UAA's 2016 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6.Photo: Hannah Dillon
UAA's automotive and diesel programs have received many generous gifts from General Motors for nearly 30 years. One of the donations, a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 with the ZO7 package, is the focus of the department's attention.
Darrin Marshall, director of the automotive and diesel division, explained the appeal of hot rods.
The Corvette is wrapped in blue General Motors signage and is often used as a recruiting tool for the department due to its impressive attention-grabbing ability.
The vehicle recruitment tool has been brought to events around the state like the Alaska Race Wars for the past five years, often connected to a dynamometer to elicit “shock and awe” from spectators.
“A dynamometer is basically a hamster wheel for your car. You put the car on, you lock everything down, and then you can drive the car however you want. It's an all-wheel dynamometer. Wind You can test resistance, hills, horsepower, torque and power curves,” Marshall said.
The Corvette is being developed by automotive and diesel students. Marshall and his fellow professors attach “bugs” to vehicles and create different problems for students to solve.
When the students begin the hands-on task, the instructor clicks one of the switches, which turns on the check engine light, for example.
The Corvette's potential is being exploited to its full potential by the auto and diesel sector, but where can community members find this vehicle?
The Automotive and Diesel program launched an event in May 2023 called the UAA Automotive Expo. Marshall said the expo was the first they had ever done and brought a lot of attention to the department.
The UAA Automotive Expo hosted a burnout contest, a rev-up contest, and several other events. The department hopes to hold another expo at the end of the spring 2024 semester.
“About 30 industry people came to the table with our staff and said, 'Hey, this is us, we're recruiting.' It was really electric all day long and we were trying to get students out of there. ,” Marshall said.
Automotive and Diesel will be at the car show on March 2nd with UAA's Far Rondy Collaboration.
Marshall said auto companies such as Lisur, Anchorage Chrysler and the Army National Guard may participate and bring their vehicles to the auto show.
The Wasilla “gearhead” will also be showing off a powerful Cummins pickup with 1,200 foot-pounds of torque that he built himself at the UAA's Far Rondee event.
