VP at GM wants to spin off Corvette to compete with Ferrari

As for the mileage, my Dad just bought an 08 Atomic Orange Z06 manual 6 spd in Az. As soon as the weather breaks here in the midwest we're driving it back to Indy. We'll either know the car pretty well by then or lose our licenses, not exactly sure how it's going to go...

 

No I wasn't aware that they were doing even more to get more launch traction, but as you noted, they are at the end of their rope in terms of putting down power off the line. The ZR-1 has an even taller first gear than the Z06, same reason, they just can't put down the power.

Don't kid yourself and believe that GM's suspension and handling guys can't make a mid engine car handle. That is an absurd piece of elitism if I ever heard it. I have one personal friend who is one of the top engineers in their suspension, ride and handling group and outside his work time he spends hours at the track with a mid-engine sports racer. Trust me they know what they are doing. So long as the accountants are kept at bay (and I beieve that Lutz will keep doing that) I am expecting better and better things from GM.

 

The 6 was much better than the 4banger models.

I have a fiero 2M4 and I must say its alot of fun I do enjoy driving it while its running properly but I must say it was very underdeveloped back then, it had alot of issues that where never solved and was very underpowered. GM oughta look into bringing out the Opel speedster here as Pontiac if they where going to do that, I think a midengined vette is like Lamborghini releasing a frontengined car as their flagship model its going to be a huge risk and if doesn't succeed they are done. Leave the car front engined and heck why not go buyout mosler and put that under GM? Thats something GM should look into doing, I know moslers success would be much greater if that was to go down.

 

Ha! Good luck. A friend of mine and I just drove a Cayenne S from San Diego to Houston and we both got pulled over at "criminal" speeds. I had cruise set to 105 for at least a half an hour, but an AZ cop wrote the ticket for 84 so I could do defensive driving... it's still such a pain though... out in those desert roads in the middle of nowhere they should have higher speeds.

 

+1. And don't forget what they do with the Corvette factory race car. They do have their act together.

 

No elitism from me; I have both a ZR-1 95 and a Z06 2004.

I was also the guy who wasted about two days of my life defending the composite leaf springs to no avail on another thread in OTHER.

 

I agree with you but imo GM needs a legitimate BMW 'division'. Therefore;

Corvette and the Cadillac V's become the Corvette division with the V's becoming Corvette sedans.
The Cadillac division replaces Buick (same market)
Buick replaces the Pontiac division for mainstream vehicles (in an attempt to take them upscale..)
Pontiac replaces Saturn. Saturn joins Olds.
Chevy handles the bottom feeders, specials (Camaro ie) and Trucks
GMC becomes more upscale than the Chevy Truck division with the exception of fleet vehicles (to keep dealers happy).

Someone get me Wagoner or Lutz on the line...

 

I dont think Chevy dealers would ever go for it

it would be cool to see a Vette only dealership though

 

Very interesting approach, the dealers would scream bloody murder, but it could work...

I always thought that GM had all the parts to do it right before they got rid of Olds, they could have broken the market up this way...

Cadillac - Bigger plush luxury cars and SUV's (the luxo barge market that they always had, but more like Mercedes..)
Olds - Make that into your "BMW" division, performance oriented high end sedans..
Buick - What it is now, the classic big American car... Problem is lots of those customers are literally "dying off"...
Pontiac - Peformance on the cheap
Chevy - Pretty much what it is now, but up the quality to Honda/Toyota levels.
Saturn - Grennies love it now, keep it there..

Problem is they went out to make Cadillac into the "BMW" competition, and left the "Mercedes" market out of the equation...
Maybe they think that the can cover the market niche with just Cadillac, and have several models to cover the "luxury" and the "performance" ends of the high end market... No matter what they do they need to get better product out there. If they do that, most of all of this type of strategy would take care of itself...

 

There is no Oldsmobile. That brand died a while back

 

Could not agree more. +!. I hated to see Olds become history and it should have been the BMW division. Does Saturn evoke any positive connotations ? They need to be toasted.

 

You are wrong!!!!! I have an '02 now and a '99 previously. BOTH routinely get 30-32 on the highway. It all depends on your driving style. I got 33mpg on a trip from Tx to Ca with the cruise set at 80 most of the way, in my '99. In my '02 I got 29mpg from Ca. to In with the AC on 64 the whole way. It can and has been done.