Corvette's Illustrious History Showcased in Depth by Car and Driver

The allure and excitement of the Corvette is not an element that can just be described with one sentence or photo, and the folks at Car and Driver put together a great piece illustrating the rise of this car that all of us here at West Chevy have loved for decades. As we pieced through it wide-eyed here on the lot, it did a fantastic job of showing us how this iconic vehicle rose through the ranks to get to where it is today. During the early 1950's, it was evident that a powerful sports car was necessary to assure that the GM namesake would remain successful.

First produced under the code name Project Opel, the sports car was a very American take on the British sports cars of the time, pieced together from a fiberglass body, and a 3.9-liter straight-six engine mated to a fairly minuscule 2-speed automatic transmission. After making its debut to a very warm reception during GM's 1953 Motorama show in New York City, the Corvette became the fairly rare entrant that then went on to be mass-produced on the line. Production was slightly rushed following the model's debut, the two-seat roadster uses fiberglass body panels, and relied on the much more powerful Blue Flame inline-six for power source.

Chevy produced 300 Corvettes in 1953, and sold just 183 of them. Many thought that at the time, this happened because it was not civilized enough to be a touring car, nor all-inclusively engaging enough to appeal to die hard sports-car enthusiasts. During 1955, new life came in abundance to the Chevy brand, when they finally shoved their 4.3-liter V-8 under the hood in one of our most sensible plays ever. For the first time ever, the Corvette truly offered sports-car performance of an upper caliber. For the 1956 year's offering, the front end was revised, and was very reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe, while scalloped sides added a look that was a bit more distinct. A second carb was available, and raised power output to 225 horse.

During the early 1960's, the Corvette went under the knife once gain, and emerged sporting a revised front end with a new dual-headlight design for 1958... other changes include an updated interior that featured the move of the tachometer from the center of the dashboard, to a location below the speedometer in the driver's line of sight. During 1965, one of the most iconic Corvettes ever was released, and the brake improvements as well as the placement of a “big block” V-8 engine under the Corvette's hood, and this was one of those oh-so-sweet-in-red models that produced monstrous 425 gross horsepower. This power rating shot up to 435 horsepower for 1967, when there was a second 427 – cubic – inch V-8 added to the Corvette Lineup as well.

The Sharknado was one of the coolest styling essences of the late 60's, as designer  Larry Shinoda had things based off of the Mako Shark II concept car. The three-speed automatic transmission replaced the prior two-speed unit, and the very powerful and appealing Stingray was on deck to enlarge the stroke of the standard V8, bringing the displacement up to 5.7 liters. The 1970's saw some pretty great Corvettes: even though this was one of the most iconic times ever, we skipped ahead on the slideshow to 1983, when Chevy released the Fourth-generation Corvette as a 1984 model.

It was completely redesigned from the ground up, and welcomed additional clearance, as well as a lower center of gravity. A 205-hp, 350 cubic inch V-8 is the only engine offered, and mates to either a 4-speed automatic transmission, or Chevy's 4+3 manual gearbox, which offered overdrive gears for two, three, and four.

The announcement of the ZR1's arrival for 2019 is making all of us here in Knoxville  pretty anxious: there were many changes to the Corvette during the 2000's as well, and these were the years when it became so much more modern, and sleek. The emergence of the Z06 in 2006 was a major milestone for the brand, and many customers immediately fell in love with the lightweight aluminum frame, as well as the LS7 engine. We loved virtually thumbing through this Ode to Corvettes, and invite you down to West Chevy for a test drive of the latest and greatest ASAP!

2019 Chevy Silverado Chassis Cab 4500 HD: The Tops For Those Topping Off Their Coffee Mug

 Every day right here in Knoxville and across the great nation of America, many business owners brew their first cup of coffee, look over their daily schedule, and make plans to act on their thriving dreams. Building, implementing, designing, logging shipments, and hauling all are components in the best dream of all: being one's own boss, and providing services and goods to other hard-working individuals takes perseverance and grit. It's no surprise that trucks go hand in hand with business, as they possess all of the needed qualities for nearly anyone with multiple hefty tasks at hand. The New Silverado chassis cabs are a great addition to the Chevy lineup, because elements like utility, first responder calls, and landscape work can be dependent on the ability of the truck to drive, own, and upfit.

The Silverado will now be available in 2WD and 4WD, aptly powered by a Duramax  6.6-liter diesel engine, with 350 horsepower, and 700 lb-ft of torque, as well as Allison transmissions with a Power Take Off Option. The frame is now designed with one-piece straight rails that do not have brackets or rivets on top, that can sometimes interfere with the hasty mounting of custom-made bodies. This is a truck that has been designed to be very easy to service, with its clamshell hood and wheel cut of up to 50 degrees, that can give technicians a much clearer line of access to the engine than trucks that have older-style hoods. For tougher-than-average days on the job, this is a truck with a twin-tank fuel capacity of up to 65 gallons, and a factory-installed air suspension that helps with the roughest of roads or bumpiness.

The busy builders, fleet managers, and other customers have faced a large  dilemmas when their GVWR needs to exceed 19,500 lbs, and some will pay for expensive aluminum bodies in the attempt to save weight, so they can remain in the Class 5 Chassis category. Some business owners have to spend extra money to purchase a truck that is larger, and the Silverado 6500 HD is able to protect their bottom line, and give them capability to expand, minus the extra large expenditure. We engineered this truck with some of the most precise turning radius that exists, and you'll also enjoy trademark distinctions such as the flowtie, a cool silhouette of the Chevy emblem designed for the task of increased cooling efficiency.

When things really begin to get busy, the smartly-positioned Diesel Exhaust fluid fill  on the right fender behind the front wheel is ideal for easy refills, and the forward-tilting engine cover and wheel cut design provides service techs with quick and all-inclusive access to service the engine. You have the ability to stay seamlessly connected with the available built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi, keeping you up to date on everything from traffic and weather changes, to important deliveries and drop-offs. This new breed of Silverado also has a single-piece frame rail for enhanced durability, and a wide range of cab-to-axle offerings for upfit integration. You'll want to visit us soon right here at West Chevy, to make sure you check out all of the features on this working man or woman's ideal vehicle, to make sure that every single day you spend on the job site is equipped with the best in backup to take you across the finish line!

2019 Camaro LS and LT News: High-powered Sports Car Swagger Coming Soon

 There is nothing quite as enticing and appealing on a hot Knoxville summer night as a high-powered sports car such as the Camaro: while blasting the stereo, touting an engine that's ready to do battle, and tires that have the ability to eat up the pavement, it is as iconic as it gets. The trusty and triumphant rival to the Ford Mustang is literally bursting at the seams to prove itself with the 2019 model: new front-end styling includes the fascia, grille, dual-element headlamps, LED signature lighting, and hood. Headlamp designs and specific fasica for the LS, LT, and RS trims are some of the new features on tap that you'll enjoy with purchase or lease of this hellaciously vicious coupe or convertible.

Also new for this year is the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 radio system, featuring a 7-inch or 8-inch touchscreen, depending on model choice. Offering greater personalization and a more intuitive user interface, cloud connectivity is ultimately leveraged to make navigation features better, voice recognition, usefulness of the app, and much more. Another trait that diehard Camaro fans are going to really swoon over is the revised ambient lighting: available new blended color choices are the perfect complementing accent for the Turbo 1LE Package. It combines the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with a custom tailored suspension package, and is a sure-fire guarantee as far as guaranteeing that your performance on the track will stand out heftily with photo-finish results!

As you prepare to complete the journey to track-ready preparedness, pay close 

 attention to the 2019 Camaro's available Turbo 1LE Package: the FE3 suspension with larger-diameter front and rear stabilizer bars, dampers that are specifically tuned, stiff rear cradle bushings, and cross-axis ball joints in the rear tow links are all included. Anyone with the desire to take up the track full-on Andretti style will definitely fall in love with the SS-style split front/rear tire sizes, and the 275 hp as well as 295 lb-ft of torque produced by the engine. During the times when the action becomes seemingly unstoppable, you'll be able to make swift use of the heavy-duty brake package, with low-metallic performance pads, and nearly 50/50 weight balance.

When the 2019 Camaro hits the lots here at Jim Butler, any speed-savvy contender will want to be first in line to check out the cool items featured with Competition Mod: it included performance instrument readouts, launch control, shift lights, and much more. For those who need something a bit faster to fulfill their need for speed, the 3.6-liter V6 engine ups the ante, as well as does the !LE Package, it features track-tested Camaro SS components, useful technologies such as FE3 suspension, Brembo brakes, and heavy-duty cooling, while improving cornering grip by an impressive .97 G. We are all beyond excited to check out the updates on a car that was temporarily discontinued from 2002-2009; The Camaro has since been doling out careening improvements to make up for its extended absence!

Bison Trademark in works for AEV Concept, Colorado ZR2 to Continue Market Dominance

 As summer in Knoxville continues with its high-intensity heat rays, blue skies, and later sunsets, anyone who has recently purchased a new car or truck here at West Chevy may be on the hunt for things to do to occupy their time. We wanted to make sure to let you know about all of the regional disc golf courses here: There are 99 holes within an hour of Knoxville, and the uneven terrain does a great job of keeping the game challenging, with both mountain and lakeside courses on the list of things to do. Check out Inskip Park, Morningside Park, and Roane County Park for a few examples of where you can do this fun outdoor activity that is a great source of exercise and fresh air.

Trucks are most definitely many Knoxville resident's favorite way to see summertime destinations like champion frisbee golf courses, and last year during the SEMA Show, the popular concept for the ZR2 AEV was unveiled. As folks at Off-Road.com pointed out last week, AEV makes use of the bison for their logo, symbolizing abundance, and sacred qualities of life. GM has now filed to trademark the name ZR2 Bison with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office, and all of us here at West Chevy could not be more excited. The multiple upgrades include long travel front and rear springs, 35-inch BF Goodrich tires, a new skew of skid plates, and Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers.

 One of the most exciting features on the Colorado ZR2 was the Multimatic Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve dampers, which give the truck the ability to run in superior fashion at high speeds in the desert, and precise handling while climbing rocks. During the day-to-day commute, this suspension system improves ride quality, and performance on city streets as well. Other benefits that are bound to help you in Arizona's wild that are included with the ZR2 are locking front and rear differential, larger rear axle, front central arms, rock slider body armor, as well as brand new front and rear bumpers that are now specifically designed to boost the angle of approach and departure.

There is a chance that the Bison may move in an entirely different direction from the ZR2 AEV concept, since the trademark was first filed under the guise of the Brazilian trademark office. Currently, Brazil receives the Global Colorado model, which features a few differences. Although some of the details remain a bit unclear, you can always count on us to provide details about any changes that arise. Motor Trend deemed the Colorado ZR2 as their front-running “Truck of the Year” for 2015 and 2016, and last year's formula was beefed up heavily in terms of the game-changing suspension system. Before the Bison model descends on Knoxville, come to visit us here for a test drive of the current ZR2: we'll show you the many reasons why it is superior to the Tacoma TRD Pro, and ready and able to dominate multiple terrain demands during the days of summer!