America’s Favorite Sports Cars to Pace Belle Isle Grand Prix

[Rob]

America’s Favorite Sports Cars to Pace Belle Isle Grand Prix

2012-05-30

• Camaro and Corvette setting sales pace for their segments
• Forza Motorsport 4 fans compile 63 million miles in Corvettes and Camaros

DETROIT – America’s favorite sports cars will lead the return of motorsports to Detroit this weekend, when the Camaro ZL1 paces the Chevrolet Grand-Am 200 at Belle Isle on Saturday, and the Corvette 427 Convertible paces the Chevrolet Indy Grand Prix on Sunday. Both are essentially unchanged production models.

“With Corvette and Camaro, Chevrolet has two of the most popular, and most iconic, performance cars in the industry,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Global Marketing. “It will be very exciting to see them leading the field as racing returns to Detroit.”

Corvette and Camaro have become synonymous with performance – and help attract new fans to Chevrolet, as evidenced by Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox 360.

More than 1.3 million race fans have driven at least one Chevrolet in the racing simulator, totaling more than 107 million miles of racing. Corvette and Camaro account for 60 percent of those miles. Forza Motorsport drivers have raced more than 38 million miles in Corvettes, with the 2009 Corvette C6 ZR1 being the most popular choice; and they have raced more than 25 million miles in Camaros, with the 2012 Camaro SS being the most popular.

Their popularity is also evident in showrooms, as Corvette and Camaro continue to set the sales pace in their segments.

In 2011, enthusiasts made Chevrolet the most popular sports-car brand in the United States, with Camaro and Corvette accounting for one of three performance cars sold.

That trend continues for 2012, as total sales for Camaro lead its nearest competitor, the Ford Mustang, by 13 percent through April. For the same period, Corvette sales are 39 percent higher than its nearest competitor, the Porsche 911.

The 2012 Camaro ZL1 Coupe that will pace the Grand Am race is the most-powerful Camaro ever produced, with a supercharged, 6.2L, LSA V-8 delivering 580-horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque. It is also the most-sophisticated Camaro ever, with exclusive performance technologies including Performance Traction Management and Magnetic Ride suspension. Other standard performance features include six-piston Brembo brakes and coolers for the rear differential, brakes and transmission. As a result, the ZL1 is also the most-capable Camaro ever, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, reaching a top speed of 184 mph, and lapping the famed Nurburgring in just 7:41.27. The Camaro ZL1 starts at $54,995, including destination.

The 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible that will pace the IndyCar race is the fastest and most-capable convertible in Corvette’s history.

Its heart is the 427-cubic-inch (7.0L) LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque, it is the most powerful engine ever installed in a production Corvette convertible. The 427 Convertible makes extensive use of lightweight carbon-fiber that brings the 427 Convertible’s curb weight to 3,355 pounds. Combined with its 505-horsepower LS7 engine, it gives the 427 Convertible a power-to-weight ratio of 6.64 – or one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of vehicle mass – which is better than the Audi RS 5.2 RSI Spyder (7.58), the Aston Martin DBS Volante Convertible (7.82), and the Ferrari California Convertible (8.31).

The combination of low mass and high output will make the 427 Convertible one of the fastest convertibles in the world, delivering estimated 0-60 performance of 3.8 seconds, quarter-mile performance of 11.8 seconds, lateral acceleration of 1.04 g and a top speed of more than 190 mph.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com

[Chas]