This Corvette ZR1 might look pretty much standard, but it’s supercharged engine has been tuned by Late Model Racecraft tuning center. And by the looks of things they’ve managed to extract a million horsepower out of it, because as you see in the video it runs an unbelievably quick quarter mile in 9.68 seconds at 147 mph. That is pretty freaking fast, especially for a Corvette, a supercar most people can afford. Kodus to LMR.

Watch the action after the jump.

Here’s a video of the 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype Daytona race car unveiling at Daytona International Speedway, and its very first laps of the track. The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP was driven by factory driver Antonio Garcia. Four teams will be using this handsome machine in 2012 season. The car will make its competitive debut in the 50th anniversary of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 January next year.

This vicious-looking thing you see here is the Daytona Prototype race car version of Chevrolet Corvette.

The new racing car will make competitive debut in the 50th anniversary of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona from January 26-29, 2012. But before that it will participate in a GRAND-AM test at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011.

In 2012 when the car is fully engaged in the series, four teams will be using it, including No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing; No. 10 SunTrust Racing; No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, and the Nos. 5 and 9 Action Express Racing teams.

We quite like the design of the car, which although looks weird, clearly shows its roots as a Corvette. There is not technical details available yet.

“The 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette Designers, Pratt & Miller and GRAND-AM. Chevrolet also worked closely with chassis builders Riley, Coyote and Dallara,” said Mark Kent, GM Racing director. “The IMSA GTP Corvette Prototype campaigned by Hendrick Motorsports in the ’80s was the inspiration for this new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. And, like the GTP Corvettes, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype contains numerous styling cues from the street version of the Chevrolet Corvette.”

If you own a 2011 or 2012 Corvette you should visit your dealer fro a checkup and fix if necessary. But don’t panic, it’s not that serious.

GM has recalled 5,755 Corvettes manufactured from January 24, 2011, through September 1, 2011 for a faulty rear hatch hing. The affected parts apparently don’t comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 206, “door locks and door retention components”.

Because of the fault, Corvette’s rear hatch might separate and increase the risk of an injury.

During the recall which starts from October 7 GM will notify the owners of affected Corvettes to come in for a free fix. They will change both hinges with proper ones.

A couple of days ago GM confirmed that there will be no new Corvette for at least next two years. Now Autocar reveals that they are taking their sweet time because the next ‘Vette is going to be “completely different”.

What do they mean by that? Well, the looks will certainly change, hopefully for the better as they are talking about bringing back the split rear window from 1963. But the more important change is about the powertrain. The word is that a new mid-engine platform is a strong possibility for the new Chevy Corvette. That will make the car a more global product, something that can rival Ferraris and Porsches.

The engine itself will be affected by the new policies, which means the current 7 liter V8 will be axed in favor of a smaller one but with greater power. GM is also looking at a V6 alternative.

I know these changes are to make the Corvette a better car, higher performance, better efficiency. But a large part of a car’s appeal is its character. And the ‘Vette has always been a front-engine V8-powered rear-drive car and it should stays that way.

via: Autocar

As you might be aware this year Chevrolet is celebrating its centennial year. On this occasion they announced a special Centennial Edition package for all Corvette models including Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1.

Available to order from summer, the Centennial Edition treatment includes a sleek black color scheme, unique design elements and Corvette’s trademark sports car technology. These models are tribute to Chevrolet’s racing heritage, more specifically their successful Le Mans career with Corvette Racing.

The Centennial Edition cars come exclusively in Carbon Flash Metallic, with satin-black graphics and unique Centennial Satin Black wheels and red brake calipers. They also get lightweight cast-spun aluminum wheels in size 18-inch/19-inch for Coupe, Convertible and Grand Sport; and 19-inch/20-inch for Z06 and ZR1, featuring a thin red outline around the perimeter of its surface on the Z06 models.

All Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette models get Magnetic Selective Ride Control system as standard.

The main highlight of this package however is a graphic logo featuring an iconic image of Louis Chevrolet appears on the B-pillars, the center caps of the wheels, and the center of the steering wheel. The seat headrests also carry an embossed centennial logo, while Corvette’s crossed flags badge contains a small adaptation, with “100″ in place of the traditional fleur-de-lis symbol, only for the Centennial Edition.

Interior features include Ebony leather-wrapped instrument panel and doors complimented by red stitching also on the steering wheel, seats, console and shifter. The seats feature microfiber suede accents on seats, steering wheel, shifter and armrests, which were first used on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition.

Pricing for the Chevrolet Corvette Centennial Edition will be announced in Summer, but before that Chevrolet will auction off a Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition – 100th 2012 Corvette off the assembly line, with a vehicle identification number ending in “00100″ – at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in benefit of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.

The 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette Z06 (VIN 100) to be auctioned is based on the production 3LZ model with the Z07 performance package, new Z06 carbon fiber hood and CFZ carbon fiber package, which includes:

• Bose premium sound system, with one-year XM subscription, navigation  and USB
• Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity
• Power-adjustable and heated seats
• Memory package, home remote, Head Up Display and power-telescoping steering wheel
• The Custom Leather Wrapped Interior Package, with leather-wrapped upper instrument panels, upper door trim panels and console storage cover and red contrasting stitching
• Z07 performance package, including Brembo ceramic brakes, Magnetic Ride Control and 19-inch/20-inch wheels and Michelin tires
• CFZ package includes carbon fiber rockers, front splitter and roof
• New Carbon Fiber raised hood option for Z06, which was introduced on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition.

The long awaited Corvette Z06 Carbon edition will finally be released in early 2011, but as it turns out it comes with a very unreasonable price. The normal Z06 cost around $75,000, there about, but the Carbon Edition with the same engine, uprated brakes and suspension and two special colors of Supersonic Blue and Inferno Orange, starts at $90,960 and goes up to $99,925 for a loaded model.

Z06 Carbon treatment also includes the ZR1-style bodykit and 20-inch wheels and interior treatment. Now you might think you can do all that yourself in a downtown garage for 10 grand tops, but GM justifies its price by making the car a limited edition with only 500 units for sale.

Dunno about you, but I wanted to spend big on a ‘Vette I’d get the daddy ZR1 for 110 grand. If I just want a normal Corvette, I’d get the normal Z06 – or maybe even the C6! – and save 30 grand.

via: CorvetteBlogger

Apparently Autocar sources were wrong this time! A while ago they started a rumor that for the next gen Chevrolet Corvette General Motors is considering a mid-engine layout and dual-clutch gearbox. It’s been revealed by some Saab engineers who said they’ve been involved in developing such a platform when they were working with GM.

Now though Karl-Friedrich Stracke, GM’s vice president of global vehicle engineering has confirmed in his interview with Autonews that they do not have such plans. He also ruled out the possibility of using a wet dual-clutch transmission for the new Corvette. So the good old Vette will retain its classic configuration.

But it’s not going to be all traditional and old school though. Stracke also gave a hint that there’s a good chance for GM to try out a hybrid powertrain for their sportscars to lower the CAFE and meet emission regulations. Don’t despair though, because they are promising that there will be no compromise on power.

“The customer always wants power. That will not go away.”

Said Stracke: “You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts and turn 80 to 90 percent of your sports car portfolio to hybridization.”

Apparently GM is also inspired by Jeep’s patronizing ad campaign, as their new Corvette is very very American, and equally awesome! Honestly no word is necessary for this, just watch it for yourself. Or, wait till Monday for MLB All-Star Game because that’s when it’ll be aired!

GM’s ace factory driver Ron Fellows has been driving the new Corvette Grand Sport, and Chevrolet filmed it and put it on their Youtube channel! The Grand Sport is a special edition of the ‘Vette which pays homage to the original GS of 1960s. The car comes with a bunch of extras, chief of which is a Launch Control system. Ron will also give you a demo of GS’s L.C in this video! So, click the play and enjoy.

You are probably familiar with this car as it stars in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen blockbuster as the Sideswipe, but it’s just more than that! GM has developed this concept as a sort of training to see how they can mix Corvette’s classic shape which has been maintained for fifty years since the first Stingray was born with some new and futuristic styling cues. This 50th Anniversary concept can very well be the future face of the legendary Corvette.

The concept features some very unique elements such as clamshell hood, scissor-style doors, and  rear-view camera with night vision enhancement, it also has a high performance hybrid drive train.

The Stingray is also very modern inside the cabin, it has ergonomic seats, interactive touch controls that allow the driver to customize the power and efficiency of his or her ride and share it with friends via the in-car camera system and advanced telemetrics.

GM wanted to capture the essence of Corvette and mix it with modernity in this car, and by the looks of things they have accomplished this goal. It can carry on the Vette’s legacy!

As General Motors celebrates the milestone of producing 1,500,000th Corvette at GM Bowling Green Assembly since the legend came to life back in 1953, a new version of this American icon is preparing to take the market by storm. In fact the Grand Sport is a normal Vette with some new trims and some performance tweaks, but the GS badge itself is very very cool and worth the extra pay. 2010 Corvette Grand Sport costs $55,720 for the coupe and $59,530 for the convertible.

Press Release:

DETROIT – At the June meeting of the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association, Karen Rafferty, Chevrolet Product Marketing Director, today announced the recent production of the 1,500,000th Corvette at GM Bowling Green Assembly.

“The 1.5 millionth Corvette is a great example of how Chevy is America’s Brand,” Rafferty said. “For nearly 60 years we have built America’s Sports Car and this milestone is a solid proof point.”

The 1.5 millionth Corvette, built on May 28, is a white convertible 3LT with red interior and black top (similar to the first, 500,000th and 1 millionth Corvettes built in 1953, 1977 and 1992 respectively). The first Corvette rolled off the assembly line on June 30, 1953.

Rafferty also announced pricing of the all-new 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. Pricing for the Grand Sport coupe is $55,720 and GS convertible is $59,530. Both prices include a $950 destination freight charge.

“The Corvette Grand Sport achieves a 0 – 60 time in less than four seconds, pulls 1.0g on the skid pad and still boasts an impressive 26 highway mpg,” Rafferty said. “These numbers are unmatched by any of Corvette’s competitors.”

Karvajal Designs?! Have you ever heard of them? Well, neither have we but anyway, what they’ve done to the Corvette looks pretty sick and that is what matters! It is not fair if you call it just a bodykit, it’s more than that. In fact as they say it’s a Coachbuilt Corvette, like those custom Vettes by Callaway or Mustangs by Saleen. The styling looks a bit outdated frankly, but it’s nice!

Karvajal’s Corvette sits wider than the normal car and that’s why it’s got more presence. Apart form that, they have totally revised the body specially at the back. In fact you cannot tell it’s a Corvette if you look at from behind at first glance! Although it’s not that pretty. The side view of the car has also been changed with new lines and sills and those magnificent side vents. It seems that the designer didn’t want it to look modern. Maybe Classic is a good word to describe this car! Those HRE 18 inch wheels however, don’t look very classicish! Inside the cabin you get a blend of leather and alcantara with new sport seats and steering wheel. You can also replace that horrible plastic consoles of the Corvette with carbon fiber parts

As for the engine and performance though, the Karvajal Vette is really up to date. With help of a Magnuson supercharger and custom exhaust system it develops more than 600 horsepower. So the ZX-1 should have the ZR1 performance! The car has a new braking package from Baer and new suspension component from Pfaft and the aerodynamics have also been tweaked to cope with the added power.

Karvajal Designs Inc has plans to make other varieties of the car, but there is no mention of availability and pricing for the time being.

via: Sub5zero

General Motors released a special edition of the Corvette C6 known as GT1 Championship Edition as a kind of tribute to the Corvette C6R Le mans racer and to mark its great achievements as it’s about to start the 2009 season. The package can be had on any C6 variants for $7,840 and features some unique visuals.

The GT1 comes with C6R inspired graphics and also has some of the ZR1′s styling cues like the spoiler and chrome wheels. The interior features a custom leather trimming with yellow stitching and a lot of GT1 emblems everywhere! It’ll be available in Velocity yellow or Black colors with special engine cover with Corvette lettering.  The Zo6 has no performance upgrades but Coupe and Convertible models can order Z51 Performance Package and NPP Performance exhaust as well as 6-speed Paddle Shifter.

Only 100 units of each color will be built and the finished product costs $65,310 for the coupe, $71,815  for the convertible and $86,385 for the Zo6.

Press Release

2009 Corvette GT1 Championship Editions (RPO GT1)

Chevrolet and Corvette Racing introduce a new limited edition

The GT1 Championship Editions Celebrates Corvette C6.R Racing Success

• American Le Mans Series GT1 Manufacturers Champions for 8 years
• 5 time 24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 Champions
• Over 70 victories in ALMS racing
• 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans race will close out this successful era

Included in the package:

• C6.R livery inspired graphics feature Corvette Racing ‘Jake’, Championships, and driver flags
• ZR1 style body color full width spoiler and chrome wheels
• Custom Leather Wrapped Ebony Interior with exclusive Yellow accent stitching
• GT1 embroidery on the leather seats, instrument panel, and center console armrest

-Special Engine Cover with carbon pattern and yellow Corvette lettering

-Windshield banner – owner installed

Available in either Coupe 4LT ($65,310), Convertible 4LT ($71,815), and Z06 3LZ ($86,385)

- Available in 45U Velocity Yellow (with black headlamps) or 41U Black

• Specific VIN sequence 300001 series for 45U Velocity Yellow representing the #3 C6.R
• Specific VIN sequence 400001 series for 41U Black representing the #4 C6.R
• Limited production to 100 per each color and body style combination and 600 total in Spring ’09
• Coupe and Convertible versions also include: Z51 Performance Package, NPP Performance Exhaust

* Optional MX0 6-speed Paddle Shift Automatic on Coupe and Convertible
* Optional C2L dual roof package on Coupe
* Optional U3U Navigation System on all

When it comes to Chevrolet Corvette tuning, Callaway is always one of the best names in business. Their latest creation with 580hp based on Corvette C6 fills the gap between the normal 500hp C6 and 630hp ZR1. However the Callaway is capable of 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and top speed pf 204 mph, which is in the ZR1 territory, but comes for a very reasonable price. The package costs only $18,900 of course plus a Corvette C6! And is still much cheaper than ZR1′s 100 grand price tag. The engine in this Callaway is a LS3 6.2 liter V8 which is fitted with a Eaton supercharger, intercooler, high flow injectors and modified air intake system. The result is 580 hp and 265 pound-feet of torque. The car comes with a  three-year/36,000-mile warranty. If  it is not enough for you Callaway offers another package, the C16 with 650hp.

source : Insideline

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 LS9 engine is one of the best engines ever produced by GM which develops 638 hp. Now Hennessey Performance Engineering thought that it is a good idea to put it into the Camaro SS, and my GOD it is!! However guys of Hennessey are not satisfied with that and offer a tuning package to get 705 hp and 717 lb-ft torque out of it. To contain the fury of power, Camaro brakes are replaced by ZR1′s also suspension has been retuned. HPE700 wears Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres, the tyre of choice for all the supercars. The car comes for $109,500 and for that price you’ll get a one day performance driving course to learn how to tame the car!

PRESS RELEASE

HENNESSEY PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION 705 HP LS9 POWERPLANT FOR THE 2010 CAMARO

Extreme Performance Makeover Transforms the 2010 Camaro from Muscle Car to Super Car!

SEALY, TX – Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE), well known for their extreme performance sports cars and muscle cars, announces their Limited Edition 2010 HPE700 Camaro.

At the heart of the beast is GM’s new LS9 supercharged V8 tweaked as only HPE could to 705 horsepower and 717 lb-ft torque. To qualify as a supercar under the HPE banner it can’t just go, it has to whoa. With optional 15 inch carbon brakes from the stunning new Corvette ZR1, light weight HRE wheels with Michelin PS2 tires and full suspension upgrades the HPE700 Camaro will be able to make full use of its new found power.

In addition to the power and handling upgrades., Hennessey will also be offering an exterior aerodynamics package to improve downforce at high speed. Penned by British designer, Steve Everitt, Hennessey’s Cam-Aero ™ body upgrades include: Carbon fiber rear lip spoiler, carbon fiber side rocker panels, carbon fiber front splitter, front fascia with hideaway-look headlights and front billet grille. Completing the look of the HPE700 is a ZR1 inspired hood design with window showing off the Hennessey’s tweaked LS9 powerplant.

“The HPE700 Camaro allows our customers to combine supercar power and performance with classic American muscle car looks in a modern, daily-drive usable sportscar with a backseat and a trunk!,” said John Hennessey, President and CEO of Hennessey Performance Engineering. “We will be announcing other Hennessey turnkey vehicle packages for the 2010 Camaro in the near future along with an extensive list of aftermarket performance parts and accessories. But for now, the LS9-powered HPE700 Camaro, replete with ZR1 inspired looks and performance promises to be at the top of the American muscle car food chain later in 2009.

HPE700 buyers will also receive a 1-day performance driving course at Lonestar Motorsports Park – a ¼ mile dragstrip facility located adjacent to Hennessey’s 24,000 square foot production facility and showroom.

Hennessey is offering the first HPE700 Camaros exclusively to registered bidders at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. Orders can be placed at the Hennessey display at the show or by phone or email beginning Tuesday, January 13 through Sunday, January 18, 2009. On Monday, January 19, 2009 the HPE700 Camaro will be available to the general public and can be ordered from select Chevrolet dealers as well as directly from Hennessey Performance Engineering.

Base price for the 2010 HPE700 Camaro is $109,500.

Located just west of Houston Texas at the Lonestar Motorsports Park complex, HPE has been building American supercars for nearly two decades with its Veyron-beating Venom Vipers, Ford GT’s and recently released Dodge Challengers.

A 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Roadster, number 2 of 5 ever built will be auctioned in Arizona on January 16. This 616 HP racing Vette is the symbol of all American racing heritage and is re-tuned to its original racing state for the auction, said the officials.  Of course the price will be so high for such jewel that the buyer would never dare to race it again  !!

Chevrolet built only five Grand Sports, which have been surrounded by an aura of intrigue. “Periodically, one of the five Grand Sports appeared, raced around at shocking speeds, and then plunged back into mysterious seclusion,” in the words of journalist Brock Yates. Chassis No. 002 will be part of the lineup at the Automobiles of Arizona auction at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa here.

Bidding requirements include a $2,000 cash deposit and a bank letter of guarantee, according to RM Auctions.

The Grand Sport up for auction “has been returned to its 1966 USRRC racing configuration,” says RM Auctions, “wearing its pristine time-warp original bodywork with 427 power and accordingly remains just as it might have been seen over 40 years ago on the track or in the pits. It is the very definition of a ‘time warp example,’ especially considering that most race cars cannot make it through a season without new bodywork.”

Goodies include a “comprehensive documentation package nearly 6 inches thick appropriate to its history, restoration and importance,” said RM Auctions.

source : Edmunds

Now GM happy from getting government money, is doing some serious marketing maneuver by bringing back 0% APR on loan financing for up to 60 month. The reduced rate financing is available to qualified buyers today through January 5, 2009 on many 2008 and select 2009MY vehicles (see list below). Of note, many of the vehicles listed below have stackable bonus cash and/or dealer cash ranging from $500 to $4,250.

“We’re very excited to offer this reduced rate financing through GMAC to encourage our customers to get back into the game,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. “This enables even more qualified customers to finance through GMAC at their local GM dealership, and provides additional financing capacity with conventional and reduced rate APRs for our dealers to make sales. With GM’s Financing That Fits, and the Red Tag Sale now underway that offers supplier pricing, customers have an opportunity to get a variety of extremely attractive offers through the end of the year.”

2008MY vehicles and offers for qualified buyers:

• 0% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 Chevrolet TrailBlazer; GMC Envoy; and Saab 9-3, 9-5, 9-7X
• 0.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 Buick Lucerne
• 1.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL; Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and Avalanche; Cadillac CTS, SRX, Escalade, DTS, STS and XLR
• 2.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 Buick Lacrosse; HUMMER H2 and H3
• 3.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 Chevrolet Equinox, Colorado Ext and Crew cab and Light Duty Silverado; Pontiac Torrent; GMC Canyon Ext and Crew cab, and Light Duty Sierra
• 4.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’08 Saturn Astra and Sky; Pontiac Solstice; Chevrolet Corvette and Heavy Duty Silverado; and Heavy Duty GMC Sierra

2009MY vehicles and offers for qualified buyers:

• 3.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’09 Chevrolet Cobalt; Pontiac G5; and Cadillac CTS
• 4.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’09 Pontiac G6; Chevrolet Malibu, Light Duty Silverado and HHR; Saturn Aura; and Light Duty GMC Sierra
• 5.9% APR for up to 60 months on ’09 Chevrolet Avalanche and Heavy Duty Silverado; and Heavy Duty GMC Sierra

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 252,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 34 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Jeremy Clarkson endorses Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 as his 2008 Car Of The Year. Despite being American and made out of recycled plastic and low build quality, Jezza believes it is just a surprise since it delivers Ferrari performance for almost half the price. ZR1 is powered by a small block V8 LS9 caret engine which develops 638bhp and 604 lb ft of torque. Follow the jump to read Jeremy’s article…

It’s been a quiet year for the world’s motor industry. There have been no wrecks, nobody drowning; in fact, nothing to laugh at at all. But, hidden in the sea of normality and business as usual, were a couple of gems.

We start with the BMW X6, which must receive my inaugural What Were They Thinking Of award. Have you seen one? No, and I doubt you ever will because in a world that’s plagued with recession and run by people who believe the world’s polar bears are up at the North Pole sipping pina coladas and slapping on the factor five, it is surely the most inappropriate piece of corporate thinking since Sir Clive Sinclair said: “Yes. The electric slipper. That’s what people want . . .”

However, I cannot say the BMW X6 is the worst car of the year, partly because I have not yet driven it and partly because it cannot possibly be worse than the Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Unless it smells of slurry and the radio is jammed on Rap FM.

The Sebring is an extraordinary car. Ugly to behold and hateful to drive, it is not cheap, elegant, comfortable, practical, prestigious, clever, economical, luxurious, well designed, well thought out or, if the rental car I drove in America this year is anything to go by, especially well made either. Perhaps this is why the boss of Chrysler chose to go to Washington in his private jet. He knew that if he used a Sebring, it would break down on the way. Or worse, it would get there and he’d be a laughing stock among his business-mates from Ford and General Motors.

Strangely, however, the Chrysler is not the worst car I drove all year. That accolade rests with the diesel-powered Kia Sedona people carrier.

With the Sebring, you get the impression that the designers and engineers couldn’t be bothered to make a good car. With the Sedona you are left with the distinct impression they simply didn’t know how.

I cannot conceive of how empty, pointless and lacking in ambition or style your life must be for the Sedona to be a solution. It is like alcohol-free beer, a pointless car-free facsimile of the real thing, and as a result, it can have no place in the life of a sentient being.

The biggest disappointment of the year is a closely fought contest between any number of cars but the winner is Audi’s RS 6. It promises much and on a racetrack it delivers a great deal. But to buy a five-seat estate car simply because it’s so fluent through Becketts is like going out to buy a pet goldfish and coming home with a horse “because it’s so good over the Chair”.

The drawbacks you will encounter in real life are too endless. The uncomfortable seating, the weird steering and a very real sense that in a car like this, 572bhp is a lot more than you will ever need. It’s said you can’t be too beautiful or too rich but you can have too much power. Because one minute you’ll be overtaking a lorry and the next you’ll go mad and want to invade Poland.

Other disappointments are mostly centred on cars which aren’t really as good as others that do broadly the same thing. The Ford Kuga, for instance, is not as good as the Volvo XC60 and the Renault Twingo Renaultsport is not as good as a Fiat 500 Abarth. And then there’s the Vauxhall Insignia, which is massively better than the Vectra it replaces. But not quite as good as the Ford Mondeo. And who says: “Right. What I want to buy is the second-best four-door saloon with no badge prestige”? Actually, come to think of it; who wants to buy the best?

My main gripe of the year, though, rests with seat designers who have got it into their heads that we only like leather – there’s really nothing wrong with pleblon, especially on a day that’s hot or cold, and doubly especially if there are any corners between your house and your place of work.

Worse, though, they seem to think that what we really want are seats in our cars that are less comfortable than those in our kitchens. I know that cod liver oil is good for you. I also know you will go to heaven if you only eat weeds and you spend your evenings embroidering kneelers for the local church. But we are not all vegi-vicars. That is why we don’t wear hair shirts and it’s why we want the seats in our cars to have a bit of give. Are you listening, Vauxhall? Are you listening, Ford? Go and find yourself an old Renault Fuego Turbo. Check out the bean bags it came with and you’ll know what I’m on about.

And now we shall move on to the good stuff from the past 12 months. On television recently, I said the best car from the year was the Caterham R500 but it’s important to remember that the criterion we were looking for was very specific. The winner had to do more than you could reasonably expect for the money.

The Nissan GT-R was a contender because it costs almost half as much as a Porsche 911 Turbo and yet around the Nürburgring – and such things do matter with cars like this – it is faster. Then you have the VW Scirocco, which costs, as near as makes no difference, the same as the Golf GTI on which it is based. And yet it’s so much more desirable. But the winner had to be the little Caterham, which is faster round the Top Gear track than the Bugatti Veyron . . . even though it costs about 30 times less.

However, if you broaden the search engine and look simply for the best car of the year, the Caterham isn’t in with a shout because it’s ugly and geeky and I wouldn’t have one even if the option was the loss of my right testicle.

Best car, then? Hmmm. You cannot discount the Rolls-Royce Phantom drophead because it is exquisite in almost every way. Nor can we ignore the Fiat 500 Abarth because it’s just so bouncy and wonderful and so full of enthusiasm. I don’t think it would be possible to be in a bad mood while driving this car. And soon there will be a 200bhp version with a spoiler the size of Middlesex on the roof. That’ll make the Mini Cooper look like a brogue.

However, the car I’ve selected wins because it’s just such a surprise.

Over the years there have been a great many Corvettes, and none of them, if we’re honest, have been any good. Oh, there have been some fast ones and some with great charisma. Mostly, they have been pretty as well. But to drive? No. They were the automotive equivalent of Big Macs. Cheap, plastic and at the right time, and in the right place, sort of just what you want. But like I said. Just no.

And then out of nowhere came the ZR1, which has a supercharged V8 that manages to be both docile and extraordinarily savage all at the same time. I’ve been trying to think of a dog that pulls off a similar trick, but there isn’t one. And anyway, this car is not a dog.

Oh, it’s not built very well. After just three days in my care, the boot lock disintegrated and the keyless go system refused to acknowledge the keys were in the car, but I didn’t mind because there is simply no other car that looks this good, goes this fast – in a straight line and around corners – and that most of the time bumbles about like a forgetful uncle. And when you throw in the price tag of just £106,690 – lots for a Corvette but modest next to a similarly powerful Ferrari – the case for the defence can sit down and put up its feet knowing that the prosecutor simply has nowhere to go.

It is an epic car and I’m only sad that unless the healthcare and pensions company that makes it can be turned around, it will be the last of the breed.

Indeed, I worry that the next 12 months will bring us many wrecks, many drownings and absolutely nothing to laugh at at all. I shall therefore stop short of wishing you a prosperous new year. Instead, I shall hope that in our new-found poverty, we can still all be happy.

source : Jeremy Clarkson column in TIMES UK