Corvette - America’s sports car

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The car has been produced through seven generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the type of small, maneuverable warship.

The first Corvette went into production in Flint, Mich. on June 30, 1953.

The 1954 model year vehicles could be ordered in Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red and Black, or Polo White. 3,640 were built, and sold slowly.

1956 Corvette

The 1958 Corvette received quad headlamps, bumper exiting exhaust tips and a new steering wheel. The 1959–60 model years had few changes except a decreased amount of body chrome and more powerful engine offerings.

In 1961, the rear of the car was completely redesigned with the addition of a "duck tail" with four round lights. The second generation (C2) Corvette introduced the Sting Ray. Production started for the 1963 model year and ended in 1967.

The third generation Corvette was introduced for the 1968 model year and was in production until 1982. Styling changed subtly throughout the generation until 1978 for the car's 25th anniversary.

Regular fourth generation production began on January 3, 1983. Beginning in 1985, the 230 bhp (170 kW) L98 engine with tuned port fuel injection became the standard. Chevrolet released the Grand Sport (GS) version in 1996 to mark the end of production of the C4 Corvette.

Production of the C5 Corvette began in 1997 and ended with the 2004 model year. The C5 had a top speed of 181 mph (291 km/h) and was judged as improved in nearly every area over the previous Corvette design.

The sixth generation-C6 was produced between 2005 and 2013. The 6.0L (364 cu in) LS2 V8 produced 400 bhp giving the vehicle a 0–60 time of under 4.2 seconds. Its top speed was 190 mph (310 km/h).

The seventh generation corvette, the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z07 was officially unveiled at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. Pricing of the Z07 is expected to be around $100,000.

The 2016 Corvete Z07 will have two engine variants. The first is a 4.5 liter twin-turbo generating up to 500 horsepower. The second will be a 6.2 liter V8 producing over 600 horsepower. Both engines will be mated with the seven speed Tremec TR-6070 manual transmission and an eight speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.

Top American Muscle Cars

The 1964 Pontiac GTO was considered the pioneer in muscle cars. "GTO" stood for Gran Turismo Omologato. The first generation of GTOs (until 1973) was based on two other existing models, the Pontiac Tempest and LeMans.

The name GTO was coined by Pontiac’s Chief Engineer John DeLorean, who was motivated by Ferrari 250 GTO.

1967 Pontiac GTO. 1967 marked the first availability of ram air through a functional hood scoop on the GTO. It was a 400-cubic-inch V-8, delivering 360 horsepower. The high output engine produced the most power for that year at 360 hp (270 kW) at 5100 rpm, and produced 438 lb·ft at 3600 rpm.

1968 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi. The Plymouth Road Runner Hemi was pure brawn with a 425-horsepower, 426-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine. Plymouth licensed the Road Runner name and likeness from Warner Brothers.

It went a step further by developing a horn sound imitating the cartoon bird's "beep-beep,"

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. Fewer than 1,400 were built between 1969 and 1970. Its 429-cubic-inch V-8 engine delivered 375-horsepower. It was basically hand-built. Ford farmed out its assembly to Michigan-based Kar Kraft. Very little distinguished the Boss 429 other than a hood scoop and trunk-mounted spoiler.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. With fewer than 70 ever built, the '69 ZL1 had the most powerful Chevrolet engine offered to the public for decades. It's the rarest production car Chevrolet ever made. Based on Chevrolet's iconic 427 V-8 engine, the ZL power plant had an aluminum block in place of the regular 427's iron one. Although it was officially rated at the regular 427's 430 horsepower, testers pegged the output as being much higher.

1970 Buick GSX Stage 1. Of the 687 GSXs built, 488 were ordered with the Stage 1 upgrade. By 1970, a 455-cubic-inch V-8 engine powered the Gran Sport. It produced a hefty 510 pounds-foot of torque.

1970 Plymouth Barracuda 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, the big dog, was armed with the dual-carburetor, 426-cubic-inch Hemi that whipped up 425 horsepower. The Hemi 'Cuda could go toe to toe with the era's top-tier muscle cars, as the carmaker gave its muscle cars a suspension tailored to heavy-metal acceleration.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. Chevrolet offered two versions of the 454-cubic-inch V-8. The LS5 generated 360 horsepower, while the LS6 punched out a whopping 450. It's the LS6 version, with its Holley four-barrel carburetor, that put the SS 454 on the map. No other muscle car would equal the horsepower wallop of the 1970 SS 454.

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Martin Katz - Jewels. Like No Other

Australian black red opal ring set in 18K white gold; micro-set with 234 white diamonds and 377 red and orange sapphires, 36 tsavorite garnets and 5 green tourmalines.

For over 25 years, Martin Katz has married exquisite gemstones with meticulously designed settings to create extraordinary jewelry. Katz, 57, has long had a passion for gems. In college, he built a small business selling puka shell and silver jewelry to sorority girls. After graduation, he moved to California and began working in the trade.

Eventually, he launched himself as a private jeweler. Becoming a designer wasn’t part of the plan. “Designing came out of filling a void,” he says, for clients seeking a specific piece to round out a vintage collection. “I’d say, ‘If we could make one, we’d take the top of this one and the shape of that one.’ That’s how it all started.” His reputation grew, and before long, his contemporary designs were selling better than the vintage.

Katz’s pieces start at $2,500, but the core artistic collection ranges from $25,000 to $125,000. He’s especially known for his expertise in colored stones; paraiba tourmaline, red spinel, alexandrite, and notes that pink and yellow diamonds are trending higher.

Cushion-cut Mandarin garnet of 10.25 carats encircled by a micro-set border of orange sapphires and band with white diamonds with 2 half-moon diamond sidestones. Cushion-cut orange sapphire, 15.5 carats; set in 18K white gold, micro-set with 118 amethysts and 98 diamonds.

Cushion-cut sapphire, 10.95 carats; microset with 128 diamonds and 64 blue sapphires. Set in platinum.

Cabochon fire opal, 13 carats; 354 diamonds, 14 green tsavorite garnets and 179 orange-red sapphires. 18K white gold setting.