2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition

Looks like Chevy isn’t done with the Corvette Z06. This here’s the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition – a car that inches its way closer to the racing-spec ‘Vettes.

“Designed to further incorporate technology developed through racing, the Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Corvette’s first race in the 24 Hours of LeMans,” said Chevy GM Jim Campbell.

Upgrades include the use of Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with dark gray calipers. That should give the car better stopping power to cope with the powerful LS9 engine. The car’s also given enhanced cooling upgrades and a magnetic selective ride control which controls the stiffness of the car’s suspensions.

The outside gets better treatment too with a choice between an Inferno Orange and Supersonic Blue paint jobs. Black headlamps, a ZR1 body color spoiler and raised carbon fiber hood, and splitter rounds up the car’s aero package.

Only 500 units of the Carbon Limited Edition will be built and will go on sale this summer.

3 Tesla Executives Die in Plane Crash

Just when the company’s starting to take off, three of its executives die in a plane crash.

A plane carrying 3 Tesla executives crashed shortly after takeoff from Palo Alto Airport. No word yet on who exactly those 4 people are. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, VP of Communications Ricardo Reyes and VP for Business Development Diarmuid O’Connell were not on board the flight.

Elon Musk posted on Twitter: “We lost 3 employees in a plane crash today. We’re a small company and this is a tragic day. Our thoughts go out to their families.”

So far, foggy conditions and poor visibility are considered to be reasons that prompted the crash. No other injuries on the ground was reported.

Ford Fiesta Draws in 6,000 Reservations

Consumers should be quite happy that Ford decided to sell the Fiesta in the US. Just last December, Ford claims that they’ve already had 1,000 reservations for the hatchback. Now the number’s up to 6,000 and many more have expressed interest.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta packs a 1.6L DOHC four-banger that dishes out 119 hp and a max torque of 109 lb-ft. It’s a fuel sipper too, capable of returning 40 miles to the gallon. It promises to be a zippy car that’s fun to drive.

Top Gear fans would probably remember Jeremy Clarkson’s test drive where he even used the car as a landing vehicle for the Royal Marines.

Interested fans can reserve Fiestas by visiting the Fiesta mini-site or by texting “reserve” to 4Ford on an iPhone or BlackBerry.

Pricing for the 2011 Ford Fiesta starts at $13,320 but can go past $20,000 with options.

Velozzi Microturbine Supercar

Los Angeles-based car design firm is building a microturbine supercar. For more information about microturbines, have a short Wikipedia session.

The car’s built mostly with carbon fiber and is powered by a 770 bhp AC-induction electric motor charged by a 65kW Capstone microturbine.

Anyway, bottom line is that the microturbine allows the car togo from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds and go way past 200 mph.

You’d probably thinking what’s the point of this electric car again. It has an electric-only range of 200 miles but with the diesel-powered microturbine, the car can go 1000+ miles.

The car will be on sale later this year.

Marchionne Might Merge Chrysler and Lancia

The littlest things could reflect the biggest changes. Detroit saw a Lancia Delta with a Chrysler badge. Who knew that it was a sign that Fiat is looking into merging the two badges together.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that it is likely that Chrysler and Lancia will be merging by the year’s end.

“We could see the two converge as early as the end of the year,” said Marchionne.

The move actually makes a lot of sense. Fiat is currently nursing several brands including all of Chrysler’s with many producing similarly positioned vehicles. Lancia is currently one of Fiat’s weaker brands and a merger can probably help offset the stigmas that plague each of the brands.

Besides, didn’t Top Gear consider Lancia the best car maker in history? That should help boost Chrysler’s cred, right?

2011 Shelby GT350 Packs Supercharged V8

I never really fancied Shelby modified Mustangs. For starters, they’re just known for slapping on superchargers and milking the most out of the engine for power and leave everything be. No suspension or braking mods making the car act wildly around bends.

This here’s the comeback of the iconic Shelby GT350 – the class-ruling car that Ford raced back in in the 1960s. The 2011 version packs a supercharger slapped on the new 5.0L V8 of the 2011 Ford Mustang. That means the Shelby is packing an estimated 500 hp.

And it’s not just the engine tune that gives the Shelby a bit more swagger than the standard Mustang. The car is also fitted with a 6-speed manual box, a center exit exhaust. The brakes are also upgraded to a Baer brake system. No word if they also tweaked the suspensions for even better handling. That’s 500 horses we’re talking about there.

The package (not, package) costs $33,995 and that’s on top of the cost of a new 2011 Mustang.