The new 460-horsepower Corvette Stingray has been well-received by the automotive press. In case you don’t know which car mags have fallen in love with it, Chevrolet will be happy to tell you. It’s already been named the Performance Car of the Year by Road & Track, the 2014 Yahoo Autos Car of the Year and the Motor Press Guild’s Innovation Vehicle of the Year over $29,000. (The full list of awards from more than a dozen gearhead publications and organizations can be found in the Chevy link below.) America’s sports car, now in its seventh generation, is also one of three finalists for the North American Car of the Year thanks to positive reviews of its “innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.” The winner will be announced at a media event in Detroit on Jan. 13.
Despite the wide-spread positive reception, Chevy didn’t rest on its laurels. It’s been hard at work on the higher-performance Corvette Z06. You’ve probably seen the spy shots of it online. Well, that fire-breather (which should surpass its C6 predecessor’s 505 ponies), and the C7.R race car, will finally be revealed on the 13th at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. If you’re thinking, “Detroit in January? Nuts to that!”, you can watch a live stream of the unveiling of both models that day starting at 9:30 a.m. EST at chevy.com/Z06reveal with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Just don’t let your boss catch you doing it.
Should you happen to be in Motown Jan. 18-26, you can go see the big show in person.
Are you looking forward to the new Z06? Or is the C7 ZR1 the next Corvette you’re really waiting to see?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
