All posts by M.K.

Auctions, News

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sold for $ 1,000,000

At a recent auction, the first retail production 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sold for $ 1,000,000. The amount will be added to the previous amount generated by the sale of the Corvette C8 Z06 70th Anniversary (total $ 4.6 million) and the money will be donated to charity.

The 2023 C8 Corvette Z06 is powered by a 5.5-liter LT6 V8 engine with 670 hp (493 kW) and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm) of torque. It is the most powerful atmospheric V8 engine in the history of production cars that does not share any part with other Chevrolet V8 engines. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via the Tremec 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The owner will have the opportunity to customize the car as he wishes, which would make it an exceptional collector’s item and a wish of every collector and fan of the Chevrolet Corvette.

The winner of the auction is Rick Hendrick, President and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group. He also owns the Hendrick Motorsport team, which has won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 14 times.

Source: Barrett-Jackson

EV, News

BYD is the best-selling electric car brand in the world

Although most major car manufacturers have announced that they will shut down the production of internal combustion cars by 2030, the Chinese company BYD is the first to do so. This news comes after the video of the new BYD Seal, which should be a competitor to Tesla Model 3.

BYD’s current offer is based on plug-in hybrids and electric models, and the Chinese manufacturer reached an agreement with Ford, GM, Mercedes, Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover last November to shut down production of vehicles with ICE by 2040. The company said it would continue to produce spare parts and provide services to current owners.

The Chinese company produced 53,664 electric cars and 50,674 plug-in hybrids last month, making it the best-selling electric car brand in the world. That prompted the company to increase plans for this year from 1.2 million to 1.5 million cars.

BYD Seal will be offered in two versions. The base model is powered by a single electric motor with 201 or 308 hp (150 kW or 230 kW), while the more powerful version is powered by two electric motors, one on each axle, with a total power of 522 hp (390 kW). It reaches 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and has a range of 435 miles (700 km).

Source: BYD

News

Max Verstappen called Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car “turtle”

Since last year, Aston Martin and Mercedes have safety cars in Formula 1. Aston Martin F1 is driven by former DTM driver Bernd Maylander, who did his job twice during Sunday’s race at the Australian Grand Prix. Some drivers were not happy with the performance of the Aston Martin F1, like Max Verstappen who called it a “turtle”.

Most drivers used hard tires at the time the safety car came out on the track, so drivers had big trouble warming them up by driving behind the Vantage which is obviously slower than the Mercedes. This annoyed Max Verstappen who said after the race: “There’s so little grip and also the safety car was driving so slow, it was like a turtle. Unbelievable, to drive 140 km/h on the back straight, there was not a damaged car, so I don’t understand why we have to drive so slowly. We have to investigate.”

Mercedes driver George Russell was harsher: “We have no problem with when the safety car is Mercedes-AMG. One serious note, Mercedes-AMG is five seconds faster than Aston Martin, and that’s very significant.”

The Aston Martin F1 is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with 528 hp (388 kW) and 505 lb-ft (685 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 195 mph (314 km / h).

The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, which is also used as a safety car, is powered by a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine with 730 hp (537 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 7-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 202 mph (325 km / h).

The winner was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, second was Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and third was George Russell (Mercedes).

Source: Motorsport