AUGUST 13, 2025

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

SPECIAL EDITOR'S NOTE: We're thrilled to announce the debut of Peter's first work of fiction, "St. Michael of Birmingham." Make no mistake, it doesn't resemble anything you've read from him before. In fact, it is quite a dramatic departure. It is mystical. It is sexy. It is funny. It's moving. And it is a flat-out wild ride unlike anything you've experienced. Having said that, it is definitely not for everyone, but then, it is from PMD, so that probably shouldn't come as a surprise! Check it out on Amazon Kindle here. -WG

(Chevrolet images)

The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, the most advanced Corvette ever and a true American hypercar, will be available with an exclusive, limited production Quail Silver Limited Edition package. The Quail Silver Limited Edition showcases unique finishes and craftsmanship, and Corvette’s first matte production paint - Blade Silver Matte - since the 1960s. The package will be available exclusively on the Corvette ZR1X 3LZ convertible. Unless you've forgotten already, the 2026 Corvette ZR1X boasts 1,250HP between the combined LT7 twin-turbo V8 engine and front axle electric motor, and it goes from 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds.

Each vehicle will display a “Limited Edition” plaque along the interior waterfall speaker and each build will be identified with a limited-edition number. The Blade Silver Matte exterior color was inspired by the Inca Silver exterior color offered on the C1 Corvette from 1957-1959 (see below). “The Design team is always looking to innovate, and the Blade Silver Matte paint color marks a significant moment for Corvette as the first factory matte paint in 60 years,” said Phil Zak, executive design director of Global Chevrolet. “This new finish creates a distinctly high-end feel and offers a rare chance to own a truly unique expression of Corvette."

The ZR1X Quail Silver Limited Edition will include a Sky Cool and Medium Ash Gray with Habanero accents interior, a new color scheme available on all 2026 Corvette models. It will also feature orange painted calipers, black exhaust tips, and carbon flash painted mirrors.

How much?

The 2026 Corvette ZR1X will start with an MSRP of $207,395 (including $1,995 DFC) for the 1LZ coupe and $217,395 (including $1,995 DFC) for the 1LZ convertible.

The ZR1X 3LZ coupe will start with an MSRP3 of $218,395 (including $1,995 DFC) and 3LZ convertible will start with an MSRP of $228,395 (including $1,995 DFC).

The ZR1X Quail Silver Limited Edition will have a starting MSRP of $241,395 (not including delivery fees), with production beginning next year.

The ZTK Performance Package is available for the Quail Silver Limited Edition ZR1X, incorporating higher spring rates, modified chassis controls calibrations, the ZR1X Carbon Fiber Aero Package, as well as Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tires. ZR1X will be available by the end of 2025 and is proudly built in America at General Motors’ Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

The ZR1X Quail Silver Limited Edition will make its debut during Monterey Car Week at "The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering," in Carmel, California, on August 15, along with the debut of GM Design’s inspiration for the future of Corvette.

(GM Design images)

GM Design around the world never sleeps, apparently. If you need proof, just look at the company's latest concept car, developed entirely in-house by the GM China Advanced Design Center. The Buick Electra Orbit "marries the romance of the 1950s with futuristic technology and pure-electric architecture," according to GM PR minions. The Buick Electra Orbit was inspired by space-age spacecraft, jets, and also Buick concepts from the 1950s. A noteworthy detail? The sleek design wears metallic paint simply known as "Space." And it's called a concept for a reason, maybe because it's so huge. It is nearly 19.6 feet long and over 6.6 feet wide, which makes it longer and about as wide as a Chevrolet Suburban. Those wild, disc-shaped wheels measure 24 inches in diameter. Other details? Four scissor doors open away from the center point of the car. And, the Buick Electra Orbit uses a pair of deployable wings that rise up and out of the bodywork to improve drag and create downforce at speed. “Electra Orbit is a bold exploration of what Buick can be when we blend heritage inspiration with visionary innovation,” Stuart Norris, vice president of design for GM China, said in a statement. “By reinterpreting space-age motifs and pushing electric-architecture freedoms, we wanted to create a concept that feels both familiar in its Buick DNA and thrillingly new.” 

     

(Chevrolet)

GM's True Believers deliver: The Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X took over the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit where, for the first time in the track’s history, an automaker brought three different cars with three non-racecar drivers to record three lap times in a single visit. Three of the Chevrolet engineers who helped develop these cars, and have extensive experience and advanced driving credentials, piloted them during the fast laps, highlighting the depth of talent and performance within General Motors. The Chevrolet team now has the fastest official laps set by an American manufacturer at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. “No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period.” The new documentary “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story” goes behind the scenes and showcases the journey from GM’s Milford Proving Ground to Germany, illustrating the intensity and precision of pursuing three lap times with three separate Corvette variants and three different drivers. In addition to the engineers who set the lap times, the film features Reuss, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports Ken Morris, and Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma. Watch the outstanding video here.

Corvette ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell completed a 6:49.275 lap in the electrified all-wheel drive ZR1X and now has the fastest lap time of any non-professional racecar driver at the Nürburgring in the list of official record laps. 

ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace set a time of 6:50.763 in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1.

The 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever put in a production car, set a lap of 7:11.826 with vehicle performance manager Aaron Link behind the wheel. 

The AE Song of the Week:

I was born from love, and my poor mother worked the mines
I was raised on the Good Book of Jesus
'Til I read between the lines
Now I don't believe I want to see the morning

Going down the stoney end
I never wanted to go down the stoney end
Mama, let me start all over
Cradle me, Mama, cradle me again

And I can still remember him with love light in his eyes
But the light flickered out and parted
As the sun began to rise
Now I don't believe I want to see the morning

Going down the stoney end
I never wanted to go down the stoney end
Mama, let me start all over
Cradle me, Mama, cradle me again

Never mind the forecast 'cause the sky has lost control
'Cause the fury and the broken thunders
Come to match my ragin' soul
And now I don't believe I want to see the morning

Going down the stoney end
I never wanted to go down the stoney end
Mama, let me start all over
Cradle me, Mama, cradle me again

Going down the stoney end
I never wanted to go
I never wanted to go
Mama, I never wanted to go

"Stoney End" by Laura Nyro, from the album "More Than A New Discovery" (1966).* Written by Laura Nyro. Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Lyrics powered by LyricFind. Listen to Laura's original recording here. Listen to Barbra Streisand's cover of it here. Watch Sara Bareilles perform "Stoney End" at Laura Nyro's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 here. And watch a CBS News Sunday Morning profile from 2001 on Laura Nyro here. 

 *Laura Nyro (October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) and New York Tendaberry (1969) and had tremendous commercial success with various artists recording her work. Wider recognition for her artistry was posthumous while her contemporaries such as Elton John idolized her. She was praised for her strong emotive vocal style and 3-octave mezzo-soprano vocal range. Between 1968 and 1970, a number of artists had hits with her songs: The 5th Dimension with "Blowing Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", 'Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness" and "Save the Country"; Blood, Sweat & Tears and Peter, Paul and Mary recorded "When I Die"; Three Dog Night and Maynard Ferguson recorded "Eli's Comin'"; and Barbra Streisand recorded "Stoney End", "Time and Love", and "Hands off the Man (Flim Flam Man). Nyro's best-selling single was her recording of Carole King's and Gerry Goffin's "Up on the Roof." Nyro was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010) and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2012). (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

 

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG