7-litre Corvette Supercar in an Eco-Rally?
Submitted by MikeWhelan on 28 May, 2010 - 13:34
Circuits Magazine will be driving a monster 7-litre V8 Corvette from Brighton to London to show that with careful driving techniques in a big, torquey, lightweight car you can achieve astounding results - even in a 530bhp American supercar!
I’ve lost count of how many people have come up to me in filling station and said “I bet that likes a drink”, only to be astounded when I explain that when cruising on the motorway, this big beast can return 30-40mpg. We will demonstrate that to tax a car based upon engine capacity alone is foolish, as used correctly a big torquey engine can play a part in saving fuel, contrary to the misguided perception that our previous government blindly followed.
- Chris Jenkins, Circuits Magazine
When General Motors design head Harley Earl created the Corvette, it was radical for an American car, with a clean, aerodynamic body completely lacking any of the extraneous fins, swoops, or fender bulges so common on 1950s cars. The Corvette was not the first to be made with a lightweight fiberglass body, but it was the first to be built by a company the size of Chevrolet.
Corvette concept cars have inspired the designs of several generations of Corvettes. The first Corvette, Harley Earl's 1953 EX-122 Corvette prototype was itself, a concept show car - brought to production in six months with only minor changes.
