Road Rumblings

Hybrid Cor vette E-Ray Leaked

But C8 Will Always Be V8-Powered

For Corvette fans, we’ve grown accustomed to staggered reveals of different trim levels over the years. You know the drill, the base car is released, followed by higher performance variants that keep sales on the boil as the model goes through its life cycle. The Z06 model recently joined the base C8, and now (by either an electronic glitch or other trickery,) the latest mid-engine Corvette variant has been leaked to the world. The guys over at Mid-Engine Corvette Forum bring us the story. While we thought a Grand Sport model would the next salvo in the C8 saga, what we have instead is the new E-Ray, the first hybrid Corvette with all-wheel drive. The electrification of the automobile, not to mention an electric Corvette, is a prickly topic around these parts, but hold off on the nasty grams until you hear me out. We think the new E-Ray will be another feather in the cap for Tadge Juechter, Harlan Charles, and the rest of the Corvette development team. While we don’t have final specs, here’s what we can expect from this new-fangled C8. The car will retain the nearly 500 horsepower LT2 V8 behind the seats with two electric motors fitted at each front wheel in the frunk. We’d guess that the two motors will contribute roughly 100hp to the V8’s output, along with instant torque and some sort of four-wheel vectoring thrown in for good measure. An added benefit will be decreased gas consumption, although the electric-only range is unknown at this point. Aside from the dual propulsion system, the ERay shares the Z06’s wide body panels and shows off new colors and wheel designs as well. There are 13 different color selections, including old standbys like “Accelerate Yellow,” “Torch Red,” but we think the new camo-esque “Cacti” is the most noteworthy. The E-Ray looks to include a brake regeneration as well, which will capture energy from braking and recharge the battery. For naysayers, I have good news. The C8 Corvette will always be a gas-powered sports car. The mid-engine architecture that GM heavily invested in is obsolete in today’s brave new automotive world and doesn’t take well to complete EV retrofitting. There will never be an all-electric C8, period. We’ll probably have one more C8 variant coming that adds twin turbos to the Z06’s DOHC, flatplane crank 5.5-liter V8, and sport a rumored 1000 horsepower. It might be called Zora and will be the swan song for the gas-powered Corvette. The new C9 will be an Ultium-based, clean sheet design with a performance envelope that will probably dwarf anything offered by Chevrolet today. Not only that, GM honcho Mark Ruess has publicly stated that the Corvette will be a multi-model franchise with the addition of an electric sedan and SUV added to the marque. Like Ford with the Mustang Mach-E, it looks like GM will follow suit and straddle both ICE and EV arenas in the near future. In the meantime, if a gas-powered Corvette gets you hot and bothered, GM would love to sell you a current model. If new Corvette prices got you down, used C8s have started to come down with nice examples hovering around the $75,000-80,000 mark.

Get Behind The Wheel Of An NCM Motorsports Park Z06 Corvette

Chevrolet’s newest supercar, the 2023 Z06 Corvette, is a car many folks are lining up to get some seat time. There have been stories of price adjustments and even allotment raffles that enthusiasts have had to endure to try and find some seat time. There is a large spectrum of enthusiasts who may not want to own a Z06 at this time but would surely appreciate a little “get to know” time behind the wheel. For those folks, NCM Motorsports Park may be just what they are seeking. The small borough of Bowling Green, Kentucky, has built itself into the hub of the entire Corvette community. To start, that is where all Corvettes have been built since 1981. Right across the street is the National Corvette Museum, the repository for all things from Corvette’s colorful past. The NCM is located on a 60-acre campus with 115,000-square-foot under roof Within the line of sight from each of these Corvette hot spots is the NCM Motorsports Park. Inspired by components from various tracks around the globe, the NCM Motorsports Park sprawls out over 184 acres and gives enthusiasts a challenging yet safe avenue for stretching their Corvette’s legs. The NCM Motorsports Park holds numerous events throughout the year, such as High-Performance Driving Experiences (HPDEs) and instructional sessions by its highly-trained staff. One offering that is sure to be a favorite with enthusiasts is NCM Motorsports Park’s new Drive A Corvette Z06 opportunity. Currently, the NCM Motorsports Park is the only facility to offer driving experiences for the public in the all-new Corvette Z06. During the event, participants will feel the exhilaration of wielding the Corvette Z06 around the challenging 3.2-mile, 23-turn MSP road course in a lead/follow format. For enthusiasts who want to feel even more thrill, the NCM Motorsports Park also offers the Z06 Fast Pack, which in addition to the lead/follow laps around the road course, will also include a “Zero to Sixty” launch on the straightaway and a hot lap driven by an MSP professional driver. Participants will be able to experience all this amazing car has to offer in a safe yet very exciting atmosphere. Due to the program’s popularity, it is strongly encouraged to pre-book your Drive A Corvette Z06 and Z06 Fast Pack participation. Participants must be 18 years or older and have a valid driver’s license to participate in this experience. Helmets will be provided, but closed-toe shoes and long pants must be worn during the event. The event will run rain or shine, and track configuration and availability are subject to change without notice. Head to the NCM Motorsports Park’s website and schedule the Drive a Corvette Z06 or Z06 Fast Pack event today. And there is even an option to purchase an NCM Motorsports Park gift certificate for someone, which would make an excellent Christmas present this year! Don’t let those dealers’ market adjustments keep you from experiencing the all-new Corvette Z06. Make plans to visit Bowling Green, Kentucky, and take in all the Corvette goodness this small Kentucky town has to offer!

You Can Now Buy A COPO Camaro With 10.3-Liters Of Big-Block Power

That 2023 COPO Camaro that Chevrolet Performance showed off at the recent PRI Show in Indianapolis is now officially up for grabs, and you can get yourself one — complete with one of the largest V8 engines ever produced in a factory-built automobile. The 2023 edition COPO will come with three powertrain options: the naturally-aspirated 427, the LSX-based supercharged 350, and a brand-new fuel-injected 632 cubic inch big-block. Body color options include Black, Summit White, Red Hot, Steel Gray, and Vivid Orange (632 engine option only). The cars and their three different engine packages use many of the latest and greatest components on the market, including ATI Performance Products TH400 transmissions, torque converters, dampers, and flexplates, Hurst Quarterstick shifters, Callies cranks and rods, Mahle pistons and rings and Clevite bearings, Strange Engineering 9-inch through-bolt center sections and 40-spline axles, Meziere electric water pumps, and much more. The limited-edition COPO Camaro is only sold through U.S. dealerships, and is a purpose-built race car which is not street legal and therefore can not be registered in any of the 50 states. The COPO Camaro is sold without a title, on a Bill of Sale, and does not have a VIN. Submitting information does not guarantee a build spot. If a build spot is granted, a $15,000 deposit, unless prohibited by law, will be required to secure a MY2023 COPO. Visit the Chevrolet Performance web page for information on how to order your flavor of 2023 COPO Camaro

Edelbrock Is Moder nizing The Classic 383-Cube SBC Crate Engine

There’s certainly nothing new when it comes to a small-block Chevy crate engine, but we’ve picked up on these two new engines from Edelbrock because they do things a little bit differently. These are all-new engines with a 4.030-ich bore and 3.75-inch stroke using a forged-steel crank and forged aluminum pistons pushing 10.4:1 compression. Most regular crate engines pump out a measly 400 horsepower or so but Edelbrock’s EFI version delivers a solid 500 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 450 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm. The carbureted version comes in slightly lower at 485 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 465 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.

Making 500 horsepower with a small-block Chevy 383 is no walk in the park, especially with EFI. But when you compare the prices, the EFI motor is certainly well worth the investment at only $1,000 more than the carbureted version. There are some hidden tech bits inside this small-block that are worthy of mention. Take a look at the included cam specs and note that even with a 1.6:1 rocker, this COMP hydraulic roller cam sports serious valve lift of 0.624-inch for the intake and 0.608-inch lift for the exhaust. With plenty of duration — 234/235 degrees at 0.050 — this cam offers roughly 0.070-inch more lift on the intake side compared to a comparable duration COMP Xtreme Energy cam. We would hazard a guess that this additional lift is where at least some of the 500 horsepower originates. The power curve supplied by Edelbrock shows this engine making 500 horsepower at 6,000 rpm but also twisting 400 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm despite the large single plane intake manifold. The carbureted version makes even slightly more torque at 3,000. The rest of this engine is no slouch with Edelbrock E-Tec 200cc aluminum heads, beehive valve springs, 1.6:1 rockers, a 7-quart oil pan, 6.00-inch forged steel rods, a Super Victor single-plane intake manifold and Edelbrock’s Pro Flo 4 sequential EFI system calibrated specifically for this new engine. The carbureted version is also worth consideration with many shared components except that it is fitted with Edelbrock’s new VRS4150 750 cfm carburetor. We’ve looked into this new carb and it offers a tremendous range of opportunities for specific tuning with additional circuits not found on a typical street carburetor. The carbureted engine also comes with a specifically tuned HEI ignition to round out the package. These small-blocks may appear to be a bit fussy and perhaps even high-strung for street engines, but Edelbrock says these engines will idle at 14 inches of manifold vacuum at 950 rpm. That’s enough to run power brakes and to make solid torque at low speeds as well. Check out the dyno curve we’ve included with torque at 400 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm. These new Edelbrock crate engines have just raised the bar on what can now be new ground for those who still believe in the traditional small-block Chevy. There’s clearly life left in this veteran engine package and Edelbrock has just pushed it along a little further.

The Annual RAT TRAP RACING / TECHNOCRAFT Christmas Open House and HOT ROD GATHERING was held on Dec 3rd.

Ron & Brian Hope and the whole Hope family open the doors of their race and fabrication facility to anyone who wants to stop by….and it was a great turnout.

The weather early in the morning was a little “damp”, but by mid-morning all was good weather wise and the hot rodders came out in force!

Fans, friends and first timers to the event got to check out the RAT TRAP AA/ FA race shop, the TECHNOCRAFT Cabinet operation (they specialize in custom trailer cabinets) and all those cool cars and truck in attendance.

Noontime saw “THE CACKLEFEST” kick off. Michael Hope’s new Fuel Altered led off the fun, along with the PAVEMENT SHAKER AA/FD and The RAT TRAP AA/FA burnin’ NITRO thru the pipes! The smell of Nitromethane filled the air!!

Put the first Saturday in December on your schedule to come n out to this annual event in 2023.