Click above for gallery of Strand-Craft's Stingray speedboat

The '63 Corvette Stingray split-window coupe may not have been quite as aerodynamic as GM would have us believe, but it does remain one of the most iconic designs of all time. So iconic, in fact, that one shipyard is considering taking it to the water to see if the shape is seaworthy.

Wow, there are some great deals to be had at the moment from General Motors. Not the least of which is on the Corvette, specifically the Z06 model, which we've had nothing but good things to say about, even at its $72K asking price. Now that GM is offering all of its models at employee prices, that cost drops by about ten grand! A Z06 for $62,653? Yes please... if only our meager blogging budgets would allow it. Similarly, a Caddy XLR-V can be had for $84,771.80 -- about a $15,000 discount.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Click on the image to enlarge and view another angle of the Rossi 66

Click above for high-res gallery of our ride in the Corvette ZR1

Chevrolet officially kicked off series production of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at its Bowling Green KY assembly plant this week and decided to celebrate by inviting the media out to drive the new "King of the Hill". Since there are still several more waves of writers scheduled to drive the cars over the next week, we can't tell you what we thought of how it drives just yet. We can, however, share some photos of the cars we drove today around the Lutz-ring at General Motors' Milford Proving Ground. Stay tuned next Wednesday, August 20 for our full evaluation. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery and refresh your memory with our intro to the ZR1 from earlier this year.

Related:

Jalopnik's Auto Insider has gotten the scoop on the Corvette-like concept that's been floating around the set of the new Transformers flick, Revenge of the Fallen. According to their sources, the design study will debut sometime next year ahead of the Transformers sequel, but won't foretell the future of the next-generation C7 Corvette. Rather, it called the Corvette Centennial Design Concept and was developed to celebrate General Motors' 100-year celebration. The Corvette Centennial Design Concept takes cues from past 'Vettes - from the Stingray to today - and incorporates a Camaro-inspired grille, massive rear fenders and a quad-tip exhaust. All that said, the Centennial concept supposedly wont' influence future Corvettes - for better or worse.

Click above for a high resolution image

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1

Click above for more shots of the "Mystery Vette"