LAS VEGAS – The all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was the most awarded car of the year – including being named the 2014 North American Car of the Year. For 2015, the Corvette is even better, with the introduction of the supercharged Corvette Z06, an all-new eight-speed automatic, the Performance Data Recorder and OnStar with 4G LTE.

Chevrolet is showing two unique Corvettes at the SEMA Show this week – a 2015 Stingray styled in collaboration with KISS front man Paul Stanley and a vintage third-generation Corvette built with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson that features the 6.2L Gen V LT1 engine from the 2015 Corvette Stingray. In addition, Chevrolet is featuring a collection of concept parts based on the 2015 Corvette Z06.

“Corvette has always meant different things to different owners,” said Harlan Charles, Corvette product manager. “Whether it’s a new Stingray or a mid-year Sting Ray, some use their Corvette as a dedicated track car, others use it as a grand touring car and others use it as a daily driver. That range is on display at the SEMA Show this week, serving as the inspiration for owners looking to make their Corvette an even more personal sports car.”

Paul Stanley Stingray

As the front man for one of the most successful rock groups in history, KISS’ Paul Stanley is an artist with an affinity for great style. He worked with Chevrolet designers to personalize a 2015 Corvette Stingray coupe, creating the perfect instrument that reflects Stanley’s creativity applied to America’s sports car.

“This car is undeniable in terms of its aesthetics,” said Paul Stanley. “And it is also a world-class piece of machinery.”

First, Stanley selected the exterior scheme, with a unique candy red hue offset with Midnight Glaze Silver paint treatment on the roof, rear hatch, spoiler, outside mirrors and the front grille. He also helped select unique interior enhancements, including quilted parchment leather seats, along with additional parchment leather accents in the Jet Black cabin. There is dark red accent stitching throughout.

Stanley’s Stingray features the available Z51 Performance Package, which includes a dry-sump oiling system, electronic limited-slip differential, larger front brakes and a cooling package for the differential and transmission.

The car rolls on Chevrolet Accessories forged aluminum wheels – 19-inch front/20-inch rear – in Carbon Flash Metallic. They’re used with Michelin P245/35ZR19 tires in front and P285/30ZR20 tires in the rear.

Power comes from the 6.2L Gen V LT1 engine, rated at 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque with the available performance exhaust system. The LT1 features direct injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management. Stanley also selected the Stingray’s new, available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, which delivers world-class shift times that rival the best dual-clutch designs – while also enabling EPA-estimated 29 mpg on the highway.

“It was great working with Paul Stanley, because of his vision and passion for design and automobiles,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, performance vehicles and motorsports.

Jimmie Johnson 1971 Corvette

NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson collaborated with Chevrolet to personalize a vintage 1971 Corvette with exterior and interior updates, and an all-new Gen V LT1 crate engine.

“This car not only has the look, but the power train is going to make it sound fast and responsive,” said Jimmie Johnson. “ And it’s a 1971 classic.”

The LT1 crate engine brings modern technology to resto-mod vehicles, including continuously variable valve timing and direct injection. It’s rated at 460 horsepower.

The crate engine from Chevrolet Performance is offered in wet sump (part number 19328728) or dry sump (part number 19329997) versions. Chevrolet also offers the electronic controller and harness (part number 19303137) and a front-end accessory drive system (part number 19329990), to support engine integration. Some custom fabrication by the Chevrolet build team was required to install it in the classic “C3” Corvette. It’s matched with a new Super Magnum six-speed manual transmission also offered by Chevrolet Performance for retro-fit installations.

The LT1 crate engine is available now with a suggested retail price of $11,000 for the wet sump version and $11,250 for the dry sump.

The controller/harness kit lists for $2,250 and the front-end accessory drive kit is priced at $725. They will be available in January 2015.

Johnson’s resto-mod Corvette also has an updated chassis, with adjustable coil-overs replacing the original front and rear suspension components, for more precise handling. The track-proven brakes from a C6 Corvette Z06 have also been adapted to the car, giving it exceptional stopping power.

Along with the all-new powertrain, the classic Corvette features a custom hood vent inspired by the current Stingray, along with restyled front fender vents and 18-inch wheels that emulate the design of the 15-inch rally wheels originally offered in 1971.

Johnson selected a unique silver-blue exterior color, with After Midnight dark silver trim accents and Satin Dark Android graphic accents.  

Inside, Johnson selected original-style bucket seats trimmed in black leather with suede inserts. He also selected a suede-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel, as well as carbon fiber accents. Johnson’s signature is also featured on the floor console, door panels and seat backs.

“Jimmie Johnson is an enthusiast who has restored several classic Chevrolets and he knew exactly what he wanted – classic design supported by modern performance,” said Campbell.

Corvette Z06 concept parts for Stingray

The performance of the all-new, 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 establishes it as one of the most capable supercars on the market – and one of the few to achieve sub-3-second 0-60 performance and a sub-11-second quarter-mile time.

It accelerates from a rest to 60 mph in only 2.95 seconds when equipped with the all-new, available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission – and achieves it in 3.2 seconds with the standard seven-speed manual transmission. A quarter-mile sprint takes just 10.95 seconds with the eight-speed automatic and 11.2 seconds with the seven-speed manual.

Chevrolet Performance is also showing a collection of aero, chassis and suspension concepts components from the Z06. They demonstrate the possibilities of how Stingray owners could apply factory-engineered components from the Z06 to make their car even more capable on the track.

The concept parts include:

• Z06 stabilizer bars, control arms and the Z06’s unique composite transverse leaf spring
• Unique Bilstein shocks, tuned to match the chassis components of the Z06
• Z06 front and rear brakes (steel rotors) – featuring Brembo aluminum six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers; and 14.6-inch-diameter front rotors and 14.4-inch rear rotors
• Z06 front and rear brakes (carbon ceramic rotors) – the brakes from the Z06’s available Z07 package include 15.5-inch carbon ceramic matrix front rotors and 15.3-inch carbon rear rotors
• Z06 front brake ducts
• Z06 600-watt radiator electric fan for superior cooling capability
• Z06 front grille, which offers 17-percent greater airflow than the grille on the Stingray with the Z51 package – and it includes inlets that match the Z06 front brake ducts
• Z06 rear transmission oil cooler – a larger cooler assembly that replaces the one used on the Stingray’s Z51 package for about 15-percent more cooling capacity
• Z06 front auxiliary transmission cooler that essentially doubles the overall cooling capacity
• Z06 rear quarter-panel vents that provide approximately 25-percent greater airflow than the Z51 vents at track speed
• Z06 carbon fiber torque tube that is about 13.2 pounds lighter than the Stingray’s torque tube
• Z06 drive shaft couplers that are designed to stand up to higher exhaust heat than the Stingray and Z51 couplers
• Z06 carbon fiber underbody braces are 17-percent lighter than the Stingray’s aluminum braces, while offering comparable stiffness
• Z06 high-wing rear spoiler with wicker, based on the available carbon fiber aero package.

“We are looking forward to the feedback from SEMA members and Corvette enthusiasts around the world about their interest in these concept Z06 parts,” said Campbell.

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