You can’t look at the newspaper, you can’t watch business channels on
TV, you can’t turn on talk radio without a detailed discussion of high
gas prices everywhere, the financial world is in turmoil, the real
estate market is in an upheaval, and foreclosures are happening in every
part of the country.
Sounds like PRETTY BLEAK NEWS!
And for most of us, it can really put a frown on your face and cast a
shadow on your whole attitude. There are days when it seems like there
is a fog over the country, and everyone is in it along with all their
problems, but I have a cure for that fog. I Say: Get in your Corvette,
turn the key (or push the button), and hear the clear sounds of an
American V8 power as it roars to life! Better stress relief than valium
is the roar of that Corvette engine, and the icing on the cake is that
it will get you 30 mpg! Everything looks much brighter when you’re
sitting behind the wheel of your vette out for a nice drive. I think I’m
going to rename my Corvette the optimism machine because when I feel
down, I hop in my vette and I’m optimistic about my future and what it
holds for me, and I believe it will for you, too!
At several of the recent Corvette shows I’ve attended, I found myself
having in depth discussions on questions like Hey, Dan, what future do
you see for Corvette? Do you think Corvette will always be powered by
V8? Well, you asked, so here is my own personal Say: I think this is the
end of the V8 Corvette era. I believe the 638 hp ZR1 and 505 hp Z06s are
the last of the high output V8s; very similar to back in the early 70s
when emissions controls robbed horsepower from all Corvettes.
There will always be a love affair with high performance Corvettes as is
apparent today at any of the classic car auctions around the country.
Horsepower sells, and the big block Corvettes of the 60s are still in
high demand as is obvious by the high auction prices they are bringing.
Could that be the future for our Corvettes that we have today? I believe
it could happen. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely not, but it
certainly is a possibility.
It’s feasible that the Z06 you’re driving now may be the pinnacle of the
V8 and the V8 power era. If you really like American V8 horsepower, you
might want to consider holding on to that ZR1 or Z06 for the future, for
your grandkids and for your children’s prosperity. I’ve always had the
philosophy that next year’s Corvette would come out with more horsepower
than the year before. Over the years, it’s always been the first
question we ask Tom Wallace and any GM Corvette guy we can find “When
are we going to get more horsepower?” And the answer used to be Wait and
see what we have in store for you in the future. The future is today,
and this may be the greatest time to hold on to your Corvette because in
the future Corvette will be a totally different animal. The crystal ball
is not clear, but it could reveal that a Corvette of the future will be
influenced by the cost of fuel and green concerns about our planet.
This may cause the
future Corvette to evolve into more of a European type performance
sports car powered by a high output V6 which will certainly be smaller,
light and nimble.
Will future Corvettes still make you smile? YOU BET THEY WILL!
Will you still have FUN with them? YOU BET YOU WILL!
It’s funny, but Corvette is probably one of the few divisions of GM that
is making money right now. But they are being painted with the broad
brush of cutbacks and downsizing taking place at all GM divisions.
Unfortunately, they are also perceived as gas guzzling and resource
wasting vehicles, which is furthest from the truth. GM’s mantra has to
be to show the public that although Corvettes are powerful, they SIP gas
and make maximum use of mass and environmentally friendly materials.
I believe if the world really realized that they can get 30 mph on
the highway in a new 430 hp Corvette, they would park their Toyotas and
move to a real vehicle. GM needs to convey this message through
advertising, if they want Corvette to remain the icon that it is, and
tell the world what great fuel mileage Corvette gets. Even if they were
forced to go to a 6 cylinder type Corvette, the wonderful GM engineers I
know would make sure that there would be plenty of horsepower, punch and
performance on tap! It is in their genes and they aren’t going to let
anything hold them back!
So it’s with a certain degree of anticipation that I look forward to the
future, because I know no matter what Corvette they sell, it’s going to
be technically innovative, a great performer and most of all, it will
bring a SMILE to my face and relieve the doldrums of daily life!
I just returned from
Corvettes at Carlisle and I look forward to telling you all about
the FUN I had there in my next column of “Dan’s Say.” Tom Wallace
was also the center of attention showing off his Cyber Gray ZR1!
