE, UK, and Europe; thereby obscuring the brands from being experienced by bigger markets around the globe.

With the above definitions, we can now clearly identify which is the real sports car from a sport sedan, sub compact, hot hatches, and the rest of the classes of automobiles in the industry. So whenever I claim something to be a sports car and you know that its not, you have all the authority to come back to me. But that is not actually the main purposes of this article. What we simply want to do is establish the difference between a sports car and the other classes of automobiles being made available in the automobile world!