[mobike008]

Congrats on the Vette, Chevelle. Thats one heck of a machine with 6.2L and 430HP under the hood is like a dream come true for any auto enthusiast.

So this will be your ride to the movie theatres on weekends too.eh?

P.S: My favorite color in the vette is yellow

[chevelle]

Sorry for the delay of interior pics. Here they are!!

The steering wheel and the speedo console. Steering has radio controls. Paddle shifters at the end. On the left is stalk for cruise control and lights. On the right is wiper stalk.



The speedo console. Apart from tachometer and speedometer, there are four more pods - battery, oil pressure, engine temperature and fuel meter.



The center console with carbon fiber and leather surrounds. It has dual ACC. The closed lid is two cup holders.



The handbrake is towards passenger side but is easy to use. The button is to switch on traction control.



The start/stop button for engine. The big O starts the engine. The small one on left shuts it down. Acc turns on accessory lights and radio.



Corvette etched on dashboard lends character to otherwise simple design. Twitter and mids visible. The button to open door is very convenient and so is the unlock/lock button.



The button to open door is located differently on driver side. Has window switches, mirror adjustments and speakers mounted on door panel. The panel is soft to feel at the top. Rock hard at bottom.



The very well countered seats. Shows signs of abuse very easily. Normal with corvette seats. The adjustments are visible and so is side airbags which i just found out.



The door sill plates with corvette written. Looks very good.



The hatch area as seen from seats.

[chevelle]

More pics continued.

The hatch area has cargo mat with embossed C6 Logo.


There are small storage compartment provided beneath the mat.


The view up front.


In order to remove the targa panel, one needs to remove the three hooks that hold them in place just above sun visor. The visor also has vanity mirror and lights.







The pedal area. Pretty wide and the dead pedal is blessing in disguise on long trips.

[Harshal.Bhosale]

Hi. Firstly, congratulations on your new purchase. A fine piece you've got!

Superb pics! This is the first time I'm seeing the interiors of a 'Vette. I had a few questions regarding the same.

- The paddle shifters. How do they operate? Normally, like right upshift, left downshift? Or Porsche-like counter-intuitive rocker arms? And is it pull to engage or push-with-thumb to engage?

- The door open buttons. Fully electrical operation? Any sort of manual override in case of electric malfunction? (Hate to imagine being stuck in a car because the door isn't opening from the inside!)

- The MID (multi-information display). Is it the one below the speedo/tacho? A pic of the instrument panel again with the ignition on if possible? In the dark/nighttime maybe?

- One last request. A pic of the gorgeous V8 under the hood?

[chevelle]

Here are some more pics of the engine







The sound deadening is very thick and has embedded C6 Logo.




This has keyless entry. If you are within 3 feet of the car, you just touch the black handle and it opens.



The wide, grippy tires.


The rear diffuser, reverse lamps, the tires and twin exhaust shows it is in for serious business.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Harshal.Bhosale

Hi. Firstly, congratulations on your new purchase. A fine piece you've got!

Superb pics! This is the first time I'm seeing the interiors of a 'Vette. I had a few questions regarding the same.

- The paddle shifters. How do they operate? Normally, like right upshift, left downshift? Or Porsche-like counter-intuitive rocker arms? And is it pull to engage or push-with-thumb to engage?

- The door open buttons. Fully electrical operation? Any sort of manual override in case of electric malfunction? (Hate to imagine being stuck in a car because the door isn't opening from the inside!)

- The MID (multi-information display). Is it the one below the speedo/tacho? A pic of the instrument panel again with the ignition on if possible? In the dark/nighttime maybe?

- One last request. A pic of the gorgeous V8 under the hood?

Thanks for the compliments. Please find your answers below

- The + on the paddle upshift to next gear. For downshift, there is button at the back of the steering. So you can shift up/down with either side.

- The doors do have manual release option. Look for the door sill picture i took. Above that, to the left of the seat is a red symbol on a lever which opens it manually in case battery on the keys die.

- The DIC (Driver Information Center) as it is called, is indeed below the Speedo. Its buttons are on the right of the steering and the console. Surely will take pic at night to show the interiors.

I was to post engine pics soon but got busy with work. So please find them in the post below.

Originally Posted by amitoj

So i guess front number plates are not mandatory in California? Lucky you.

And how many people so far have warned you about red cars getting more tickets?

I've had only 3 such people so far.

They are mandatory. When i got this, it didn't have any. When my registration comes, i will probably get it.

You are the first one but i was aware of it. Lets see whats in store.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats for the Corvetter. It sure is a looker in red. I am really envious, why can't we have some of these beauties in India, albeit how it will manage the roads is anybody's guess.
Happy mile crunching with the beast.

Thanks. There are some pretty drool worthy cars in India too. May be GM should make a RHD version.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

That's a lovely car you have there Chevelle. Congrats on the wonderful choice of car and color. Looks brilliant in this shade of red.

I love the older gen corevette for the pop-up headlights. Looks so cool.

Do try and take her to a race track for a couple of laps. That grin on your face after a few laps will stay for quite some time

Wishing you many happy and safe miles and years with this beauty.

Thanks Aditya. I loved that generation too but you know what, after driving this, somehow, c5 seems very old and unrefined. I did drove a couple before sticking to C6. Huge difference in the way both cars drive. I expect the same from C7 which as per reports is atleast 98% new.

Sure will take it to a track. But not atleast for a year. I am exploring local clubs to see if they organizze any. Should be fun.

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Beautiful ride! Congratulations.

This shade of red is exactly the same as a friend's 2011 Cayman S. I am sure the pictures don't do justice because I know it looks a whole lot more awesome in person. I cannot comprehend a 6.2L under the hood - that's even more power than all of our four cars combined :P

Let's get some interior shots please?!

Thanks. I am not sure which red is on Cayman S but this one is like a mix of Torch Red and Crystal Red. Corvette has seen many different types of red, this is darker than others. Hope you liked the interior pics.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congrats on the Vette, Chevelle. Thats one heck of a machine with 6.2L and 430HP under the hood is like a dream come true for any auto enthusiast.

So this will be your ride to the movie theatres on weekends too.eh?

P.S: My favorite color in the vette is yellow

Thanks. Yes, it is dream come true.

I already started taking it to movies last weekend starting with Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son of Sardar.

We wanted either yellow or red. Have not seen a newer corvette in yellow. I am not sure if it is still produced or was special for some years. I did saw one, a 2008 model and it was drool worthy.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by chevelle

You are the first one but i was aware of it. Lets see whats in store.

FWIW, i have not been pulled over even once so far (knock on wood) and thats over 8000 miles in past 6 months or so. And i always drive 10 to 20 over, depending on conditions.

[chevelle]

** Fuel Economy Update **

Went through 2 full tanks and the FE comes out to be 22 mpg in first tankful and 23 mpg in second tankful. This is 60-40 city and highway resp.

The torque is so good at low end that to reach legal speed limits, i don't have to push it above 2000 rpm thereby saving fuel.

The experience owning a Corvette keeps getting better the more i spend time with it. Fun around the corners, screams in straight line and a little better sound quality from stock speakers after tuning the settings of stock player and my mp3 player means lots of smiles each day.

Will go for a oil and filter change service soon. Will keep you all updated. Thank you for reading.

[iceman7]

Congrats Chevelle. The vette looks lovely in Red. I noticed in one of the earlier pictures how the Corvette stands out in an otherwise boring parking lot.

[chevelle]

*****Service Update *****

Recently performed a basic service of oil and filter change that took 1 hour.

- Got Mobil 1 5W-30 Synthetic Oil and AC Delco Oil Filter which is recommended by Chevrolet and got it changed at a local Corvette Specialist.

- Got Purolator Cabin Air Filter and changed it myself. One has to be little cautious while doing this as its a tight squeeze.

The total cost for all of above - $97 with tax. Cost break up is as follows

- Mobil 1 Oil (6 quarts) - $30
- AC Delco Oil Filter - $5
- Cabin Air Filter - $15
- Labor - $40
- Recycling Fee - $7

The recommended oil change interval is 15k miles or 1 year. I will be doing it every 9k-10k miles. I did this oil change when DIC was showing 33% left. From next time i will probably do it when it goes down to 25-30% depending on my usage.

** Fuel Economy Update **

Did a small trip (250 miles) and used it as a daily driver (30 miles round trip) and got average of 23 mpg with 60% highway and 40% city. Fuel used was Shell 91 octane.

*** Driving Experience Update ***

Having put more than 1000 miles on odo, let me briefly mention what i feel about the car.

- Just love driving it every day. The experience gets better with passing day.
- The attention one gets is mind blowing. The downside is, many ricers and soccer moms wanna race with me. Have to dial it back not to do any street racing.
- I still stop in my tracks when i look at it everyday. Also every day i turn around, look and admire when i leave it parked.
- I am on continuous curb alert when i park it since its low and don't want to touch the curb island.
- In order to enter my community, i have to enter a code. Since this is very low, it gets tedious but worth every effort.
- The smile it puts on my face every time i do pedal to metal is mind blowing. The power is so much you are literally doing 3 digit speeds in no time.

***** Custom Mods Update *****

Done:

- Tints all around. Used Ceramic tints that reduced Heat Rejection upto 85% instead of regular tints which does only 45%.
- Replace stock bulbs with White LEDs in hatch, license plate.
- Got custom license plate frame that says Corvette instead of dealers name.

Coming Soon

- Heads up Display
- Change stock bulbs to white leds in Footwells and Map lights.
- Fender strips. Have bought it but will install in summer for results.

[Technocrat]

Thanks for the update, why did you replace LED lights with stock on License plate?

I am also considering putting the LEDs in the door light for better vision at parking. Lot of folks changing cabin lights with LEDs too but from the pics that I saw they are quite bright and so far I am happy with stock lights in Cabin.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Thanks for the update, why did you replace LED lights with stock on License plate?

I am also considering putting the LEDs in the door light for better vision at parking. Lot of folks changing cabin lights with LEDs too but from the pics that I saw they are quite bright and so far I am happy with stock lights in Cabin.

Hey, thanks for pointing it out. I am so sorry for the error. I did the reverse thing only. That is replace stock with LEDs.

I don't know what I was thinking when i wrote it.

Could you please change it. Thanks

[chevelle]

We had a impromptu local meet for Corvette owners. It was my first meet of any sort and it was fantastic. Very knowledgeable owners and great to hang out with.

Here are some pics from the meet.

The first one is Z06, Second and Third (Mine) are Coupes and last one is C5 Vert.






Mine is second Crystal Red from left.



Mine is first from left.

[chevelle]

Recently i had Heads Up Display (HUD) installed on my Vette.

It has custom blue color and i made a brief video showing various modes (Track Mode, Street Mode).

Check it out and let me know if you have any questions. Hope you all like it. I am loving it.