This year's Corvettes at Carlisle event in Pennsylvania will feature one of the rarest Corvettes in existence -- the Corvette Rondine concept. Originally built for the Paris auto show, the Rondine had been on display at the Pininfarina Museum in Italy until 2008, when it was sold at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction for roughly $1.7 million. The Rondine is special in that it is that it is the one and only steel-bodied Corvette ever created and it was a rare collaboration between Chevy and famed Italian design house Pininfarina. It's based on a '63 Corvette chassis and has a 327cid/360-hp V8 under the hood.

Oschersleben, Germany: Callaway Competition, located in Leingarten, Germany, won the opening round of the 2013 ADAC GT Masters series with its eight-year-old Corvette Z06.R GT3. Drivers Daniel Keilwitz and Diego Alessi finished ahead of the No. 12 Second Place BMW Z4 GT3. Callaway has continued to upgrade the Corvette each year to keep it competitive with its rivals' more-modern entries.

It was difficult to decide what was more spectacular at the first-ever Lingenfelter Performance Nationals: the blistering performance of GM engineer Dave Michaels, who ran away with the autocross title while piloting a Thomson Automotive–prepared Grand Sport, or the mind-warping 7.09-second elapsed time laid down by Mark Carlyle in his IRS-suspended, turbocharged Z06. Either way, the enthusiasts in attendance were treated to a show—and history.

If you recall from our first two installments of "Battle in the Snake Pit" (VETTE, Sep. and Dec. '12), Corvettes have become a force to be reckoned with in the North American Road Racing Association's (NARRA) two new grassroots-style racing series: the US GT Championship (USGTC) and the Whelen US TimeTrial Championship (USTTC).

There are some of us in this world who are Luddites: We like fountain pens, miss our film cameras, and still find ourselves mightily stirred by the low rumble of a big-block. Practicality, however, drags many of us kicking and screaming into the modern era, which includes the LS series of engines from GM.

Corvette Racing Turns One Great Time into Two History-Making Milestones

In our Oct. ’11 issue, we introduced you to the North American Road Racing Association (NARRA) and the two new grassroots-style racing series it governs: the US GT Championship (USGTC) and the Whelen US TimeTrial Championship (USTTC).

The ADAC GT Masters Championship ended at the Hockenheim Ring last weekend in Germany. This highly competitive series matches the world's top sports-car manufacturers and drivers against each other in 16 races. Callaway Competition drivers Daniel Keilwitz and Diego Alessi came to the final race weekend with a slim championship lead over the No. 5 Mercedes-Benz SLS and the No. 36 Porsche, having won three overall victories and taken six podium finishes. After the last race at the Ring, race organizers made an unexpected change to the Balance of Performance rules; these changes (an additional 15 kg of weight and a 1mm-smaller restrictor) hurt the Corvettes. The championship-leading No. 28 Corvette had to add an extra 60 kg because of its last victory at the Ring. Hockenheim is a heavy-braking circuit, and the extra weight took its toll on the Corvettes, which qualified 13th for Race 1, and Seventh for Race 2. Thirty-two competitors took the green flag under sunny cool skies in Race 1. Alessi's race was quickly over when a pair of M-Bs hit him from both sides and sent him flying into the air, breaking the left front suspension. The championship appeared to be over, until the leading Porsche and M-B experienced tire trouble; they would finish out of the points.

Chevrolet celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Corvette Saturday, August 18, 2012, during the Woodward Dream Cruise in Birmingham, Michigan. Over one-million fans were estimated to visit the cruise up and down Woodward Avenue. That gave Chevy a big idea: celebrate Corvette’s 60th anniversary with a King Kong-sized collage on Woodward Avenue’s 555 Building.

Remembering "Marietta" Bob Johnson

When the U.S. Congress passed a resolution citing July 13 at National Collector Car Appreciation Day, the powers that be a parent company Source Interlink Media decided to host an open house at all three of its editorial locations—Tampa, Florida, Irvine, California, and Los Angeles—to celebrate.

The late Dan Wheldon won the first St. Petersburg Grand Prix in 2005. Shortly after his victory, he made the city his permanent home. Having embraced this charismatic driver as one of their own, St. Pete residents felt a great sense of loss following his untimely passing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year. In March the city renamed a street Dan Wheldon Way--and, fittingly, that street became Turn 10 of the Grand Prix course on race weekend.

Callaway Competition is holding the Corvette banner high in this year's German ADAC GT Masters series. The series is one of the most competitive GT racing championships in the world and is highly coveted by premium sports-car manufacturers. These include Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes Benz, and Porsche.

Sebring's first sports-car race was held at the old WWII Army base in 1950. Two years later, the first 12-hour enduro took place on the same course. This year marks the 60th anniversary of this classic long-distance race, one that has continued to evolve over the years. Today one lap measures 3.7 miles (down from the original 5.7), and is a combination of new pavement and remnants of the site's old concrete B-17 bomber runways.

ince 1953 many significant racing models have captured the attention of Corvette enthusiasts, from the earliest "airbox" cars to the latest C6.Rs. This year marks the 50th anniversary of sports-car racing at Daytona International Speedway, a milestone that was commemorated in a special celebration that took place prior to the 24-hour race in January. Many historically noteworthy race machines were in attendance, including the '00 C5-R Corvette Chassis #003 that won the 24-hour event in 2001. This car racked up many firsts for Corvette Racing, accomplishments that have earned it a permanent place in the GM Heritage Center in Detroit.

The checkered flag fell at 4pm on Sunday, May 20, to end the 40th running of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. A total of 177 entries filled the grid at the start of the race on Saturday. Two Callaway Corvettes were entered in two different classes, and one became the talk of the race. It was a Z06.R GT3 that started life in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but was heavily modified for racing in at Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany. The car was sponsored at the 'Ring by the Haribo Candy Company, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

It has been called one of the most grueling endurance races on the planet. The 24 Hours of Nürburgring begins Saturday, May, 19 at 4pm (10am Eastern time) and finishes Sunday at 4pm. It starts in the historic town of Nürburg, which features a medieval castle that overlooks the city and winds through the German woods. One lap combines the 2.3-mile F1 course with the 12.9-mile Nordschleife (North Course) to total 15.2 miles. Nine manufacturers will compete for overall honors in the top three categories: SP9, SP8 and SP7. They include Porsche, Audi, Aston Martin, Lexus, Nissan, McLaren, BMW, Mercedes, and Corvette. The fastest 30 qualifiers will be fitted with a blue light inside the windshield. This will increase their visibility and help competitors make way for the 200-mph racers passing them on the circuit. This year 177 entries will compete in this epic event.

In 2008 Godzilla washed up on the shores of the United States for the first time, as Nissan unleashed its GT-R on the streets of Los Angeles. The car didn't breathe fire, however (at least, not in the traditional sense), and it was aesthetically more pleasing than the giant lizard from which it took its monstrous sobriquet.

Fifty-seven years after Chevrolet installed the first small-block V-8 in a production Corvette, General Motors celebrated the manufacture of the 100-millionth small-block Chevy. Big news? Indeed, and VETTE readers have even more reason to rejoice because the milestone motor was a Corvette 6.2L LS9--the same engine that comes in the ZR1.

As we've noted in the past, a Corvette is the ultimate conveyance for taking extended driving trips and visiting scenic locations throughout the country. Wisconsin in summertime is a perfect place to take such a trip, thanks to its thousands of impressive lakes and scores of quaint towns that beg to be explored.

Daytona International Speedway kicked off the 2012 racing season with the 46th running of its 24-hour endurance race. Five new Corvette Daytona Prototypes (DP) were entered in this grueling, around-the-clock marathon. They qualified second, fourth, sixth, and seventh in a field of 12. Several Corvettes led the race but experienced small problems that kept them from the win. The No. 10 SunTrust Corvette had a water-pump failure and was out in the first hour. The No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP finished Fifth, three laps behind the winner. The Spirit of Daytona entry finished Eighth after experiencing an axle failure halfway through the race. The second Action Express entry ended up Ninth after repairs had to be made when the car collided with a slower GT entry. The No. 99 Gainsco Corvette finished 33rd after experiencing a radiator failure subsequent to contacting the wall.

The 50th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona will be held January 28-29, 2012. This is the longest and oldest 24-hour sports-car race in the U.S. For the first time Corvette will be competing in the top DP (Daytona Prototype) class.

The North American Road Racing Association (NARRA) finished off its eight-race championship season at Daytona International Speedway on October 23. NARRA was founded in 1993 and offers participants five categories of racing at each of its events. The top two classes are the US Time Trials and the US GT Championship. Both are filled with the top sports cars from around the world, including Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini, Audi, and Viper.

The ADAC GT Masters Championship stopped at Lausitz, Germany for round 11 of the 16 round 2011 Championship season. Seven brands were represented on the thirty-eight car grid. This included Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, Viper and BMW. Four Callaway Competition Corvettes were entered. Diego Alessi qualified eighth .671 seconds behind the pole winning Ferrari in his #28 Callaway Competition Corvette Z06 GT3!