While we should all be thankful that they don’t build cars like they used to from a safety perspective, you have to give N2A Motors credit for channeling old school with their striking 789 custom car. N2A starts with a factory Corvette C6, then radically reworks the exterior to create the vehicle you see here. The front end is inspired by a ’57 Chevy, the middle take cues from a ’58 Chevy, and the rear section (with those lethal tailfins) pays homage to the ’59 Chevy.You can see more photos of the 789 here.

It get’s even better: Given that the crew at N2A Motors doesn’t touch the mechanicals of the Corvette donor vehicle, the official GM powertrain warranty remains in effect. The coupe weighs in at $139,500, while the convertible (shown above) starts at $144,500.

(Photo: N2A Motors)

GM recently announced that a 2009 Corvette ZR1 — driven by GM Development Engineer Jim Mero — managed to compete a lap of the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany in an astonishing 7:26.4 seconds. That’s well into supercar territory, and once again demonstrates that the Corvette engineering team is one of the best things the General has going for it.

Maybe GM should put Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge J. Juechter and his team to work on the Chevy Volt? I’m sure a Volt tweaked by the Corvette squad would be blowing Toyota’s vaunted Prius into the weeds, and get better mileage in the process.

Related:

• The Corvette Z06 is a Success. Is the ‘Blue Devil’ Next?

_{(Source: GMnext Blog) [- Jeff James]}

^{photo: © Calvin Cheng}

A nice comparison article over at Wheel Talk pits a C6 Z51 Corvette against a Porsche Cayman S. The comparison is written by Calvin Cheng, and does an admirable job of summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles in a location that they were cleary optimized for: the racetrack.

Here’s an excerpt:

One thing that struck me was how much the engine sticks out more in the Corvette. While the Cayman’s engine has a glorious sounding note at idle, it fades into being a supporting cast, albeit a significant one, when the driving gets underway. With the Corvette, you are always conscious of the engine. It is the heart and soul of the car. That’s the quintessential muscle car experience.

The author provides lots of in-depth opinion and information about his track experience with both vehicles on the track. The post was dated late last year, but it’s well-worth a look — be sure to check out the author’s earlier post also, which includes lap times and additional photos.

(Source: Wheel Talk) [- Jeff James]

The C6R racecar continues to dominate the GT1 class in the American Le Mans Series, while brisk sales of the C6 and Z06 continue to bring a smile to the beleaguered brass at GM.

Now there’s news from AutoWeek that the oft-rumored “Blue Devil” super-Corvette — reportedly boasting close to 600hp and aimed at the pinnacle of supercar exotics, like the Ferrari Enzo and Carrera GT — may have been given the green light for production.

The Corvette has always been an affordable, everyman’s sports car that — for the price — can dust cars costing several times as much. The Z06 takes that even further, boasting performance that can shame the likes of the Ferrari 360, Pagani Zonda and other exotics.

That could make the Blue Devil an interesting challenge for GM, as the Corvette’s hallmarks have always been — in the words of new Corvette Chief Engineer Tom Wallace, as quoted in a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article — “styling, performance and . . . affordability“.

Would wealthy types who normally plunk down their spare change and pocket lint for a $300,000 exotic consider a super Corvette, even if it did match the Enzo’s quarter mile times or cost a third of what a Maserati MC-12 does? Status, exclusivity and cachet are a big deal for this crowd, so the Corvette’s most potent feature — its awesome price to performance ratio, even in $100K Blue Devil form — may not be a factor to those consumers.

There’s no doubt that the talented Corvette engineering team can make the Blue Devil a reality, but chasing the Enzo and the Carrera GT — while simultaneously keeping the ‘vette true to its roots by being affordable enough for joe six-pack to realistically dream about saving up to buy one — may be the more difficult challenge. (Photo: Worldcarfans.com)