2016 CHEVROLET CORVETTE STINGRAY COUPE W/Z51

 

The American Corvette is an icon.  We had the pleasure to drive the 2016 Corvette Stingray Coupe with the optional W/Z51 package.  With nearly $10,000.00 in options the Corvette is priced well. Compare to the Porsche Boxer or Cayman at nearly $20,000.00 more it is a bargain. Total cost ended up being  $70,830.00.

As the photos show the exterior color was superb! Called Laguna blue  ($995.00) and the beautiful suede microfiber seats added $395.00.

To allow us to handle any driving in the city or mountains the optional magnetic ride suspension system is amazing.  I drove one of the very first Corvette’s with the Magnetic ride control systems nearly twenty years ago at GM proving grounds.  Such a success GM sells the system to other manufacturers. The magnetic ride control adds another $1,750.00 to the final price of your Corvette.

With the added performance options like the Z51 suspension and slotted brake rotors, differential with electronic slip control. Then add the rear spoiler and the multi mode exhaust system and the Z51 is ready to drive.

One fun option is the performance data and video system with the navigation system.  
  

The first video system was with GO PRO, which gave you video of the drive. Great system. Go pro has improved and each new Corvette has improved. This option also adds another $1,795.00.

Since Zoro Duntov and Henry deSegur Lauve first produced the American Sport scar the Corvette has continued to be Americas favorite performance sports car.  Tadge Juechter head Corvette designer worked with his team to engineer the Corvette Stingray’s into the best sports car ever produced from their headquarters at GM Tech Center.  They did it!

New Smartphone projection technology on Corvette Stingray’s MyLink system displays content from Apple iPhone 5 or later models on the multicolor screen through the Apple CarPlay feature. Supported apps for the system include phone, messages, maps, music and compatible third-party apps.

The Corvette has an aluminum frame that is manufactured using innovative manufacturing processes at GM’s Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant. The state-of-the-art facility employs several advanced joining technologies to ensure dimensional accuracy within 0.75 mm. Each frame features:

• 439 spot-welds using a GM-patented process that uses a unique electrode designed specifically for aluminum
• 188 Flowdrill-machined fasteners, which are installed by a high-speed drill that extrudes the frame material to create a strong, integral collar that is tapped for bolt-on fasteners
• 113 feet of structural adhesives, used in conjunction with welding and fasteners to increase overall frame stiffness
• 37 feet of laser welds, which join frame sections via a precise beam of high energy that minimizes heat beyond the weld area for improved structural accuracy.
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Thanks to the use of materials also including a standard carbon fiber hood on all Corvette Stingray models, and a carbon fiber roof panel on all coupes. In addition, underbody panels are created with carbon-nano composite technology, an advanced blend of traditional composite material and carbon fiber for reduced weight and improved strength. Fenders, doors, rear quarter panels and the rear hatch panel are made with light-density Sheet Molded Compound.

 

Along with all that’s new with the 2016 Corvette Stingray, it carries over an unmatched combination of performance and efficiency. Power comes from the 6.2L LT1 V-8 rated at a SAE-certified 455 horsepower (339 kW) and 460 lb-ft of torque (624 Nm) – and 460 horsepower (343 kW) and 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) with the available performance exhaust system. The LT1 engine is offered with a seven-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Match and a paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission that offers quick shifts on par with the world’s best dual-clutch transmissions – delivered with the smoothness unique to a transmission with a torque converter.

Our Laguna Blue Corvette Stingray had the seven-speed manual.

Corvette Stingray’s powertrain enables manual-transmission Z51-equipped models able to accelerate from 0-60 in 3.8 seconds – 3.7 seconds with the eight-speed automatic – and run the quarter-mile in 12 seconds at 119 mph, while the Corvette’s chassis and suspension features contribute to 1.03g in cornering grip and stop from 60 mph in 107 feet GM states.

The Corvette Stingray backs its performance capability with the greatest efficiency of any sports car on the market with more than 450 horsepower, delivering an EPA-estimated 17 mpg city driving and 29 mpg on the highway with the seven-speed manual transmission.

 

Corvette Stingray is offered in 1LT, 2LT and 3LT trim levels.

The three new design packages offered on 2016 Stingray offer customers more choices for a tailored look and feel of their Corvette. Each gives the vehicle a distinctive, customized appearance that reflects the different roles the Corvette plays in different customers’ experiences – from high-performance to grand touring.

Corvette models with the Z51 Performance Package receive 19 x 8.5-inch front and 20 x 10-inch rear forged aluminum wheels – all skinned in Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flat tires developed specifically for the seventh-generation Corvette. Because of the tires Magnetic Ride Control the Corvette Stingray with the Z51 Performance Package is capable of 1.03g in cornering acceleration. The ride is stiffer in the Z51 because of the stiffer suspension compared to Corvettes that do not have Magnetic Ride Control.

The Z51 Performance Package comes with 45mm-piston Bilstein dampers for more aggressive body control and track capability. Z51 is available with the third-generation Magnetic Ride Control, which features a twin-wire/dual-coil damper system that reacts 40 percent faster than previous generations, enabling improved ride comfort and body control.

The electric power steering offers variable ratios and variable effort to tailor responsiveness and feel for each driving situation. It also delivers precise control and feedback to the driver, along with great variability of effort for high-performance driving, as well as excellent on-center sensitivity and linearity.

 

The Corvette Stingray offers a surprising amount of cargo space for a sports car, at 15 cubic feet in the coupe’s hatch trunk area.

If you have the desire to visit the National Corvette Museum and are ordering a Corvette add another $990. You will get a VIP tour of the museum for four (including the car’s owner), delivery presentation, and drive-off ceremony. Owners will also receive a personalized plaque with their name and the NCM logo in the console area of the dash to commemorate the Museum delivery.

If you wish even more than buy the ZO6 that delivers 650 horse power and 650 foot pounds of torque.  The ZO6 will be the pace car at the 2016 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle.

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
ROAD TRIPS
BRUCE HUBBARD
JB HUBBARD
BONNIE LYNCH

2016 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8 IN APPLE GREEN

The 2016 Continental GT’s are offered as a four-seat coupe or convertible, you have a choice of three twin-turbo engines: There is a 500-hp V-8, a 521-hp V-8 S, and a 582-hp W-12; all feature an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

I drove the $257,000.00 coupe designed for the ultra rich.  The Bentley GT is getting old. It was introduced thirteen years ago.

The smaller Bentley GT introduced a second engine to the GT line in 2013.  It was the V-8 that reduced weight in the front of the Continental GT S reduced weight up front allowing for better handling on the best roads traveled.

The only engine enhanced for Bentley’s is the original VW W-12. The Continental GT V8 S continues with the same 521-hp variant of the Volkswagen Group’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8.

Exterior of the Continental GT looks similar but look closer and for 2016 look at the sharp creases in the metal this year. The deck lid was restyled and the grill changed.

 The interior has both Porpoise and Beluga hides. The center console has been updated. The steering wheel is smaller in the newest models of the Continental GT. 

The reworked Volkswagen W-12 is so powerful but the newer Twin Turbo V8 lighter offering the driver a V-8 that can traverse the back roads easier than the W-12.  VW’s Porsche 911 Turbo can compete very well with the Continental but the handling of the Porsche Continental cannot match.  It is a much larger car closer to the size of VW’s Audi Sport Quattro’s.

We were able to move the Continental GT V8 S from zero to 60 in under four seconds.  Braking was impressive stopping the Coupe in 155 feet from 70 miles per hour.

The limiter on the speed is 188. 

Fuel economy with the V8 is 15 city and 25 highway as if the rich driving on Worth Avenue or Rodeo Drive care!

Look forward to driving a convertible some day soon.

Bruce Hubbard

Bradley Hubbard

Bonnie Lynch

 

 

 

LUXURY YACHTS TO BE BUILT BY BUGATTI AND PALMER JOHNSON.

Supersports on the water: Bugatti and Palmer Johnson launch joint luxury yacht project

• Palmer Johnson is new lifestyle license partner for Bugatti
• Latest model series from luxury yacht builder to start with exclusive model featuring distinctive Bugatti design elements and advanced materials
• First model with carbon fiber hull to bear the name Niniette
• Luxury yacht available in three sizes can be ordered with immediate effect

The makers of the world’s fastest production super sports car, Bugatti, and the world’s largest motor yacht builder, Palmer Johnson, are embarking on a joint project. Under license granted by Bugatti, the world renowned yacht brand has designed a new series of stunning and elegant open carbon-fibre sport yachts, featuring distinctive Bugatti design elements and advanced materials. The series bears the Niniette name and is available in three models from 42ft to 88ft. Prices for the smallest model start at $2 million PLUS.

Company founder Ettore Bugatti had already developed racing boats and yachts in the 1930s. The visionary’s very personal relationship with his yachts is evident from the names he gave them: Niniette was the pet name of his daughter Lidia. Now, more than 80 years later, this tradition has been revived and the brand motto of “Art, Forme, Technique“ is once again being applied to a boat.

As with the sports cars, the Bugatti design team followed its approach “Form follows Performance”. The luxury yacht with its carbon fiber hull takes up style elements of Bugatti’s iconic classic cars and combines them with the revolutionary hull shape of Palmer Johnson’s SuperSport series. The design is characterized by the falling shoulder line of the Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante and the perfectly balanced proportions of the Type 41 Royale. Purist, flowing surfaces and lines create a perfect equilibrium between elegance and sportiness. 

The close link between the Palmer Johnson Niniette and Bugatti’s design DNA is also evident from the accentuated waist line and the typical two-tone color scheme. Viewed from the side, the design is highlighted by a contrasting blend of ultra-strong ultra-lightweight titanium and dark blue exposed carbon fiber. On deck, the combination of a brown bubinga, maple or naturally blue morta oak wood provides a warm contrast with the lightweight high-tech materials.

The design of the Niniette’s hull is based on Palmer Johnson’s ground-breaking SuperSport series – a mono-hull with two sponsons that provide greater stability at speeds and also at anchor. According to the yacht builder, the top speed of the carbon fiber yacht is 38 knots (about 70 km/h).

The central model in the new series is the PJ63 Niniette, with a length of 63 feet  and a beam of 20.3ft. This yacht features a 63 m² salon on deck, a 43 m² salon below deck, luxurious accommodation for up to 4 guests and a crew cabin. On request, Bugatti can tailor the interior to meet customers’ individual requirements. The PJ63 Niniette has a basic price of about $3.5 million.

The boat’s sisters, the PJ42 Niniette and the PJ88 Niniette, have lengths of 42 feet and 88 feet  respectively. The production time for all three models is about 12 months.

“This very special project brings together two brands with more than 100 years of experience in high-end hand crafting in their respective fields,” explains Dr. Stefan Brungs, Member of the Board of Management of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. responsible for Sales and Marketing: “Bugatti and Palmer Johnson share outstanding lightweight design expertise. Inspired by Bugatti’s design DNA, Palmer Johnson has created not only an incredibly elegant and beautiful yacht but also a masterpiece of craftsmanship featuring carbon fiber, titanium and precious wood. This collector’s item will thrill maritime aficionados.”

“The Palmer Johnson Niniette is the result of a maverick vision to perfect that delicate alchemy between desire and demand. Both Palmer Johnson and Bugatti share deeply held core values of reaching for what we cannot see, of reaching high to deliver the next unimagined experience, of always distancing ourselves from the herd,” says Timur Mohamed, owner of Palmer Johnson, talking about the cooperation. “This is backed by the deeply rooted claims of both brands to reach goals no one expects and always to go one step further. Bugatti and Palmer Johnson are united by the vision of not just thinking outside the box but moving into completely uncharted waters.” He adds: “We are proud to be able to use Bugatti’s name and design DNA for our exciting new model line.”

About Palmer Johnson

From the wooden boats built by Palmer Johnson at the beginning of its history through later sailing yachts that won many major championship races to the groundbreaking design of sports yachts in the past decade and the company’s revolutionary SuperSport series, Palmer Johnson’s brand attributes have always been design, performance and emotional attraction. Founded in 1918 with its current headquarters in Moncao, Palmer Johnson has become a yacht building pioneer. After breaking new ground in aluminum shipbuilding, the luxury yacht maker built the first hull entirely made from carbon fiber and the world’s largest carbon fiber motor yacht that resets the benchmarks in Superyacht performance and design.

Like Bugatti, the Palmer Johnson name also stands for ultimate performance. Fortuna, built in 1979 for the King of Spain, was the world’s fastest yacht for a decade. Turmoil, the first expeditionary yacht of its type, has travelled around the world three times. La Baronessa is the largest aluminum yacht ever built in the USA. The latest aluminum sports yachts and the new generation of carbon fiber SuperSport yachts combine design with highly advanced technology and have established the image of modern yachts on the oceans of the world.

We expect to see the luxury yachts in Monte Carlo, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach in the future.

About Bugatti

Bugatti is the brand of a family of artists who distinguished themselves in an environment where other automotive brands were operated by entrepreneurs with a purely technical background. The company founder Ettore Bugatti, born and raised in Milan, Italy, succeeded in uniting this artistic approach with his technical innovations, thus creating the foundation of a design language that was to mould the Bugatti marque. The result has been a series of vehicles far ahead of their time, and which are today numbered amongst the most valuable classic cars in the world. The brand’s central philosophy of “Art, Forme, Technique” is a description of its mystique.

Still based where the brand was founded more than 100 years ago, in Molsheim (Alsace, France), Bugatti today is an ingenious combination of the artistic roots of its Italian founders, the distinctive understanding of the French for exclusive luxury products and brands as well as the internationally acknowledged German engineering and technological leadership.

Bugatti opened a new chapter of its successful future at the start of this century with the Veyron 16.4. The Veyron is the most powerful and fastest production sports car in the world and is unmatched in terms of performance, unique hand-crafted manufacturing and exclusive equipment with the highest degree of individualisation options. All 450 vehicles have been sold. So far no other car manufacturer has managed to successfully market a product that stands for unrivalled technical performance and pure luxury at comparable volume and prices. Currently Bugatti has just unveiled its next super sports car called Chiron at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Bruce Hubbard

JB Hubbard

Bonnie Lynch

Auto Advisor Group

BENTLEY UNVEILS LUXURY VEHICLES PLUS NEW LINE OF CLOTHING ACCESSORIES IN GENEVA

BENTLEY UNVEILS THE MULSANNE GRAND LIMOUSINE BY MULLINER – THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF BESPOKE, COACHBUILT LUXURY

Bentley unveils the Mulsanne Grand Limousine by Mulliner at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show , showcasing the ultimate expression of bespoke automotive luxury, craftsmanship, individualisation and refinement.

The Mulsanne Grand Limousine is one metre longer and 79 mm taller than Bentley’s new Mulsanne and features a unique interior with private-aviation-style seating configuration in the rear cabin.
Bentley’s first application of electrochromic or ‘smart glass’ – which allows passengers to switch the interior division and rear-cabin window glass between clear and opaque at the touch of a button – and a suite of onboard technology ensures the Mulsanne Grand Limousine by Mulliner experience is both exclusive and luxurious.

This private commission has been designed, engineered and handcrafted by Bentley’s coachbuilding division, Mulliner, which has more than 100 years’ heritage in peerless bespoke automotive coachbuilding and fabrication.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, comments: “The Mulsanne Grand Limousine showcases the exquisite craftsmanship of our in-house coachbuilder, Mulliner and exemplifies the way in which our experts consult with a customer to turn their vision into an extraordinary reality. The attention to detail, quality, creativity and skill applied to every Mulliner commission is truly unique in the automotive world.”

Inside the ultra-luxurious, customer-commissioned passenger cabin is an experience evocative of the very best in luxury private-aviation design.
The original brief was to build a car with four rear seats of equal comfort.  The four seats – two of which are rear-facing to allow face-to-face conversation – are generously accommodated beneath a uniquely handcrafted wood-veneered roof bow within a cabin trimmed in sumptuous leather.
Privacy is ensured by an electrochromic ‘smart glass’ division that changes from clear to opaque at the touch of a button. Bentley’s craftsmanship is also on show in the quality of the veneer panel encasing three dials displaying UK and local time as well as exterior temperature.

With the focus on the rear-cabin, a new HVAC system has been developed exclusively by Mulliner. Furthermore, the interior offers features such as iPad charging and docking stations, as well as veneered fold-out tables, a bottle cooler with frosted glass and crystal flutes, and a soft drink cabinet with bespoke tumblers. It has an intercom system to communicate with the driver and unique controls for the rear features.

Throughout, only the most luxurious materials have been used to achieve exemplary levels of refinement. The opulence of the rear cabin is accentuated by the extensive use of wood and leather for which Bentley is renowned.

Finished in two-tone Silver Frost and Moroccan Blue, the greatest attention to detail has been applied to the Mulsanne Grand Limousine by Mulliner. This is evident from the Flying ‘B’ mascot – engraved with the words ‘Coachbuilt by Mulliner’ – which stands above a unique iteration of Bentley’s iconic chrome grille and lower bumper grilles, designed specifically for this car.

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 BENTLEY LAUNCHES NEW MOTORSPORT COLLECTION AT GENEVA

• Continental GT3’s livery forms inspiration for new collection

• Stylish clothes and accessories for motorsport enthusiasts

• Makes debut at Geneva Motorshow in the Bentley Boutique

With the 2016 Motorsport season moving into full throttle, Bentley’s first Motorsport Collection is making its debut at Geneva Motor show from 1st March.

The Continental GT3’s dynamic new livery forms the inspiration for the collection, with pieces echoing the vibrant green color scheme and Union Flag inspired design cues introduced on the racer for the 2016 season. Created to embody the thrill and energy of the sport, each piece blends contemporary design with the finest materials and craftsmanship.

An authentic range of race clothing forms the basis of the collection. Designed for and worn by the Bentley racing team, technical polo shirts and t-shirts are complemented by soft shell jackets and practical gilets. All race-wear features a streamlined design consisting of dark panels to the side, accented by vivid green decorative tape for a sporting look, and is available for both ladies and gentlemen. More lifestyle led items include a Bentley motorsport hoodie, a first for Bentley, which comes in a stylish and subtle color palette of white and grey. 

A collection of racing accessories complements the race wear. A race duffle bag, originally designed to fit a race helmet, makes a perfect accessory for the racing enthusiast. Other track side essentials such as a baseball cap and ear plugs feature Bentley style cues, and a GT3 Lanyard to keep hold of

those all-important VIP passes complete the circuit-side look. Away from the race track, a GT3 Espresso features dynamic imagery which embodies the excitement of the sport, while a new beach towel ensures motorsport enthusiasts can be inspired by their passion even while on the beach.

Younger fans are not forgotten, selected items of the clothing have been miniaturized for children aged 3-8, with the technical polo shirt and baseball cap both available in children’s sizes. For even younger motorsport enthusiasts, a motorsport baby grow with a racing overall inspired design is available for babies aged 0-6months.

This is the Bentley I enjoyed in the Northeast recently. It was exceptional and made me smile almost every mile I drove.

Would prefer to drive from Miami to Key largo, Key Largo Club, then over for a visit to Ocean reef and to Isamorada, and on to Key west.

WE WILL LET YOU KNOW SOON WHEN OUR IMAGES ARE ON UTUBE WITH THE BEST BENTLEY VEHICLES AND STARS.

BRUCE HUBBARD
BRADLEY HUBBARD