Corvette Z03 Concept by Ugur Sahin Design

Using the Corvette Z06 as a foundation, Dutch design house “Ugur Sahin Design” penned an extreme version of the American sports car dressed in an attractive carbon fiber body. The Corvette Z03 is one of the first projects to come from Ugur Sahin Design which was formed by Axel van Mourik and Ugur Sahin in the summer of 2007.

According to “Ugur Sahin Design”, the Corvette Z03 features a series of mechanical upgrades including three engine packages which range from 500 to 750 HP. Unlike many other renderings that we see from time to time, the two co-owners of the Dutch company are planning to put the Corvette Z03 into a limited edition run of 100 units by the end of the year. Pipe dreaming or reality? Who knows, only time can tell. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.nl , Source: Ugur Sahin Design

SEMA 2007: Chevrolet Silverado Major League Baseball

It’s big, it’s covered in baseball team logos and it has a power-lifting tonneau cover that rises to reveal a wide-screen television monitor connected to a Wii gaming console. And oh, it also features real baseball bat ash wood trim and trimmed leather seats that look like a baseball in the interior. Now, if only Chevy would hand us a bat and let us take a few shots on their SEMA Show Silverado, everything would be perfect… -Details and pics after the jump

Vehicle highlights:

• Silverado 1500 crew cab
• 6.0L V-8
• Multi-color, MLB-inspired paint scheme incorporating all team logos
• Power-lift tonneau
• Wide-screen TV with Wii gaming console
• Bose Surround Sound system
• Leather-trimmed interior with baseball stitching, color and feel
• Ash wood (baseball bat material) trim

GM Accessories features (production and concept):

• Chrome mesh grille
• Twenty-two-inch chrome wheels
• Hard shell tonneau cover
• DVD headrest system
• Ground effects kit

SEMA: Chevy Hot Rod Replica With A Flexfuel 500Hp 2.0L Turbo Engine

Instead of featuring a typical small-block V8, Chevy’s low-slung 1934 hot-rod replica is equipped with a turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec engine that runs on E85 ethanol. With the help of GM Performance Parts’ Stage III performance kit and a larger turbo, the alternative-fuel street rod pumps out a whopping 500 Hp to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission. According to Chevy, the FlexFuel Hot Rod is more than just a conceptualized vision as GM’s Performance Division will put the concepy into service for a number of road events and tests. -Follow the jump for details & pictures

FLEXFUEL CHEVY HOT ROD DEMONSTRATES VINTAGE STYLE AND MODERN ALTERNATIVE-FUEL PERFORMANCE

With a 500-horsepower engine, a channeled body and a chopped top, GM’s custom street rod looks right at home on the salt flats of Bonneville. But instead of a traditional gasoline V-8, this ’34 Chevy replica rod sports a turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec engine that runs on E85 ethanol. Appropriately, it has been dubbed the FlexFuel Chevy Hot Rod.

“Since the 1930's, hot rods have embodied American ingenuity, aesthetic flair and the quest for performance," said Bryan Nesbitt, vice-president of General Motors North American Design. "The ethanol Hot Rod is a modern statement that today's hot rodder can address energy concerns about the consumption of petroleum without sacrificing performance or style.”

The car’s low-slung stance and stripped-down essence suggests track cars and speed racers of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Open hood sides reveal the high-powered Ecotec engine, which has been pumped up with the help of GM Performance Parts’ Stage III performance kit and a larger turbo. The higher octane of E85 enabled engineers to tune the engine for more power. It is backed by a GM Powertrain 5L40 five-speed automatic transmission.

“The engine was built using the basic recipe that is available in the Ecotec performance book available from GM Performance Parts,” said Al Oppenheiser, GM Performance Division director of concept and vehicle integration. “Also, the E85 conversion is based on a kit that GM is exploring for regular production engines.”

True hot rod aesthetic

Like hot rods built for the last 60 years, the FlexFuel Hot Rod is built from an assemblage of factory and aftermarket parts. The frame and body are based on the 1934 Chevy, but both were fabricated by the craftsmen at the GM Performance Division (GMPD). The body has been sectioned and channeled to give the car its true hot rod aesthetic, while the frame is a one-off piece designed, engineered and built by GMPD. The slanted grille – with a unique chrome mesh pattern – and hood are integrated for a smoother look, which includes a sun visor characteristic of period hot rod racers.

Like any good rod worth its salt, there are no fenders or running boards; the 10-inch headlamps are mounted to the core support. The front suspension is all custom-built, complete with period-perfect lightening holes drilled in it.

A sturdy 8-3/8-inch Winters Quick-change rearend is suspended by a parallel four-link suspension. It is filled with 5.20 gears, which are used to generate brisk acceleration with 35-inch-tall, racing-type Excelsior rear tires and 29-inch-tall front tires. The tires are mounted on custom 18-inch front and 20-inch rear “kidney bean”-style wheels from Budnik.

Steering comes from a custom-fabricated linkage that is connected to a reversed Corvair steering box. The linkage is mounted to the outside of the frame rail.

Hand-crafted cabin

Inside, the FlexFuel Hot Rod maintains its racing-inspired minimalist theme, but with contemporary feel. Hand-formed sheet metal and earth-friendly materials were used to trim the cabin, as well as the racing-style aluminum seats. The dashboard was hand-finished, too, and filled with traditional-looking Stewart-Warner gauges.

One of the interior’s central points of interest is the racing-style driveshaft tube, which covers the custom driveshaft. It is a prominent fixture in the cabin because the body has been lowered around the chassis to achieve the streamlined appearance that was characteristic of old-school hot rods.

Road ready

More than just a conceptualized vision of an alternative-fuel street rod, the FlexFuel Hot Rod is a driver that GM Performance Division will press into service for a number of road events and tests.

“This thing is going to rack up a lot of miles,” said Oppenheiser. “With the FlexFuel conversion, it can run purely on E85, gasoline or any combination of the two. That means it can be refueled anywhere the road takes it.”