MotoIQ Visits the Corvette Museum

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Speaking of that engine, this was the motor that powered the C5-R racecars.  These engines were developed by Katech, originally using an LS1 derivative.  However Katech realized they would need more power to beat the 8.0L Vipers, so a 7.0L engine was developed for the C5-R (guess where the C6 Z06 engine came from).  Inside the car, those carbon fiber trumpets would be connected to an airbox with the soda straw like intake restrictors GT racing demanded for the Corvette’s big engine.  The engine has a 3-stage dry sump oil system and has had the distributor removed, replaced with individual coils (presumably to allow the ECU to set the ignition timing, not a mechanical distributor. It seems there were different intake manifolds for the different series this engine raced in.  Some pictures show aluminum intake runners that do not crossover like these carbon fiber runners do.
The successor to the C5-R was the C6.R.  The original C6.R’s were based on the Z06 chassis, but in 2009 Chevrolet moved racing onto the ZR-1 platform in conjunction with new GT rules introduced by ALMS and the ACO for LeMans.  This particular car raced in 2012 and 2013 with Jan Magnussen (father of McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen), Antonio Garcia, and Jordan Taylor.  In 2013 this car won the GPs of Baltimore, Laguna Seca, and Austin.
This 1989 ZR-1 was built to take the 24 hour endurance speed record and did just that on March 2, 1990.  In fact it broke three world records and seven FIA class records on that day.  The engine was a production ZR-1 engine (an LT5) coupled to a ZF 6-speed transmission.  The car was minimally modified to set the records.  (Special note to the museum, that left front tire needs to be replaced soon!).
This 1972 ‘Vette was raced in SCCA racing in the mid 80s.  Today it is used as a parade car, though it did finish 3rd in the 2011 Road America vintage race.  The body is actually a later C3 body from around 1980.  According to the board with this car, it is not heavily modified and easy to drive, almost like a glorified street car.  A glorified street car that makes 600hp.
This C4 had no information placard next to it, so we can only speculate as to what its racing accomplishments are.  Judging by the hastily added Hella lights and the huge Escort radar detector decals, I’m going to guess this car was built to do the Cannonball run.  

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