By: Susan Cameron

Few new cars have ever caused the stir that whipped up around the 1990 Corvette ZR-1. It started with fuzzy spy photos and Detroit gossip about a high-powered, “King of the Hill” model. Chevrolet was coy, neither confirming nor denying the grist of the rumor mill.

Rumor became fact at the 1989 Geneva Auto Show, when the ZR-1 officially debuted. It was a time when performance cars were only beginning to regain some of the performance enjoyed during the heyday of the muscle car, and the ZR-1’s 375-horespower (280 kW) LT5 V-8 engine – with its DOHC configuration and four-valve heads – was an intoxicating breath of high-octane excitement.

The all-aluminum LT5 engine’s design was a collaboration of GM and Lotus Engineering, sharing only a 5.7-liter displacement with other small-block engines. The engine was built by Mercury Marine, which was renowned for its aluminum machining capability. Engineers were justifiably proud of the [...]

Last week, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter attempted to slam the door on whispers Chevrolet is working on a mid-engine version of the Corvette. Of course, it’s going take more than reasoned argument and denial from anyone—even automotive royalty like Juechter—to extinguish one the industry’s longest running rumors. Especially given these incriminating spy shots.

Read More About the Mid-Engine Corvette from Motor Authority

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Used with permission from Motor Authority | Article by John Coyle | March 25, 21015

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No, they can’t use GPS. Here’s what it’s like to train for the grueling race.

The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, the largest all-female motorsport competition on the planet, is tough stuff. The nine-day route across southern Morocco’s most demanding deserts and mountains prohibits the use of GPS, cell phones, or support crews. The two-person teams—a driver and navigator—are allowed only four navigation tools: outdated maps, a compass, a ruler, and a plotter.

“I didn’t want to do this rally because of those bloody maps that have symbols in French. In the past I’ve always had navigational systems,” says Sue Mead, an automotive journalist and award-winning off-road racer.

Mead was first approached to do the rally about six years ago, when Emily Miller took second place overall in the rally in 2011 and became mentor for the U.S. Gazelles.

No newcomer to the sport, Mead already has legs on desert [...]

Mark Doyon wasn’t looking for a ’69 Camaro RS/SS convertible with 60,000 original miles and original paint. He says, “A year ago Labor Day weekend, my son and I hit a few garage sales in our area [Rochester, Michigan]. We almost passed by one. They had baby things out in the driveway.”

Luckily, they did stop. Mark’s young son, Alexander, said, “Hey Dad, I think there’s an SS something in the garage…”

The car didn’t appear to be part of the garage sale. However, on closer inspection, Mark found on the window a sticker that read, “1969 RS/SS convertible for sale, $18,000.”

Even though Mark had no intentions of buying the Camaro, he asked the lady, “Why so much?” She explained the Camaro was “all original” and had been parked since 1987. She bought [...]