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GM engineers develop sunscreen for the Corvette

Exposed-weave carbon fiber now has a fighting chance against UV rays. The lightweight material, used to give the Corvette better speed and handling, can be protected by a new clear coat that is sprayed on like paint.

This industry-first technology acts as a sunscreen for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. "Everyone said it couldn't be done, and we were crazy for trying," Mark Voss, senior design engineer for the ZR1 said today in a press announcement. He and his team worked for three years on their own time to develop the clear coat.

Carbon fiber is one-fifth the … Read more

GM offers Corvette owners chance to help make engines

Anyone who orders a new Corvette Z06 or a Corvette ZR1 has the option to help a master technician build the engine from the block up. The one-day experience will cost an additional $5,800 to hand-assemble at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. All engines built will be covered by Chevrolet's five-year/100,000-mile power-train warranty. However, customers cannot add additional parts to up the horsepower and have it covered under the warranty.

For an additional $490, customers can take delivery of their Corvettes at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Museum schedulers notify … Read more

Crave giveaway of the day: Targus Crave laptop bag

For today's giveaway, we have the Targus Crave laptop bag. (The "Crave" moniker is just a happy coincidence--it's not related to this blog in any way.) The model in question is the TSB158US laptop backpack, which can accommodate laptops with wide screens up to 16 inches in size. The bag also sports a water-resistant cover and bottom, as well as double foam padding along the laptop compartment for maximum protection.

So, how do you try to win this Targus Crave laptop bag? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a … Read more

Crave giveaway of the day: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 digital camera

For today's giveaway, we've got the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 digital camera. When Josh Goldman reviewed it just a few weeks ago, he praised this 12-megapixel megazoom for being simple to use and for delivering excellent performance and photo quality. Normally, the camera goes for between $230 and $280. But the folks at Willoughy's have supplied us with one to give away to our readers for free.

So, how do you try to win this Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

Register as a CNET user. … Read more

Lens design gives Panasonic ZR1 more zoom in less space

Every round of releases from Panasonic's digital camera division gets more interesting. Case in point, the very compact 12-megapixel Lumix ZR1 features a 25-200mm-equivalent lens with an 8x zoom. The extended zoom is courtesy of a new aspherical lens design for digital cameras that makes the elements just 0.3-millimeter thick. This allows for a 1-inch body depth and a weight of 5.6 ounces with battery and SD/SDHC card.

According to Panasonic, the camera is very fast because of a revamped high-speed auto focus system and a start-up time of only 1.1 seconds (very good for … Read more

Top five sports cars from Detroit

There was no shortage of sexy, sporty cars at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Here are my favorites (in somewhat of a particular order):

5. Mazda Furai concept

The race-bred concept, which means "wind" in Japanese, is based on the Courage C65 chassis, which Mazda used in the American Le Mans Series two seasons previously. It has a three-rotor rotary engine that's capable of churning out 450 horsepower. And while it looks awesome, I'd say the chance that it goes into production is pretty slim.

4. 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

The uber-performance … Read more