First of 500 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition to be Auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson

Continuing Chevrolet's tradition of offering the first production car of special models at Barrett-Jackson, GM announced today that the first of 500 retail 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition coupes will go to the highest bidder at the auction in Palm Beach, Florida on April 3.

"The Corvette Z06 Carbon will surely be an instant collectible," said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Chevrolet Marketing. "For that reason, we see Barrett-Jackson as the premiere venue to sell the first retail Z06 Carbon."

GM said that the winning bidder will also be given the opportunity to tour the firm's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan and to watch the car going down the line at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green.

Special features of the Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited include the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, Michelin PS2 tires, Magnetic Ride Control and enhanced cooling, black headlamps and mirrors, a ZR1-style body color spoiler, body color door handles, carbon fiber raised hood, and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter.

It should be noted that most of these features will also be offered on the standard Z06 in two separate option packages (Z07 and CFZ Z06).

For more details and photos on the Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited, click here.

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Report: Corvette C7 to Receive Heavy Redesign, C8 to go Radical with Mid-Mounted V6

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about General Motors' plans for the new Corvette, dubbed C7, that will hit the market by 2012. Now, Autoweek is bringing news on the for the next major model change, the C8, that's expected to be released after 2016.

While the Corvette C7 will essentially be a reskinned version of the current generation C6 with the emphasis said to be on interior quality and making the exterior styling more desirable to younger buyers in the States as well as to a broader international crowd, the C8 will ground-breaking, to say the least, if we are to believe the report.

"That [the C7] will be the last of the traditional, old-style Corvettes," said an unnamed senior GM insider to AutoWeek.

The C8, which would have been the C7 if GM hadn't entered bankruptcy last year, is said to ditch the Corvette's trademark front-mounted, large-displacement V8 setup that has been used in all six generations (though the C1 was also offered with a six-cylinder unit) for a mid-engine layout with a turbocharged V6 powertrain.

The report adds that the C8 will also boast a lightweight alloy body and a more compact footprint.

The question we pose here is this: if the report turns out to be true, and taking into consideration the introduction of the new Camaro with its old-school muscle car charm, is GM's move to turn the page on the Corvette in the right direction?

Via: Autoweek

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2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition with Bits and Pieces from ZR1 [Updated Gallery]

[*New Photos Added ] GM continues its tradition of special edition Vettes with the introduction of the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition that borrows several goodies from the range-topping ZR1 such as the Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and magnetic select ride control system.

Other features include a set of black 20-spoke 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires, enhanced cooling, black headlamps and mirrors, a ZR1-style body color spoiler, body color door handles, carbon fiber raised hood, and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter.

The Corvette Z06 Carbon will be available in two colors, Inferno Orange and the all-new Supersonic Blue featured here.

Inside, the Z06 Carbon gets an ebony leather and suede interior complemented by blue or orange seat stitching to match the exterior color chosen, while other features include a unique steering wheel emblem, sill plate and logoed headrest.

And for those of you that won't be able to get your hands on the Z06 Carbon, Chevrolet offers two separate packages with the same cosmetic and performance upgrades for the standard 2011 Z06.

The Z07 performance package adds the mechanical upgrades including the Competition Gray 20-spoke wheels and all the chassis and cooling mods, while the CFZ Z06 carbon fiber package adds the aero mods like the black carbon fiber rockers, splitter and roof panel with the full-width body color spoiler.

The 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, as well as the new Z07 and CFZ Z06 option packages will be available in dealerships late summer.

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Race Retro 2010: Old-School Racers at their Shiniest - 180 Stunning Photos

Race Retro, billed as "Europe's premier historic Motorsport Show", recently wrapped up in Coventry. Carscoop reader and professional photographer Dario Carbone was there to take some special pics, which he was nice enough to put in our cold, dead hands.

He says "It's an event to commemorate the legends of Rally and other historic race cars. It also has a live rally stage where they run the group B monsters and allow those who weren't around in the early 80s to experience their brute force." Yes, please.

Now if I could find a poster of the jet-engine-to-the-face warning label, that would just be tops.

There's a gallery below; you know what to do. As always, let us know what you like in the comments section.

-By Phil Alex

- Special thanks to Dario for sending this awesome gallery over our way. You can see more of his work at flickr here

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