2008 Barrett Jackson will auction first Challenger, ZR & GT 500KR

Every year the Barrett Jackson classic car auction fills our heads with dream cars that we all wish to someday own. In recent years we have seen many modern day and future classics roll across the auction block. Though not just any special cars. First production cars. Usually it results as the first actual production or retailable car. The most notable was the first 06 Shelby GT 500 Mustang, and 07 Shelby GT Mustangs. Both times these cars fetched WELL over their original sticker prices. And as with just about everything Carroll Shelby does, the proceeds go to charity.
At the 2008 auction in a few weeks. We will see not one, but three first production future classics be made available. Shelby will of course off the first 2008 GT 500KR(King of the Road). But new comers Chevrolet and Dodge will auction the first production Corvette ZR1 and Challenger SRT-8s to roll off the assembly lines. Both the Vette and the Challenger will/should be fresh off their introductions at Detroit. Just before the auction begins.

The best part is that like the Shelbys of the past few years, all proceeds from all three lots will go to auction. Sales will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), The United Way, and the notMYkid charity.

We're sure that these cars will command the high dollar value as they have in the past with auctions of this type. So we expect to see at the very least 7 figure dollars amounts for these future classics. And we also expect that at least one, if not all three will end up in the collection of Arizona business tycoon Ron Pratte. See you in Scottsdale!

Source: Barrett Jackson.

The King returns! The 2009 Corvette ZR1

The Myth, The Legend, The History. It all returns with the new C6 Corvette ZR1. Formerly known as the Blue Devil and the Corvette SS. What we are looking at here is the fastest production Corvette of all time.

The aluminum and magnesium from the Z06 is the basis for the ZR1. At the front, you'll find a C6-R inspired splitter in carbon fiber. Flared front fenders with large air outlets to quickly move hot air out of the engine compartment. Also for the first time on a production Corvette, the hood has a clear lexan window to show off the new LS9 V8 engine. Which is oh so cool to look at. Oh, did we also mention that all the front sheet metal is carbon fiber rather than fiberglass?

A major styling change is the carbon fiber roof. GM really pulled out all the stops for the carbon fiber. GM materials engineers put a lot effort into developing an additive for the clear coat that could be applied to the carbon to preserve it for the life of the car. The ZR1 is the first car ever to have a carbon fiber clear coat that will last the life of the car. The chemical additive costs $60,000 a gallon and the clear coat with the additive mixed in comes to $2,000 a gallon. With out this the resins in the carbon fiber will break down over time, causing the appearance to yellow and become brittle.

When the original ZR1 was let lose in 1990, it was powered by a dual overhead cam, 5.7 liter V8 with 405 horsepower. Seems like nothing when compared with the super cars of today, but for 1990 this was earth shattering. The new LS9 supercharged 6.2 liter V8 in the 2009 ZR1 is rumored to have somewhere between 620 and 650 horsepower. That's well over the 505 hp on the current Z06 with it's 7.0 liter V8.

With the Z06, GM received many complaints about how hard the car was to drive on the street. Yeah it did great at the track, but in an everyday setting. It was just too much. In the ZR1, there are softer springs than the Z06 but GM added the same magneto-rheological dampers as the Ferrari 599. The fluid in these units is filled with iron particles and the viscosity can be instantly changed by varying an electric current passing through it. Sensors in the car take measurements every 0.001 seconds and adjust the dampers every 0.002 seconds.

15 inch Brembo brake rotors are placed in the rear wheels, while 15.5 inch rotors are used up front. Capped with bright blue 6 piston front and 4 piston rear calipers, also from Brembo. The brakes are topped with Michelin Pilot Sport

285/30ZR19s front tires while traction goes through 335/25ZR20s at the rear.

Will the new ZR1 be King of the Hill like the C4 ZR1? Only time will tell, and the numbers will be proven once GM sends a few out for testing. Look for more details as we get closer to the Detroit auto show next month.

Source: GM.

Sneek peek: Corvette ZR1 6.9 L LS9 V8

This one got leaked out by the guys over at Jalopnik.com yesterday. This is a sneek peek of the 2009 Corvette ZR1s 6.9 Liter LS9 V8 engine. Horsepower should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 650hp. The LS9 is a Supercharged version of the 6.2 L LS3 used in the stock Corvette. The supercharger also features unique integrated twin intercoolers for optimum performance. The new ZR1 will debut in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Since there is not much info coming out of GM. We'll keep you posted as it develops. We'll be in Detroit for the unveiling so it should be very exciting.

Integrated Twin Intercoolers. Intercooler cut away.