Hennessey Smokes Out New Entry Level Corvette HPE500

We know that the words "base" and "entry-level" have negative connotations, but don't forget it's horsepower-possessed Hennessey Performance that we're talking about here, so even the brand's introductory Corvette Stingray tune has enough power to rattle your insides…

Joining the already announced 600HP, 700HP, 800HP and 1,000HP supercharged programs, is the base HPE500 upgrade, which while keeping the C7's 6.2-liter V8 unit naturally aspirated, it adds 52hp and 58 lb-ft for a total of 507hp at 6,300 rpm and 518 lb-ft of peak torque at 3,800rpm.

Hennessey says that the Corvette Stingray HPE500 completes the 0-60mph (96km/h) sprint in 3.8 seconds (GM has stated that the base C7 does the same in "under 4 seconds") and the quarter mile in just 11.7 seconds with an exit speed of 122mph (196.3 km/h).

The HPE500 package will be limited to 500 units for the 2014 model year.

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Nitrous-Fueled Corvette C6 Pops at 180MPH

Incorrect engine timing is what caused this nitrous-injected Chevrolet Corvette C6 to catch fire while it was doing 180 mph or 288 km/h driven by its owner Buddy Schulz at the Texas Mile. It wasn’t a heavily modified car, though, but the Stage 2 nitrous shot kit kind of clashed with the smooth running of the LS3 V8, instead of helping it make the claimed 625 hp that it was known to be capable of.

The fire itself isn’t of the extremely spectacular kind, but we bet Mr. Schulz didn’t feel the same way as he was rushing to get the racing harness uncoupled so as to get out of the burning vehicle (while it was still moving).

In the end, he threw himself out, just before the ‘Vette came to a complete stop, but instead of having a negative attitude about it afterward, he was apparently talking about the next engine that he’s going to use for the car. He probably would not have been positive about it if the fire would have spread to the other parts of the body too…

Thankfully, as the YouTube uploader states in one of the comment replies, “most of the car was saved and can be rebuilt.”

By Andrei Nedelea

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This 16-Year-Old Girl Runs 1/4 Mile in 11 Seconds!

Alex isn't your (stereo)typical 16 year old American teenager. She's a car gal and an aspiring drag racer who just completed her first 11 second quarter mile pass this year running in a modified 1968 Chevrolet Camaro powered by an LS1 V8 that used to be her mom's.

The crew from 1320Videos who recorded the teen's efforts commented: "Alex is one lucky girl, not only does she have an amazing family that has helped her build this beautiful Camaro, she was able to take a whole week off school to race for 6 days straight across the midwest on Drag Week 2013. Not only is her car beautiful, but it's pretty damn quick too!"

See her running down the drag strip in the video that follows the jump below.

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"Ungrateful" Pattie Returns and Shows Off Her New 2014 Corvette Stingray Z51

The jury is still out on whether the video showing an "ungrateful girlfriend" with a perceivably unappreciative attitude when her boyfriend tried to surprise her with a brand-new 2014 Corvette Stingray gift under her office was real or staged, but some 353,000 views and many clicks after the first clip, Triple X Motorsports has come out with a new video.

In it, we see the young woman, whom we now learn is named Pattie, driving around her stick shift Z51-equipped C7 on the road in a more appreciative manner. 

"After putting a few break-in miles on her new Z51 C7 Corvette, Miss Ungrateful (Pattie) is having a blast cruising around on the streets. Her and the car make an amazing pair!" reads the video description, which also includes…links to a number of products and sites…

See the video below.

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Vossen Gets Creative with Video Showcasing 2014 Corvette C7 Wearing New Rims

While this author kind of prefers the 2014 Corvette Stingray with Vossen's five spoke (each with twin arms) alloy wheels teased in renderings earlier this year, the Miami-based aftermarket firm has chosen its upcoming line of multi-spoke rims in a turbine-style dubbed the "Precision Series" for display on the C7.

Vossen had shared a teaser video of the new Corvette wearing the 20-inch (front) and 21-inch (rear) gloss graphite Precision Series wheels, but now it has released the full-length promo that includes some, not necessary, but certainly entertaining, burnout scenes.

No word on pricing yet but we'll keep you informed once we find out. For now, check out the video below.

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Chevy Driver Tailgating Land Cruiser Fails to See Concrete Median

If you're going to speed and act stupidly on the road, then be prepared for the worst, as there's a very good possibility that you're going to pay the price for it, one way or the other.

In the case of the Russian driver of a Chevrolet sedan who was tailgating a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser in a highway near the city of St. Petersburg, the price was a horrendous crash with a raised median barrier.

The Chevrolet driver looks like he or she tried to squeeze between another car and the Land Cruiser from the right lane, failing to see that the road split in front.

The author of the dash-cam video footage said that the driver and a passenger of the Chevrolet were hospitalized injured, but at least alive.

We tip our hats to Dmitry!

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Road Rage Texas Grandpa Confuses Bicyclists with NYC Motorcyclists

In an incident that eerily reminded us of the recent (tragic) events in New York City between a Range Rover driver and a group of motorcyclists, a 74-year old man in a Chevrolet Silverado from Montgomery County in Texas had a scuffle with a group of cyclists on Thursday evening.

One of the cyclists named Steve Schoger, told the Montgomery County Police Reporter (MCPR) that Sherman Ralph Clark drove by the riders and with a few cuss words, told them to get off his street before he pulled in front and abruptly slowed down to around 15mph (24km/h) at the same time that the riders were peddling close to 25mph (40km/h).

According to the bikers' versions of the story, that's when Clark started to veer left running one of the cyclists to the shoulder of the road, while another rider, attempted to go around the Silverado from the right. At the point, Clark allegedly slammed on his brakes causing cyclist Rick Sauvageau to crash into the back of the truck, fracturing his wrist in the process.

The incident did not stop there as the 74-year old driver stepped out of the car, at which point, one of the biker's started to record the event on his camera. Clark was holding a bat in his hands. When asked why, he said "To protect myself". The rider with the camera then asked him "What did we do?" to which Clark responded, "You were driving all over the damn road".

After the verbal altercation, Clark left running over one of the $5,000 bikes. The riders called the police, who then arrested Clark for "criminal mischief  $1,500 to $20,000 and for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon". The report said that Clark's "aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge may go to the Grand Jury".

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Video of the Aftermath of the Texas 2014 Corvette Stingray Massacre, Plus New Info

If we wanted to humor you, we could have titled this story "They took our Vettes!" which you would have read in a South Park-style accent, but there's nothing really funny about a pair of brand-new 2014 Corvette Stingrays lying all wrecked up in a parking lot.

After learning about the Texas State Fair incident, which involved a test driver of a 2014 Impala crashing into the two C7s while trying out the car…and obviously, its crash worthiness, video footage of the aftermath surfaced online, courtesy of the Corvetteblogger.

The eyewitness tipster and person behind the camera also shared the following information about the accident with the site:

"The individual responsible was a special needs person that had a driver's license SOMEHOW. But he made two Laps inside the parking area and took out 2 Vettes and 2 impalas. He claimed to have had a diabetic shock. But witness says he had a very deranged look on his face and he knew what he was doing. Needless to say he walked off without any fines or charges against him AND the free t shirt for driving the cars."

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