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MotorWeek Retro Review revisits 1984 Corvette

MotorWeek's Retro Reviews are always a great glimpse into the cars of yesteryear. However, the newly uploaded look back at the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette is an absolute treasure trove for any auto history buff. This is a full episode of the show from the '80s, and it's dedicated to all of the details about the newest 'Vette to hit the market at the time. Beyond just the usual drive and an in-depth walk around, one of the major highlights here is a brief look at some on the concepts that eventually resulted in the fourth-generation Corvette of 1984. The C4's shape harkens back to sketches from 1978, and there even shots of early clay models that led the way for the design. MotorWeek also takes a tour through the Bowling Green, KY, factory for a detailed inspection of the entire production process. John Davis repeatedly calls the Corvette "the plastic fantastic" during the episode, and he can't find too much negative to say about being behind the wheel of the then-new coupe. See how it stands up to your own memories in the clip above.

Brief website update hints 2016 Chevy Volt will get 43 mpg, 106 MPGe

Customers in California can already order the 2016 Chevrolet Volt and be the first to own the new, range-extended EV in August. It appears there's now a possibility that buyers of the updated model might get slightly better economy than Chevy's initial announcement from the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January, too. According to the eagle-eyed folks at GM-Volt.com, Chevy has been subtly tweaking the spec page for the 2016 Volt. It briefly showed the model getting 43 miles per gallon combined fuel economy and 106 mpge, rather than the originally released figures of 41 mpg and 102 mpge. Shortly afterward, the internal-combustion mileage returned to 41 mpg, but 106 mpge remained. A GM spokesperson told Hybrid Cars the changes happened by mistake. "We have not finalized numbers yet. We expect to announce in July." The economy isn't the only statistic to see an adjustment, though. The total range was reportedly briefly shown as 420 miles, and then returned to a 430-mile rating, according to Hybrid Cars. The Volt's output has also been slightly tweaked from the original figures. It's now displayed as 150 horsepower and 293 pound-feet of torque, versus the preliminary numbers of 149 hp and 294 lb-ft. These tiny changes likely have a negligible impact on real-world driving, but they suggest that Chevy's team is still working to squeeze as much as possible from the latest Volt's powertrain. If the final figures are coming in July, then the engineers still have just a few weeks to improve the ratings even more.

AEV-upgraded GMC Canyon AT4X, Chevy Colorado ZR2 appear in spy photos

As with the previous generation, it appears the 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2 will be getting a special AEV version. Not only that, but its twin, the GMC Canyon AT4X will get one, too. And as these spy photos show, they'll have some additional off-road accessories included, as well as bigger tires. We'll start with the GMC Canyon. The first example of the truck without any camouflage is not quite fully upgraded like the camouflage vehicles. But it has one part not seen on the others: the AEV snorkel. 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2 AEV Bison prototype View 13 Photos The two appear to be riding on larger Goodyear Wrangler Terrain MT tires. These look like 35-inch examples -- 2 inches larger than the biggest tires available on the ZR2 and AT4X. They're also mounted on beadlock capable wheels. Besides the bigger tires, both trucks also feature a new bed-mounted spare tire. It's a full-size spare, and unlike past bed-mounts, this one places the tire flush against the cab. The benefit of moving the spare to the bed is departure angle. And while this position looks a little less like how trophy trucks carry their spares, it should provide better cargo space. Rear visibility probably isn't great, though. Generalizing based on what we know about the current ZR2 Bison, the new AEV trucks will probably get unique grilles, steel bumpers, fender flares, a suspension lift and possibly even axle ratio changes. Additional options such as a winch could be offered, too. We expect the trucks will be revealed within the next year, since the base trucks have already been shown, and these are just upgraded versions of those trucks. Related Video: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado walkaround