#Earnhardt Cadillac

[earnhardtauto]

Stop by our local Pizza joints near Scottsdale, AZ. 

[champagnepodiums]

With Andretti and Cadillac joining forces to try and gain entry to F1, do you think that they will be successful? It seems like Andretti are determined to join, and are serious, but are facing opposition from other teams who don't want the prize pot to go town. From an F1/ Liberty media point of view, it does seem like they are determined to grow the American market - they now have an American driver and several American races.

I think so. Now that there is a new OEM (which iirc was like the ~stipulation or whatever that Andretti needed to fulfill).

It's not like Andretti is just some random rich guy who wants in. If Liberty Media wants to really corner the American market, there is probably no better name to go with (except maybe like Earnhardt lmao).

Americans know Andretti, I think Liberty Media would be stupid to not allow Andretti in, even if the other teams pitch fits.

[dan6085]

TOP ATHLETES EARNINGS:

1. Michael Jordan - $2.62 billion

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He amassed a fortune of $2.62 billion throughout his career, largely due to his successful brand endorsements with companies like Nike and Hanes.

2. Tiger Woods - $1.7 billion

Tiger Woods is one of the most successful golfers in history, having won numerous championships and accolades. He has also made a significant sum of money through his endorsements, which include deals with Nike, Rolex, and Monster Energy.

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - $1.2 billion

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the most successful boxers in history, with an undefeated record of 50-0. He has also made a fortune through his various business ventures, including his promotion company, Mayweather Promotions.

4. LeBron James - $1 billion

LeBron James is one of the most popular and successful basketball players in the world. His lucrative endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Beats by Dre have helped him accumulate a fortune of $1 billion.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo - $1 billion

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most successful footballers in history, having won numerous championships and awards. He has also made a significant amount of money through his various endorsements, including deals with Nike, Herbalife, and Tag Heuer.

6. Roger Federer - $900 million

Roger Federer is one of the most successful tennis players in history, having won numerous Grand Slam titles and other championships. His endorsements with companies like Nike, Rolex, and Credit Suisse have helped him accumulate a fortune of $900 million.

7. Lionel Messi - $750 million

Lionel Messi is one of the most successful footballers in history, having won numerous championships and awards. His various endorsements, including deals with Adidas, Pepsi, and Huawei, have helped him accumulate a fortune of $750 million.

8. Shaquille O'Neal - $700 million

Shaquille O'Neal is a retired basketball player who was one of the most dominant players of his era. He has made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Reebok, Pepsi, and Icy Hot.

9. David Beckham - $450 million

David Beckham is a retired football player who is known for his stylish play and fashion sense. He has made a significant amount of money through his various endorsements, including deals with Adidas, H&M, and Pepsi.

10. Kobe Bryant - $450 million

Kobe Bryant was a legendary basketball player who won numerous championships and accolades throughout his career. He made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Hublot.

11. Michael Schumacher - $450 million

Michael Schumacher is one of the most successful Formula One drivers in history, having won numerous championships and races. His various endorsement deals, including ones with Mercedes-Benz and Omega, have helped him accumulate a fortune of $450 million.

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $400 million

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a retired NASCAR driver who was one of the most successful drivers of his era. He has made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Chevrolet, Budweiser, and Wrangler.

13. Manny Pacquiao - $400 million

Manny Pacquiao is one of the most successful boxers in history, having won numerous championships and accolades. He has also made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Hennessy, and Nestle.

14. Arnold Palmer - $400 million

Arnold Palmer was a legendary golfer who won numerous championships and awards throughout his career. He made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Rolex, Pennzoil, and Cadillac.

15. Greg Norman - $375 million

Greg Norman is a retired golfer who was one of the most successful players of his era. He has made a significant amount of money through his various business ventures, including his golf course design company and his line of wines.

16. Floyd Mayweather Sr. - $200 million

Floyd Mayweather Sr. is a retired boxer who was known for his defensive style of fighting. He made a significant amount of money through his various boxing purses and his coaching career.

17. Serena Williams - $225 million

Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players in history, having won numerous Grand Slam titles and other championships. She has also made a significant amount of money through her various endorsements, including deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Beats by Dre.

18. Maria Sharapova - $195 million

Maria Sharapova is a retired tennis player who won numerous Grand Slam titles and other championships throughout her career. She made a significant amount of money through her endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Porsche, and Avon.

19. Usain Bolt - $174 million

Usain Bolt is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, having won numerous Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He has made a significant amount of money through his endorsement deals with companies like Puma, Gatorade, and Hublot.

20. Mike Tyson - $300 million

Mike Tyson is a retired boxer who was one of the most dominant fighters of his era. He has made a significant amount of money through his various boxing purses and his various business ventures, including his cannabis company, Tyson Ranch.

[hunty627]

Here’s a drawing I made of myself racing Lightning McQueen, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chick Hicks and Jackson Storm. Mater is cheering for his best friend, while Temacu and her 2 main Pokémon, Nidorina and Nidorino are cheering for me. Temacu is cheering for me so well that she gave me the strength to believe in myself. Like McQueen always said. Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer!

[giovannawheels]

26” Giovanna Haleb Wheels on Cadillac Escalade by @mellemel83 🔥🔥 #giovannawheels #giovanna #cadillac #escalade #caddy #wheelporn #wheels #luxurywheels (at Earnhardt Cadillac) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8q1BFynKXi/?igshid=1eaxmllo9ey3x

[thecardaddy]

1994 Chevrolet Corvette - $21,995.00

1994 Chevrolet Corvette C4 with the Targa top. Owner purchased this originally as a retirement project. It is black on black with the Aero kit and wing. It has a brand new Jasper remanufactured LT1 engine that was installed by Earnhardt Chevrolet of Chandler, fully rebuilt automatic transmission with shift kit, new radiator, water pump, hoses, belts, spark plugs, wires, battery, EGR, horn kit, master brake cylinder, brakes, tires and tons more. Owner also had a brand new limo tint and a Kenwood double din deck installed with Bluetooth, back up camera and DVD player. This car has been babied and regularly detailed professionally. The engine has roughly 1,000 miles on it since it was installed and comes with a transferable warranty of 3 years/100,000 miles. All of the major work was done professionally and receipts are available for it all. No expense was spared when doing the work. This vehicle has a clean title and comes from Arizona. Please Note The Following **Vehicle Location is at our clients home and Not In Cadillac, Michigan. **We do have a showroom with about 25 cars that is by appointment only **Please Call First and talk to one of our reps at 231-468-2809 EXT 1 ** FREE Consignment Visit Our Site Today Easy To List Your Vehicle and Get it Sold in Record Time. from Cardaddy.com https://www.cardaddy.com/vehicles/vehicle/1994-chevrolet-corvette-cadillac-michigan-18705047

[earnhardtauto]

5 REASONS TO LOVE THE 2022 CADILLAC CT5

The 2022 Cadillac CT5 is luxurious, stylish, and equipped with state-of-the-art interior features. This powerful mid-size sedan offers drivers plenty of speed and smooth handling, and even boasts some of the most impressive driver-assistance features on the market today.

1. HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINE

There are a few engine options available across the different Cadillac CT5 models. The standard engine offered is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 237 HP. You can also upgrade to a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 HP, or a twin-turbo V6 offering 360 HP, which is available on the high-performance CT5-V. The turbo four-cylinder can reach 60mph in an impressive 6.6 seconds.

Get more information by going to our blog.

[thereviewsarein]

The Cadillac Three are one of the most entertaining live acts, in any genre, that we’ve seen in the last few years. With a loud, gritty, energetic enthusiasm every time we’ve seen them hit the stage, and a fan following that continues to grow bigger and stronger, we can’t wait to see TC3 live at Boots and Hearts 2019!

Whether it’s been opening at the amphitheatre, in a junior hockey arena, a Queen East country bar, at a big festival, the Stampede, or headlining their show at The Opera House, Jaren, Kelby, and Neil have always gone hard. The reputation they’ve built and the experiences we’ve had at their shows have us excited for the Thursday, August 8 Coors Banquet Kick-Off Party at Boots.

Oh ya, and the music.

Across three albums (so far), The Cadillac Three have built a library of songs that are loved and listened to be great fans. And while they haven’t seen the radio success that a lot of people think they deserve, they have made themselves a career by touring across the United States, Canada, and into Europe and writing big tunes.

“God bless this thing called country and western heavy metal music.”

We could keep writing a long list of adjectives here that just repeatedly tell you that The Cadillac Three is great. Or, we can get to the getting with a list of TC3’s 5 biggest songs and 5 reasons we’re excited to see them.

Plus, we’ve got a bonus song and reason as the cherry on top!

The songs and reasons will both count down from 5 to 1. The songs are ranked by combined Spotify and YouTube plays. But the reasons, well we came up with those and the order they came in!

Ready? Let’s Go!

Reason #5: Their Attitude

Every time we’ve seen TC3 there’s been a clear attitude of “this is who we are, this is what we do, here it comes.” The band is fully and completely comfortable doing their own thing, even if it’s different than everyone else that will hit the stage that night, and it’s awesome. Their confidence and energy is part of the show, and we love it.

Song #5. Dang If We Didn’t

Reasons #4: It’s A Party

The Cadillac Three is a perfect fit for the Coors Banquet Kick-Off Party because they are a party. You’ll see drinks on the stage, drinks in the crowd, and thousands of people singing and dancing and having a good time when they play their set.

Song #4. Party Like You

Reason #3: The Dale Earnhardt Tribute

If you’ve been to a TC3 live show, and you’ve heard the band play White Lightning, you’ve likely seen the hands go up in the crowd with 3 fingers raised when Jaren sings the line, “Faster than number three breaking every record.”. It’s a cool tribute to one of the greatest NASCAR drivers ever, and his everlasting memory.

Be ready for it at Boots and Hearts!

Song #3. White Lightning

Reason #2: They’re Good

It’s simplistic to say, and maybe a bit underwhelming as just two words, but eff it. Stated plainly and simply, The Cadillac Three is really good.

We’ve reviewed Bury Me In My Boots and Legacy. We’ve covered them in Toronto (three times), Oshawa, and Calgary (twice). We know the words to the hits. We have favourite songs.

That’s a commitment that only gets made when an artist is good, and we like them. And these Nashville boys are good.

Song #2. Drunk Like You

Reason #1: That Country Fuzz

There’s a uniqueness to the country music The Cadillac Three makes. It’s heavy. It’s loud. It’s distinctly southern. It’s not made to pander to radio. It doesn’t fit in a neat little box. Hell, when we saw TC3 in Toronto in September 2018, Jaren exclaimed, “God bless this thing called country and western heavy metal music.”. TC3 isn’t trying to be anyone but themselves, and who they are is country fuzz.

It’s country fuzz, it’s their own, and we’re here for it.

Song #1. The South

Bonus Reason: New Music Is Coming!

The Cadillac Three has given us the promise of new music in the form of a fourth album, with Crackin’ Cold Ones With The Boys already out to the world as the lead single.

The band has been saying for a while now that the new album has been recorded and is ready. And now that we’ve had one single, we want more. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll hear a couple of new songs at Boots and Hearts!

Bonus Song: Crackin’ Cold One With The Boys

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Top 5 Songs and Reasons We’re Excited for The Cadillac Three Boots and Hearts 2019! The Cadillac Three are one of the most entertaining live acts, in any genre, that we've seen in the last few years.

[addcrazy-blog]

New Post has been published on Add Crazy

New Post has been published on https://addcrazy.com/500-miles-within-the-2017-chevrolet-camaro-zl1-convertible-and-coupe/

500 Miles within the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible and Coupe

ONCORD, North Carolina – Contrived? Maybe only a little. However, Chevrolet’s idea to offer us a 2017 Camaro ZL1 to force to Daytona Seashore, Florida, made sense once the organization brought up the numbers: 650 for 500 to the 500.

As in 650 horsepower from the supercharged LT4 6.2-liter V-8. As in 500 miles from Concord, that is just north of Charlotte, to Daytona Seashore. And 500 once more, as within the Daytona 500, where Chevrolets would start at the front row, each from Hendrick Motorsports – more approximately that during a second – which might follow the Camaro ZL1 tempo car to the green flag, driven through the semi-retired Jeff Gordon, who gained 4 NASCAR championships for Hendrick and Chevrolet. Tidy!

It might be great for Chevrolet if we ought to document the logo received the Daytona 500, However of the route it didn’t. Polesitter Chase Elliott ran out of gasoline, allowing Stewart-Haas driver Kurt Busch to get the past for his first win in the first race after the four-vehicle Stewart-Haas team switched from Chevrolet to Ford.

Regrettably for Ford, although, as high-quality as the 526-horsepower 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350 is, Chevrolet’s ZL1 has the clean, modern gain inside the 50-yr Pony vehicle wars. Yes, Stay clear of has the pleasant 707-horsepower Challenger Hellcat, however, the chassis and aerodynamics are a few years behind the most up to date Camaro and Mustang.

The primary enchantment of this ride – apart from the plain using-a-hotrod-to-a-NASCAR-race – was to peer how properly the ZL1 dealt with a 500-mile drive in a day. Which brings us back to the first forestall closing Wednesday night time: Hendrick Motorsports, home of contemporary NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Elliott, and 7-time NASCAR Monster Power Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

No longer noticeably, Hendrick Motorsports was a ghost city, with a maximum of the important thing gamers in Daytona. A handful of employees in the shop that homes the automobiles for Johnson and Earnhardt banged on bodies and measured shells with templates, probable operating on vehicles for soon-to-come races in Atlanta and Las Vegas.

But that didn’t rely upon, as we came to see the large Hendrick Historical past Center, which isn’t always open to the public, no pics allowed – although if you buy a vehicle from the Historical past Middle, you get an excursion. Automobiles available for buy range from a 1990 Chevrolet Suburban ($39,990) to Gordon’s 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a 4-time Martinsville NASCAR winner, for $four hundred,000.

The Heritage Middle – and this isn’t always to be harassed with Hendrick’s 15,000-square-foot museum, which is open to the general public–is surely packed with an eclectic series of stuff that both has a private that means to Rick Hendrick, or that he simply likes. There’s a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am “Smokey and the Bandit” automobile that Mrs. Hendrick offered for Rick, which has just double-digit miles, and there’s a beautiful 1961 Corvette, Hendrick’s first of a multitude of Corvettes. Of simply greater than 200 Vehicles right here, half are Corvettes. And the most amazing part of the Background Center collection is the wide variety of particular Corvettes which might be Hendrick’s favorite: 1967, 427-powered Stingrays. Thirty-seven of them. And each automobile in the collection is ready to run on the turn of a key. If you have ever driven a Corvette powered by using a 427-cubic-inch engine – and we’re speaking any 427, Now not just the holy-grail LS7, 435-horsepower Tri-Power model – the car become a rocket at the dual carriageway But ponderous round metropolis, threatening to overheat or foul a plug or par-boil its two occupants in warm climate. It shook, it rattled, it roared, and it frequently took little extra than a Sunday force to reason the Corvette-loving husband to change in his massive-block prize on some thing more docile, or face divorce. Apologies if this sounds sexist, However men who anticipated a hundred-pound spouse to embrace a 4-velocity, 427 Corvette as her every day motive force better have married Shirley Muldowney.

Which brings us to the 650-horsepower Camaro ZL1: It’s a automobile that, When you have very quick friends which could match on the package deal shelf that passes for a rear seat, is genuinely delighted to carpool around Manhattan. In particular with the brand new 10-speed automatic transmission, which, we’ll cross beforehand and tell you currently, is the unmarried most mind-blowing characteristic of the 2017 ZL1. It replaces the 8-velocity automated we had within the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V some weeks ago, the most effective characteristic we got here returned complaining about after a 700-mile weekend in the Caddy. It tended to shudder slightly because it hit eighth gear, and the engine dropped returned to four cylinders to save fuel. No such trouble inside the ZL1, However Not lots within the manner of gas savings, either: Our mileage ran quite near the bleak EPA ratings of 12 mpg town, 20 toll road for the automatic, and 14 metropolis and 20 toll road for the six-speed manual.

buy the automatic, and you’ll pay $1,595 extra than the manual, and $2,100 within the federal “gas guzzler” tax ($1, three hundred for the six-pace). This brought the sticker of our loaded ZL1 convertible with the automatic to $72,325. The six-speed coupe we drove, which had a base rate of $sixty two,135, turned into about $five,000 greater than that out the door.

And talking of out the door, we had been Thursday morning, after a briefing on the auto. Car magazine has already given you the details in multiple stories; this time our task become to inform you the way it all worked on an actual journey.

the primary half of the 500 miles, we spent inside the aforementioned six-pace coupe, which turned into optioned heavily, which includes the $495 MyLink audio machine with navigation, and an eight-inch touchscreen. It’s exceptional to look the expenses of nav structures dropping in view of the truth that all of us have smartphones, or lacking that, a wonderfully first-class $89 TomTom from Walmart.

The six-speed guide is nicely-matched to the engine’s prodigious Electricity. The shifter itself is stiff, however the car was logo-new, and after a few thousand miles it’ll be great. Seize action is firm However doesn’t require a lot of stress, even though take-up is a touch abrupt.

Specially, as I learned, if you don’t know the way to power a guide, as my car-mate did No longer, or at the least hadn’t driven one in years. Clutch take-up is definitely abrupt then, until you get the grasp of modulation. Or don’t. both way, we made it to the checkpoint unscathed, in which we swapped the coupe for a convertible, additionally grey, because the Ferrari pink and yellow models have a tendency to be dual carriageway Patrol magnets.

The convertible pinnacle drops and increases fast, and works at hurries up to 30 mph. Wind buffeting is present However tolerable even at 80 mph and beyond. Inside, the Recaro seats, standard, are great – thin and light as you would expect in a performance automobile “looking after” its weight (4,148 pounds with the automated in convertible shape, 2 hundred kilos lighter than its predecessor), However secure and supportive even after an extended day inside the cockpit. Gadgets and controls are reasonably intuitive, But having just pop out of a 2017 Lexus GS F, they regarded greater complicated than vital.

Coupe or convertible, outward visibility remains an problem with the Camaro, though admittedly lowering the pinnacle provides for your sightline. the new Camaro is better-looking than the previous model, Mainly the extensive-bodied model used here to squeeze the large, very capable Goodyear F1 Supercar tires below their respective fenders, But it’s nonetheless pretty excessive-waisted. Even at a top of six toes, resting my arm in the open window is much less relaxed than I want it was, because given the ZL1’s exhaust note, I’d force it with home windows down plenty.

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 rear three area 02

As referred to, as we cruised down Interstate 95 beyond the Florida nation line closer to Daytona Seashore, that 10-velocity automated, which we feared might be annoyingly busy, was something But. It is a transparent transmission, seemingly inside the right equipment regardless of the circumstance. It’s a winner.

And so is the magnetic-ride suspension, which continues to prove its really worth in most every software: stiff whilst you need it to be, and pretty compliant while you don’t, it’s a actually all-reason system that, matched to the large Brembo brakes, works equally nicely on the track and on the street. Even inside the stiffest putting, the journey became tolerable at the Interstate. Properly done.

So we made it to Daytona Beach within the Camaro ZL1, if Not pretty to Daytona Global Speedway, wherein – since the Daytona 500 is a restrictor-plate race – we would have arrived with greater horsepower than any automobile NASCAR had on the track this weekend, and for that remember, at least as an awful lot horsepower as any entry inside the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports activities-vehicle staying power race some weeks ago. It’s a right of passage for any high-horse street automobile to power thru the lengthy flip-one tunnel beneath the music and, um, display what the car feels like below heavy acceleration. Didn’t get that hazard. Maybe next time.

And talking of subsequent time: Saturday afternoon, Chevrolet amazed all and sundry at the experience while it unveiled the 2018 Camaro ZL1 with the 1LE package. In brief, in case you just ordered a 2017 ZL1, you’ve got already been trumped.

The 1LE is avenue-legal, with aircon and all that, However it’s an clearly committed song rat with a suspension advanced by means of Multimatic (the organisation that builds the brand new Ford GT), and among the mounting factors at the ZL1 which are cushioned with the aid of a nice rubber bushing are honestly metal-to-metallic on the ZL1 1LE. This means superb stiffness at the tune (desirable!) and ideal stiffness for your day by day power (Perhaps Now not so top! See connection with 427 Corvette above).

https://addcrazy.com/

[buildercar]

New Post has been published on http://www.buildercar.com/500-miles-in-the-2017-chevrolet-camaro-zl1-convertible-and-coupe/

500 Miles in the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible and Coupe

CONCORD, North Carolina – Contrived? Maybe just a little. But Chevrolet’s idea to give us a 2017 Camaro ZL1 to drive to Daytona Beach, Florida, made sense once the company added up the numbers: 650 for 500 to the 500.

As in 650 horsepower from the supercharged LT4 6.2-liter V-8. As in 500 miles from Concord, which is just north of Charlotte, to Daytona Beach. And 500 again, as in the Daytona 500, where two Chevrolets would start on the front row, both from Hendrick Motorsports – more about that in a moment – which would follow the Camaro ZL1 pace car to the green flag, driven by the semi-retired Jeff Gordon, who won four NASCAR championships for Hendrick and Chevrolet. Tidy!

It would be nice for Chevrolet if we could report the brand won the Daytona 500, but of course it didn’t. Polesitter Chase Elliott ran out of gas, allowing Stewart-Haas driver Kurt Busch to get past for his first win in the first race after the four-car Stewart-Haas team switched from Chevrolet to Ford.

Unfortunately for Ford, though, as nice as the 526-horsepower 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350 is, Chevrolet’s ZL1 has the clear, latest advantage in the 50-year Pony Car wars. Yes, Dodge has the delightful 707-horsepower Challenger Hellcat, but the chassis and aerodynamics are a few years behind the hottest Camaro and Mustang.

The main appeal of this trip – aside from the obvious driving-a-hotrod-to-a-NASCAR-race – was to see how well the ZL1 handled a 500-mile drive in a day. Which brings us back to the first stop last Wednesday night: Hendrick Motorsports, home of current NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Elliott, and seven-time NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Not surprisingly, Hendrick Motorsports was a ghost town, with most of the key players in Daytona. A handful of employees in the shop that houses the cars for Johnson and Earnhardt banged on bodies and measured shells with templates, likely working on cars for soon-to-come races in Atlanta and Las Vegas.

But that didn’t matter, as we came to see the massive Hendrick Heritage Center, which is not open to the public, no pictures allowed – though if you buy a car from the Heritage Center, you get a tour. Vehicles available for purchase range from a 1990 Chevrolet Suburban ($39,990) to Gordon’s 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a four-time Martinsville NASCAR winner, for $400,000.

The Heritage Center – and this is not to be confused with Hendrick’s 15,000-square-foot museum, which is open to the public–is absolutely packed with an eclectic collection of stuff that either has a personal meaning to Rick Hendrick, or that he just likes. There’s a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am “Smokey and the Bandit” car that Mrs. Hendrick bought for Rick, which has just double-digit miles, and there’s a beautiful 1961 Corvette, Hendrick’s first of a multitude of Corvettes. Of just more than 200 vehicles here, half are Corvettes. And the most amazing part of the Heritage Center collection is the number of specific Corvettes which are Hendrick’s favorite: 1967, 427-powered Stingrays. Thirty-seven of them. And every vehicle in the collection is ready to run at the turn of a key.

If you have ever driven a Corvette powered by a 427-cubic-inch engine – and we’re talking any 427, not just the holy-grail L7, 435-horsepower Tri-Power version – you know the car was a rocket on the highway but ponderous around town, threatening to overheat or foul a plug or par-boil its two occupants in warm weather. It shook, it rattled, it roared, and it often took little more than a Sunday drive to cause the Corvette-loving husband to trade in his big-block prize on something more docile, or face divorce. Apologies if this sounds sexist, but men who expected a hundred-pound wife to embrace a four-speed, 427 Corvette as her daily driver better have married Shirley Muldowney.

Which brings us to the 650-horsepower Camaro ZL1: It’s a car that, if you have two very short friends that can fit on the package shelf that passes for a rear seat, is absolutely delighted to carpool around Manhattan. Especially with the new 10-speed automatic transmission, which, we’ll go ahead and tell you now, is the single most impressive feature of the 2017 ZL1. It replaces the eight-speed automatic we had in the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V a few weeks ago, the only feature we came back complaining about after a 700-mile weekend in the Caddy. It tended to shudder slightly as it hit eighth gear, and the engine dropped back to four cylinders to save gas. No such problem in the ZL1, but not much in the way of gas savings, either: Our mileage ran pretty close to the grim EPA ratings of 12 mpg city, 20 highway for the automatic, and 14 city and 20 highway for the six-speed manual.

Buy the automatic, and you’ll pay $1,595 more than the manual, and $2,100 in the federal “gas guzzler” tax ($1,300 for the six-speed). This brought the sticker of our loaded ZL1 convertible with the automatic to $72,325. The six-speed coupe we drove, which had a base price of $62,135, was about $5,000 more than that out the door.

And speaking of out the door, we were Thursday morning, after a briefing on the car. AUTOMOBILE magazine has already given you the details in a couple of stories; this time our job was to tell you how it all worked on an actual trip.

The first half of the 500 miles, we spent in the aforementioned six-speed coupe, which was optioned heavily, including the $495 MyLink audio system with navigation, and an 8-inch touchscreen. It’s nice to see the prices of nav systems dropping in view of the fact that we all have smartphones, or lacking that, a perfectly satisfactory $89 TomTom from Walmart.

The six-speed manual is well-matched to the engine’s prodigious power. The shifter itself is stiff, but the car was brand-new, and after a few thousand miles it’ll be fine. Clutch action is firm but doesn’t require a lot of pressure, though take-up is a little abrupt.

Especially, as I learned, if you don’t know how to drive a manual, as my car-mate did not, or at least hadn’t driven one in years. Clutch take-up is really abrupt then, until you get the hang of modulation. Or don’t. Either way, we made it to the checkpoint unscathed, where we swapped the coupe for a convertible, also gray, as the Ferrari red and yellow models tend to be Highway Patrol magnets.

The convertible top drops and raises quickly, and works at speeds up to 30 mph. Wind buffeting is present but tolerable even at 80 mph and beyond. Inside, the Recaro seats, standard, are superb – thin and light as you would expect in a performance car “looking after” its weight (4,148 pounds with the automatic in convertible form, 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor), but comfortable and supportive even after a long day in the cockpit. Instruments and controls are reasonably intuitive, but having just come out of a 2017 Lexus GS F, they seemed more complex than necessary.

Coupe or convertible, outward visibility remains an issue with the Camaro, though admittedly lowering the top adds to your sightline. The new Camaro is better-looking than the previous version, especially the wide-bodied model used here to squeeze the massive, very capable Goodyear F1 Supercar tires under their respective fenders, but it’s still quite high-waisted. Even at a height of six feet, resting my arm in the open window is less comfortable than I wish it was, because given the ZL1’s exhaust note, I’d drive it with windows down a lot.

As mentioned, as we cruised down Interstate 95 past the Florida state line toward Daytona Beach, that 10-speed automatic, which we feared would be annoyingly busy, was anything but. It is a transparent transmission, seemingly in the right gear no matter the circumstance. It’s a winner.

And so is the magnetic-ride suspension, which continues to prove its worth in most every application: stiff when you want it to be, and pretty compliant when you don’t, it’s a genuinely all-purpose system that, matched to the big Brembo brakes, works equally well on the track and on the street. Even in the stiffest setting, the ride was tolerable on the Interstate. Nicely done.

So we made it to Daytona Beach in the Camaro ZL1, if not quite to Daytona International Speedway, where – since the Daytona 500 is a restrictor-plate race – we would have arrived with more horsepower than any car NASCAR had at the track this weekend, and for that matter, at least as much horsepower as any entry in the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports-car endurance race a few weeks ago. It’s a right of passage for any high-horse street car to drive through the long turn-one tunnel under the track and, um, demonstrate what the car sounds like under heavy acceleration. Didn’t get that chance. Maybe next time.

And speaking of next time: Saturday afternoon, Chevrolet surprised all of us on the trip when it unveiled the 2018 Camaro ZL1 with the 1LE package. In short, if you just order a 2017 ZL1, you have already been trumped.

The 1LE is street-legal, with air conditioning and all that, but it’s an absolutely dedicated track rat with a suspension developed by Multimatic (the company that builds the new Ford GT), and many of the mounting points on the ZL1 that are cushioned by a nice rubber bushing are virtually metal-to-metal on the ZL1 1LE. This means supreme stiffness on the track (good!) and supreme stiffness on your daily drive (maybe not so good! See reference to 427 Corvette above).

The engine still has 650 horsepower, but extra speed is found with other devices: The suspension, front and rear, is adjustable. There’s a huge, but non-adjustable carbon-fiber wing out back that makes about 300 pounds of downforce, double the ZL1’s smaller spoiler. The nose is redesigned for aero and cooling. The ZL1 1LE is about 60 pounds lighter due to an even less-accommodating rear seat and thinner rear glass, plus the wheels are lighter, as is the suspension. The six-speed manual is the only transmission offered. This car will not impact the new Camaro GT4 race car, just introduced for competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Pirelli World Challenge–that car was developed with this 1LE in mind.

Chevy wouldn’t say how quick the ZL1 1LE is, but allowed that it is three seconds quicker around the GM test track at the Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan. It seems likely that with the extra downforce it won’t be able to match the current ZL1’s 200 mph top speed, but it will get around a closed course quicker.

Former NASCAR champion Gordon, who drove the ZL1 pace car for the Daytona 500, was present at the ZL1 1LE’s unveiling, and revealed that he “loves it,” and plans to buy one, likely from Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, Wilmington, North Carolina, hours 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

So the Daytona 500 ended with a Ford in front, followed by a Ford, and a Chevrolet (A.J. Allmendinger, of all people), another Ford, and a Chevrolet in fifth (Paul Menard), rounding out a top-five that, if you bet those five drivers in that order in Las Vegas, you made a lot of money.

Even so, Chevrolet made a lot of noise in Daytona. And would have made more had they allowed us to hang onto a Camaro ZL1 for the whole race weekend.

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $70,235/$72,325 (base/as tested) (includes gas-guzzler tax) ENGINE 6.2L supercharged OHV 16-valve V-8/650 hp @ 6,400 rpm, 650 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 12/20 (city/hwy) (automatic) L x W x H 188.3 x 74.7 x 52.4 in WHEELBASE 110.7 in WEIGHT 4,118 lb (automatic) 0-60 MPH 3.5 sec (automatic) TOP SPEED 198 mph (automatic)

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Free of NASCAR commitments, Jeff Gordon focused on winning Rolex 24 at Daytona

Gordon is competing in the around-the-clock sports car for the first time since 2007.

Like many snowbirds, Jeff Gordon will be spending the weekend in Florida driving a Cadillac. That doesn’t mean the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is retired and enjoying his life now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is healthy and returned to racing.

Far from it.

Gordon is part of the four-driver Wayne Taylor Racing contingent competing in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, one of the most prestigious sports car races in the world that sees four different classes of cars on the track simultaneously.

When Gordon retired from NASCAR in 2015, the plan called for him to take a reduced role within the sport, spend greater time with his wife and two young children, and pursue other opportunities to race.

Of course, those plans changed when Gordon was pressed into service as the substitute for the injured Earnhardt last season, which saw Gordon make eight Cup Series starts, more than the one or two he was thinking when team owner Rick Hendrick persuaded him to fill the breach created by Earnhardt’s sudden absence.

“I am anything but retired, I’m just not driving fulltime Cup,” Gordon said. “Of course what happened with Junior this year wasn’t something I was planning on doing. But this is something I hoped to be doing.”

WTR is one of two Cadillac factory-supported efforts, and its lineup consisting of Gordon, brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor, and Italian Max Angelelli, are on the short list of favorites to win the around-the-clock event. Ricky Taylor qualified the No. 10 car fourth of 55 entries.

For Gordon, 45, the Rolex represents the exact diverse opportunity he was seeking after announcing the 2015 NASCAR season would be his last as a fulltime driver. Also on the list is tackling the 24 Hours of Le Mans and perhaps a sports car race in Belgium, the home country of his wife Ingrid.

“At this point of my life and career, this would be huge,” said Gordon of winning. “… The challenges you face over 24 hours to compete at that level versus your competitors, that’s what makes this race to me so thrilling. Gosh, I’d be very, very proud [to win] for sure.”

This isn’t the first time Gordon’s competed in Daytona International Speedway’s annual sports car race, doing so previously with WTR in 2007 that netted a third-place finish overall. But this outing is different. Back then it was about the experience, going outside one’s comfort zone and checking off something on his bucket list.

Now the emphasis is on being as competitive as possible. Because NASCAR commitments precluded investing the necessary amount of time to properly acclimate himself, Gordon always said no about a return trip to the Rolex — if he competed he wanted to go all-in. And with his NASCAR career over, there were no obligations acting as a roadblock when team owner Wayne Taylor asked this go round. It took Gordon all of five minutes to check with his family and say yes.

“It was a slam-dunk,” Gordon.

Since taking Taylor up on his offer to team with his sons and Angelelli, Gordon tested extensively at Daytona and on the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in addition to spending time in a Dallara simulator, WTR’s chassis supplier. He feels rather comfortable behind the wheel of the Cadillac DPi-V.R. that produces approximately 600 horsepower.

There have been a couple of hiccups. But beyond just getting familiarized to a completely different car with virtual zero similarities to a stock car, one of the biggest challenges has been perfecting the key element of swapping out drivers. The acclimation process was so arduous, Gordon said it resulted in several bumps and bruises.

“Unfortunately I can’t share the pictures I took because they’re pretty nasty,” Gordon said. “After the test and the simulation, from the middle of my back from down to the back of knees it looked like someone beat me up pretty bad.”

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