Tuesday Trivia

OK, what is this?

Not surprisingly the US has the most views of Disaffected Musings and the most per capita. Canada is second in total views/views per capita and its views per capita are 28.09% of the US figure. You can argue with WordPress about Puerto Rico and Hong Kong being considered separate countries, but that is how they categorize those jurisdictions. I am and always have been a numbers nerd.

Taking this tangent even further, Australia is third in overall views but seventh in views per capita. Not counting the US, 16 countries have a per capita view rate of at least 1% of the US rate. The US accounts for 93% of blog views. That’s enough…I promise.

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This article titled “Corvette Power in the Modern Age” from Hemmings is similar to something I posted in my previous blog. Here is a photo (from squir.com) germaine to the piece:

This is a 2019 Corvette ZR1 convertible. The car is powered by a supercharged 6.2 liter/376 cubic-inch V-8 that produces 755 HP and 715 LB-FT of torque, the highest rated GM engine ever, at least for now. The ZR-1 accelerates from 0-60 MPH in 2.8 seconds, which is way too fast for most drivers I promise you.

In the wake of the General Motors announcement yesterday that it is closing multiple plants, “laying off” thousands of workers and discontinuing several sedan models in order to “right-size production for the realities of the market” I thought mentioning THE American sports car was a good idea and the Hemmings piece was the catalyst.

The legendary L88 engine option from 1967-1969, of which only 216 were made, had a likely HP output between 525-575 and that would have been a gross rating (Chevrolet lied and rated the engine at 430 HP in order to dissuade most people from ordering the option; the L88 was also only available without a radio or heater further discouraging people from ordering it), meaning the HP figure was at the crank (not at the driven wheels) and excluded all accessories like the water pump. The ZR-1 engine produces about 200 HP more than the L88 and that is not an apples-to-apples comparison.

I’m sure most of you reading know this, but in the late 1970s automobile engines were much less powerful than they had been earlier. This denuding of output was due to oil shocks, emission and safety regulations and pressure from insurance companies. For example, the highest-rated Corvette engine for 1979, 40 years before the current ZR-1, was 225 HP. The standard engine was rated 195 HP.

A Corvette engine rated at 400+ HP wasn’t available again until the LT5 engine for the ZR1 option was upgraded to 405 HP for 1993. The first engine rated at 500+ HP was available in 2006; the first 600+ HP engine was available in 2009.

Where will it end? My guess, and others are making the same guess, is that barring unforeseen circumstances Chevrolet/GM will introduce a hybrid drivetrain for the Corvette similar in concept to the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. Much speculation exists that such a drivetrain in the Corvette will produce 1,000+ HP. Supposedly, GM/Chevrolet have already trademarked the term “E-Ray.”

For the nth time, what do you think of the Corvette speculation? Can you foresee a day when the Corvette is discontinued?

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings