* 1970 Nova * All New * 350/375hp * Muncie 4 Speed * 12 Bolt Posi on 2040-cars

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Next Corvette ZR1 to get 700 horsepower?

Word has it General Motors may offer as much as 700 horsepower in the C7 Corvette ZR1. Motor Trend reports the next Corvette Z06 will continue to rely on its naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V8 engine for thrust, but the lump will deliver substantially more power. How much more? MT says the engine could deliver up to 600 ponies. That's a jump of 95 horsepower over the current Z06, though no figures have been finalized as of yet. Right now, GM is reportedly waiting to see what sort of grunt it can glean from the next ZR1.
The automaker has already made it clear it will resurrect the LT5 name for the new supercharged V8, and if GM is already pulling 600 from the Z06, the big dog ZR1 would theoretically offer 700 horsepower. Either way, the range-topping Corvette will be suitably insulated from its less potent siblings. Stay tuned. We aren't likely to see the Z06 for at least a year, with the ZR1 trailing along at some point there after.

eBay Find of the Day: 1990 Chevy 1500 454 SS with just 7 miles

When trawling the classifieds either on a buying mission or merely a time-wasting mission, we spend a lot of time poring over photographs comparing the seller's idea of "Like New!" with our idea of it. It's hard to argue with seven original miles on the odometer, though, which is what this 1990 Chevrolet 1500 454 SS has. It's being sold by Country Chevrolet on eBay, the same dealer who sold the truck to its one and only owner 25 years ago. The purchaser bought two of them and left this one in a garage under a car cover, said garage being less than seven miles away from the showroom floor. Better yet, you can buy with confidence because the seller "has collected all records," which we expect would be the slimmest manilla folder in the history of receipt-keeping. For those unfamiliar, the 454 SS was a half-ton, regular cab, 2WD pickup powered by a 454 cubic inch (7.4-liter) V8 with 230 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque shifting through a three-speed transmission. This was at the same time the Chevrolet Corvette used a 5.7-liter V8 producing 250 hp and 350 lb-ft. The pickup rode on exclusive wheels and only came in black with red cloth inside. The only extra-cost option on this example is an $18 locking fuel filler cap, which, according to the 454ss forum, means it should have cost about $18,460 out the door, the equivalent of about $34,000 today. At the time of writing there are zero bids, but proceedings open at $45,000 and Country Chevrolet wants $49,000 if you have to have your time capsule right now.

LG Chem's troubled Chevy Volt battery plant hiring once again

The Michigan battery plant known for paying its workers to do nothing has turned things around and is now hiring more workers, specifically to do something. South Korea-based LG Chem, which runs the factory to supply the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicle with its lithium-ion batteries, held a job fair recently to bring on 40 new employees in order to meet higher battery demand, according to WZZM, the ABC affiliate for Grand Rapids, MI. The LG Chem factory is in Holland, MI, about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids, and it made its first batteries last year. Prior to that, though, the factory gained notoriety after a US Department of Energy (DOE) probe found that workers there were getting paid to do, well, nothing. That's because demand for the battery packs was so low that it cost less for the plant to sit idle. The DOE was conducting the probe because of its financial grant to LG Chem. But that was then and today is today. LG Chem is looking to ramp up production in advance of the second-generation Volt. That 2016 model-year version is said to have a longer all-electric range and better performance and will ride on a new chassis, but few official details have surfaced. We will know more when we get our first look at the car at the Detroit Auto Show in January.