Sean Hyland Motorsport GT500 King Cobra

Big engine, small car. That's the formula that made building the original Cobra a no brainer for one Carroll Shelby. This simple idea was such a successful formula for Carroll's Cobras in the 1960's that it still lives on today. In addition to numerous kit cars available, Shelby offers his own version that comes with a CSX4000 chassis number. It's up to the owner to decide what engine to put in the car, lending to some pretty wild variations. This example might just be the most extreme, with a supercharged V8 pushing out a cool 1,000 horsepower. Built by Nevada Classics, Inc. and Sean Hyland Motorsport in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, the King Cobra utilizes the all-aluminum 5.4L V8 from the Ford GT500 fitted with a 2.8L Kenne Bell supercharger and runs on E85 ethanol. Additional upgrades were made to accommodate the engine and the suspension and brakes were beefed up to account for the extra horsepower.

Source: Nevada Classics, Inc.]



PRESS RELEASE:

Mark Logan, President of Nevada Classics, Inc., a Las Vegas based Shelby Cobra, classic, and performance car dealer, and Sean Hyland, President of Sean Hyland Motorsport in Woodstock, Ontario Canada, will unveil the King Cobra at SEMA in Las Vegas, November 3 -7, 2008.

Sean Hyland, and his team, fitted a Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White, CSX4000 series Shelby Cobra with an all aluminum, 1,000 horsepower, 5.4 liter modular engine, originally designed for the 2007-2009 Shelby GT500's. It features a Kenne Bell supercharger and burns E85 ethanol.

Manufactured by Sean Hyland Motorsport, the engine is mated with the GT500's six speed manual transmission. Along with a custom interior, brake, wheel, tire and suspension upgrades have been made to handle the extra horsepower, and keep the car on the ground.

"I approached Mark with the idea of building the ultimate Shelby Cobra street car several months ago", said Hyland. "When I told Mark what I wanted to do, he said, '1,000 HP? That's the craziest idea I've ever heard of . . . Let's do it' " While modification of the chassis was required to accommodate the 700 lb. engine, the results speak for themselves.

Camaro LS7 Concept

As the official vehicle of SEMA, we knew we would see lots of variations of the car. While each has it's own appeal, the LS7 stands out as the most impressive. Designed to be something of a throw-back to the glory days of the muscle car era when anyone in the know could walk into their local Chevy dealer and check the COPO box to order up a race-bred, fire-breathing 427 V8 in the engine bay, this LS7 Concept shows what 2010 Camaro shoppers might be able to do with a massive letter-writing campaign.

The LS7, as its name implies, features the GM Performance Parts LS7Crate motor tuned to produce 550 horsepower thanks to a number of GMPP performance accessories. a Tremec six-speed manual handles shifting duties, Brembo brakes make it stop, 20-inch custom wheels help it look the part, and a lowered ride height gives it the final touch. As good as all that sounds, it looks even better in the metal, especially in the concept's Victory Red paint.

Press Release:

Camaro LS7 Concept – the spirit of COPO lives with a GM Performance Parts LS7 crate engine that delivers more than 500 hp

LAS VEGAS – Chevrolet introduces a quartet of stunning concepts based on the all-new, 2010 Camaro at the 2008 SEMA Show. The concepts join regular-production and accessorized models, along with a dream collection of vintage Camaros – including rare COPO, Indy Pace Car and early Z28 models – to mark the introduction of Chevy's re-born sports car. The Camaro is the official car of the 2008 SEMA show.

Each of the concepts represents a different interpretation of the new Camaro's performance, styling and personalization possibilities, from no-holds-barred high-performance to carefully crafted, street-savvy customizing.

"The new Camaro is a 21st century sports car for the young and young at heart," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. "Wherever your automotive passion lies, the Camaro complements it with world-class design and an exciting driving experience. The concepts unveiled at SEMA accentuate those qualities and trigger the imaginations of countless enthusiasts."

In addition to the concept and classic Camaros, a production 2010 model showed off the range of appearance, performance and convenience accessories that will be available from Chevrolet when the car hits dealerships early next year. The accessories allow customers to personalize their vehicle with genuine Chevy components that are designed, tested and warranted to the same standards as the Camaro itself.

As for the Camaro concepts, they show the extreme possibilities of what the new sports car can offer. See below for highlights on all four vehicles.

Camaro LS7 Concept: Designed to highlight the capability of the new Camaro as a weekend bracket warrior, the Camaro LS7 Concept combines the power of a GM Performance Parts' LS7 crate engine and targeted bolt-on upgrades to deliver the wheels-up spirit of the legendary COPO Camaros.

Made famous by Chevy dealers like Don Yenko and Fred Gibb in the late 1960s, the COPO cars were ordered for one thing: drag racing. They were quickly outfitted after delivery with the requisite tires, safety equipment and other accessories necessary for competition in popular Stock-class drag racing series.

The LS7 Concept honors the COPO ethos with features such as drag strip-ready rubber on the rear wheels – and unlike many of the stripped-down racers from 40 years ago, this strip-ready competitor serves double duty as both a racecar and a daily driver.

The LS7 crate engine (part number 17802397) uses a high-performance replacement camshaft from GM Performance Parts (part number 12480033) to help it produce approximately 550 horsepower. Complementing upgrades include GM Performance Parts-developed headers and air intake system that will be offered at the Camaro's launch in early 2009. The LS7 also is modified with a wet-sump oiling system; the production engine features a dry-sump system that requires an external oil tank.

Backing the LS7 engine is a production Tremec 6060 six-speed manual with a GM Performance Parts Hurst shifter. Additional drivetrain details include:

Brembo four-wheel disc brake package
Lowered ride height
Custom 20-inch wheels
Driveshaft safety loop
GM Performance Parts exhaust system

The Camaro LS7 concept is painted Victory Red, with matte black accents on the hood and taillamp panel. "LS7" logos are strategically placed and warn those in the know this Camaro means business when the Christmas tree lights count down to green. It's all business on the spartan interior, too, with base trim and few accessories to minimize overall mass for a quicker elapsed time.

Although the Camaro LS7 Concept is just that – a concept – its duplication by enterprising enthusiasts and racers is enabled by GM Performance Parts' LS7 crate engine package. It delivers a fully assembled, production version of the engine, complete from the intake manifold to oil pan. An oil reservoir for the standard dry sump system and GM Performance Parts' LS7 engine controller (part number 19166567) are all that's necessary to get the engine running in an enthusiast's project vehicle – well, that and a chassis capable of handling more than 500 lb.-ft. of torque!

Camaro GS Race Car Concept

The Camaro GS Race Car Concept takes its inspiration from the Trans Am racer of Mark Donohue, but Riley Technologies updates it with a just a few go-fast add-ons. The body is seam-welded, the hood, trunk lid, and doors are swapped for carbon fiber components, and in the front a racing radiator and an upgraded engine cooler are fitted. The production LS3 V8 swaps gears though a Tremec close-ration six-speed gearbox, and all those spent hydrocarbons exit through three-inch dual exhaust pipes. Even better than all that: you can buy it from Riley for the 2009 Grand Am season.

PRESS RELEASE

"The new Camaro is a 21st century sports car for the young and young at heart," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. "Wherever your automotive passion lies, the Camaro complements it with world-class design and an exciting driving experience. The concepts unveiled at SEMA accentuate those qualities and trigger the imaginations of countless enthusiasts."

Camaro GS Racecar Concept: One of the most iconic cars of the legendary Trans Am road racing series was the distinctive blue-and-yellow Camaro of Mark Donohue. He was a dominant racer in the series and drove his #6 1969 model to the series championship that year.

With the assistance of GM's High Performance Vehicle Operations, North Carolina-based Riley Technologies re-created the look and feel of that standout racecar with a tribute that looks, sounds and drives like it's ready to do battle with its contemporary pony car competitors. In fact, the heritage-inspired racer is more than concept. It is an early prototype for the Grand Am Koni Challenge GS racing class. Racecars like the GS Concept are offered and manufactured by Riley Technologies for the 2009 Grand-Am season.

The GS Concept features the race-ready suspension, reinforced chassis and drivetrain conform to the specifications required of racecars certified for the series. In fact, this racecar has already logged many hours on the racetrack as Riley team members worked to dial-in the chassis and powertrain. Additional features include:
• Seam-welded production Camaro body-in-white
• Carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders
• Production LS3 V-8 engine (used with solid engine mounts)
• Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission with close-ratio gearing
• Three-inch exhaust system with Coast Fab mufflers
• C&R racing aluminum radiator
• Upgraded engine oil cooler
• Transmission and differential coolers

The GS Racecar Concept is shown at SEMA just as it was last driven off the track, with the grime, brake dust and body imperfections commensurate with a day's worth of racing. Indeed, it isn't a car that spent hundreds of hours in a body shop in a quest of sheet metal perfection. It displays the bruises of competition and wears them as badges of honor.

Like Donohue's '69 Camaro racecar, the GS Racecar Concept wears a deep blue paint scheme that is accented with yellow graphics, a yellow-painted interior and yellow racing wheels.