Disqus - Latest Comments for Bryan_Wadsworth

Re: Keepers: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Bryan_Wadsworth — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:36:48 -0000

Hey Coolou be KOOL and quit flamebaiting ZR-1 owners here. You have tried twice now. Maybe you should go pick on the new ZR1 guys after all they have a blower so it fits right in on your SC ego boost theory.

If it was not for Dave McLellan the Corvette may have not survived -- The ZR-1 was his pinnacle -- His classic comment on the ZR-1 was "It's a Corvette, only more so."

Dave McLellan

Dave McLellan was a 15-year veteran of GM when he was assigned as a staff engineer under Corvette legend Zora Arkus-Duntov. Prior to that, McLellan had been involved in the Camaro program and other performance car platforms. In 1975, six months after joining the Corvette team, McLellan stepped into the retiring Arkus-Duntov's hard-to-fill shoes as Chief Engineer of Corvette.

When McLellan took the helm, Corvette's future was uncertain. A wide range of prototypes and experimental cars had been devised as possible future Corvettes, both mid-engine and front-engine designs. McLellan's first Corvette redesign effort resulted in the 1978 hatchback coupe, but the basic Corvette platform was in need of a major update and McLellan faced challenges that none had faced before. Aerodynamic design was of utmost importance because of its effect on fuel economy, top speed, handling and overall performance. McLellan cited customer research as the reason to stay with a front-engine design, and work began in earnest toward a radical change in the basic structure of the Corvette.

Working with styling chief Jerry Palmer, McLellan and his team designed the fourth generation (1984) Corvette, the first 140 mph Corvette in more than a decade. McLellan's changes included substituting a unitized steel frame for the separate frame and "bird cage" underbody structure.

His team introduced new technologies such as ABS, Traction Control, Passive Keyless Entry, Extended-Mobility Tires and Air Bags into the Corvette, many of which soon became common features and options on a variety of Chevrolet passenger cars. As a finale, McLellan led the development of the venerable ZR-1, the "King of the Hill". McLellan retired from GM in 1992.

To understand why the original ZR-1 is KOTH and still is >>> ZR-1 CORVETTE - MARATHON CHAMPION OF THE CENTURY by Robin Jenkins

Marathon running is a brutal sport. The Greek messenger whose 26-mile-jog is commemorated by the race died of exhaustion 2500 years ago -- but only after completing his mission. Today we more often celebrate Olympic sprinters instead, forgetting that endurance is a surer mark of health and determination. Perhaps because it takes less than ten seconds to watch a sprint, those who run for hours don't as readily capture our attention. The same can be said for automobile racing -- 24-hour races are rare; 5000-mile races even more so. But, lest a true hero be forgotten in annual disputes over which new car quarter-miles the quickest, consider the undisputed marathon champion of automobile racing -- the gutsiest distance-racer ever built for the public.

Beginning in 1990 and ending with the 1995 model year, General Motors sold 6,939 Corvettes designated "ZR-1". Not to be confused with its more primitive namesake offered 20 years earlier, this ZR-1 was both luxuriously appointed and the fastest car built in America at the time -- not only in acceleration but on the highway, too. There were two features exclusive to the new ZR-1: each car came with a purpose-built, 32-valve, 4-cam, aluminum, LT-5 engine; and each was three inches wider in the rear than its sister Corvettes, in order to accommodate wider rear wheels and tires. Neither feature was obvious to the casual observer, but one of them made all the difference.

"The Heart of the Beast", as the ZR-1's LT-5 engine came to be called, was a huge departure from GM's traditional manufacturing style. It was designed in collaboration with Lotus Racing of Great Britain, and perhaps because it was hand-crafted by the women at Mercruiser Division of the Mercury Marine plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma, it was destined to become the strongest thump in "The Heartbeat of America". The last of those amazing engines was pre-built in 1993 for installation in the 1994 and '95 model year ZR-1s. Yet, despite their age, LT-5 equipped Corvettes are thus far the fastest, mass-produced, distance-racers ever to appear on the planet.

The reason for the ZR-1's uncontested dominance at marathoning is that even the least potent of the LT-5 engines (375 hp) were designed to safely propel a Corvette to 180 mph, with absolutely no modifications, and still meet all EPA emissions and fuel-economy standards. On its first attempt, a 1990 model ZR-1 broke the world's record for covering the most ground in 24-hours. It ran all day and and all night, averaging almost 176 mph, including gas stops!

With the new 24-hour World Speed Record now in the bag, the VERY SAME CAR kept lapping the same eight-mile test track in Texas, until it had set a new World Speed Record for the longest specified distance -- 5000 miles, averaging almost 174 mph! Before this same ZR-1 finally pulled off that track, it ran two victory laps at over 190 mph, and Corvette owned TEN new International and World Records.

So, beginning with the 1991 model, the ZR-1 sported a tiny decal on the driver's side of the hatch glass, attesting to Corvette's new ownership of those national and international records; and by 1993, engineers had teased another 30 horsepower out of the engine. A few ZR-1s, whose owners tweaked the LT-5 engine beyond the factory's final 405 hp rating, have documented speeds in excess of 200 mph, yet remain fully tractable for general transportation. Few cars in the world, at any price, can reach such speeds in the first place, and fewer, still, are suitable for street use.

With a roll cage, a racing seat, open exhaust, and a 48 gallon gas tank, the record-breaking Corvette was by no means a street car, but it was unquestionably a production car, using its officially specified production engine. The prospect of succeeding with that innocent combination had been so laughable at the time that the press wasn't even officially invited to watch. Nobody in over 50 years had beaten the 24-hour speed record -- even when using imaginative combinations of exotic racing engines and purpose-built chassis. How could a mere production-class Corvette succeed where unlimited had failed?

Consider that the 175-180 mph speed range easily achieved by even the early, 375 hp, ZR-1 is comparable to current race averages in today's NASCAR events, where much lighter cars use the same size engine as the Corvette (5.7 liters or 350 cubic inches). Recall how many of those highly modified, NASCAR engines fail after less than 500 miles, and then ponder how the Corvette's LT-5 engine ran at the very same speeds for the equivalent of TEN Daytona 500s -- BACK-TO-BACK! That's a level of durability unprecedented in the automotive industry, a feat which has yet to be equaled by any production car, anywhere.

So it's not only that the ZR-1 is one of the few stock cars in the world that can comfortably run 180 mph; it's the fact that this car can do so, not just for hundreds, but for THOUSANDS of miles at a time! THAT'S what's impressive. Yet in calmer moments it could deliver an amazing 28 mpg at 65 mph, while displaying world-class cornering, braking and acceleration to complement its awesome highway speed. That was enough "all-around" superiority in performance for the media to qualify the ZR-1 as "King of the Hill", world-wide, when it was introduced -- a reputation it successfully defended through the end of its production.

Certainly there were a few exotic street machines which could outrun a ZR-1, even during its hey-day -- but they could only do so for short distances. And, given the growing popularity of turbos and superchargers (the LT-5 required neither), there will likely be a much more impressive crop of sprinters wowing enthusiasts in this new century. But, the Dodge Viper excepted, from 1990 until the end of the last century, no such exotics were produced in quantities greater than a few hundred, and most of them numbered less than a handful. Even the few competitors which moved from prototype to limited-production, cost from twice to TWENTY-TIMES as much as the ZR-1's already hefty 66-thousand-dollar sticker, and still they couldn't keep up with the Corvette over long distances. The Porsche team admitted their 962 just wasn't up to it.

The sole, mass-produced, ZR-1 challenger in the 20th century was the Viper -- and despite having a much larger engine, and no concessions to refinement, it still failed to equal the Corvette's highway speed until a year after the ZR-1 was out of production. Today's 21st century Vipers, with a 150-cubic-inch-larger engine than the LT-5 "small block", will certainly exceed an aging ZR-1's 180 mph top speed. But none of those 525 hp monsters have dared attempt the Corvette's 1990 marathon run, and neither have Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, or Lamborghini. Between 1966 and 1988, Ford, Mercedes and Audi at least tried -- but they all failed.

It's only in the 21st Century that the ZR-1 has seen its decade-old world records begin to fall -- but NOT to production cars. Except for the ZR-1, no automobile available to the public has EVER performed that well. In fact, the car that the ZR-1 beat in order to set those records was a one-off, hand-built racer, powered by an aircraft engine! Its driver, whose long-standing marathon record the Corvette thumped by a whopping 15 mph, was Ab Jenkins. I know the name because it's shared by my great-great-grandfather. And, as one would logically expect, the 21st century cars that have since broken the Corvette's marathon records are also one-off prototypes, with neither their engines nor their chassis yet to see a show-room, let alone mass-production.

So it's very unlikely that the world will ever again see a production package accomplish such a feat. And even if another licensable car does someday go that fast, for that long, the odds are against its ever being mass-marketed for thousands of happy enthusiasts. The Corvette ZR-1's achievement is thus a singular and enduring benchmark -- the high point in the first century of automotive history -- certifiably the only mass-produced car that, even with gas stops, could average over 175 mph all day and all night.

The heavy, elegant, ZR-1 could not only travel coast-to-coast distances faster than most private planes can fly them, it could do so with more amenities -- six-way adjustable leather seats, Bose stereo, air-conditioning, electrically adjustable suspension, F-16-style gold-reflective windshield, and monster brakes. Besides, the Corvette offered owners sleeker lines than anything propeller-powered -- except maybe the Mercruiser race boats sharing its engine's production facility. Odd, when you ponder it, that the engines of the fastest Corvettes ever sold to the public were designed in England and built by an American boat company! That eccentricity alone gives the 1990-1995 Corvette ZR-1 a unique bloodline -- a pedigree befitting the fastest production car of its time.

After fifteen years, the world has yet to mass-produce a marathoner which has proved itself the ZR-1's equal, but we can hope. The two-generation-newer C-6 Corvette, due soon at Chevrolet dealerships, is reputed to be even faster than the ZR-1; but GM hasn't yet shown the C6 can average 175 mph for the first 5000 miles of its warranty. And even if it can, the marathon records firmly held by the Corvette ZR-1 through the turn of the last century may now, by experimental prototypes, have been pushed out of reach for any production car -- let alone a mass-marketed Chevy.

But, for one brief, shining moment, the certified "King of the Hill" could be driven out of an American showroom and onto a public highway, confidently assuring its pilot that nothing sold elsewhere at any price could match its pace and still go the distance. Were there an Olympics for cars, the indomitable ZR-1 would still be wearing gold. She done us proud.

Robin Jenkins
Olympic August, 2004

NOW COOLOU DO YOU THINK YOUR 2003 VETTE CAN PASS THE 5,000 MILE TEST @ 173 MPH.??? THAT IS WHAT THE KOTH IS ALL ABOUT !!!

Re: Keepers: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1—Shopping

Bryan_Wadsworth — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:47:59 -0000

Excellent Job Chris you got all the good points in this section.

Looking forward to the third one!

Re: TV white spaces could be a boon to rural areas

Bryan_Wadsworth — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:27:18 -0000

All good news with this development. A big plus for rural America and the extra distance from the lower freq's is yet another + in rural areas. Looks like rural America finally gets a well deserved break.

Re: Why isn't P25 right for utilities?

Bryan_Wadsworth — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:31:40 -0000

The Illinois State wide Starcom21 system has AMEREN as a user group on it.

Re: Why isn't P25 right for utilities?

Bryan_Wadsworth — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:13:13 -0000

Ameren is on the STARCOM21 the Illinois Statewide APCO-25 Digital Communication system.

They seem quite happy from what I hear and even allow the Public Safety Users to have priority when needed.

Re: No excuse for lack of 800 MHz agreement with Mexico

Bryan_Wadsworth — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:10:04 -0000

Well it just might be all the problems the Mexican government is having with the drug gangs as of late that is keeping them from working out other important items and details like this.

Is the FCC claiming that it is stalling by Mexico that is keeping it from getting done?

Re: Procrastinators win, public safety loses

Bryan_Wadsworth — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:44:36 -0000

Many stores did not have converters on the shelf during the entire time the clock was ticking on the government credit card. So many we have talked with including a number of seniors were not able to get the box in time before the coupon expired. Some tried 3 times at the store during tie coupon time period.

They called the government to get an extended coupon and telling of this lack of converter box available demand problem at the stores and were told tough luck no re-issue of the coupons could be had.

These are strapped income limited seniors who will now be without any TV at all with no solution in sight.

They tried the best they could did every thing by the book and now have no converter box and no chance of getting any new coupon.

This is so typical of our government these days. Good intentions -- nice credit coupon cards -- but poor planning with the suppliers to make it all come together to be a success.

The end result is bad and the program is a big flop. My senior neighbors are very upset and now have to spend over $100 to solve the problem by themselves.

They cry on my shoulder because they know I am a ham radio operator and sell radio communication equipment to the government. They are very upset and really mad at the government failure with this program.

I even called the coupon office myself and verified that this non-reissue of coupons under this program is indeed not possible. The government did not plan for the possibility that the suppliers may not be able to fill orders on a timely basis. This is a true travesty.

Being a good guy I just bought several of my neighbors the converter box and gave it to them for X-mass.

Re: The moment of truth

Bryan_Wadsworth — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:08:01 -0000

Great Idea to have the existing business tie their video cameras in with the PS network.

A great way for the public and private systems to work together and makes a good model for other cities.

Glad to see it is Chicago that has taken the lead.

Re: Waiting for the aftershock

Bryan_Wadsworth — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:04:48 -0000

Robocop has finally arrived!

But it is different than we all thought.

It is a Video Camera and Video Analytic Software.

You still need a human to watch over the triggered alarm events but it looks like a great way to address the eventual shrinking budgets of Public Safety as the recession wears on.

How the public will react to the "Big Brother is watching you" should prove interesting.

Re: Better late than never

Bryan_Wadsworth — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:52:49 -0000

Very good point and quite true Interoperability is more than just ISSR connectivity. The Fire Chief below comment says it all.