Alternate C7 Design
12-17-2012, 08:05 PM
#1
Alternate C7 Design
I may be counted among those who like nothing about GM's C7 styling and I've been working on my own 'Vette that I feel is more faithful to the car's history and Sting Ray heritage without being explicitly retro. Of course I know there will be plenty of guys who don't like mine at all but I am curious to hear what people think of it. This is a low poly model I'm still working on using Google SketchUp and rendering it in Kerkythea, both of which are available for free.
It's not obvious in these shots but I used brushed stainless steel for the B pillar hoop. Of course they would never put that on a production car but I love the look and it's only a digital concept...
It's not obvious in these shots but I used brushed stainless steel for the B pillar hoop. Of course they would never put that on a production car but I love the look and it's only a digital concept...
12-17-2012, 08:13 PM
#2
Safety Car
I like it, I think it looks fantastic. There are however two issues with implementation. The headlights as mounted on the inside of the wheel arch is not going to light up the road well. The other is the hood is way too low. Only a flat 6 would fit in there.
12-17-2012, 08:32 PM
#6
Le Mans Master
It's definitely a more aquatic shape. It also reminds me a little of the 70s concept Corvettes.
It seems like you have a center crease on the hood and the rear deck -- why not on the roof too?
The stainless steel hoop looks a little odd -- might it look better if the whole roof and A pillars match?
It doesn't look like there's enough intake air up front.
I think the turn signal indicators have to get larger to be legal.
I notice you have avoided any rear-end controversy by not showing us one
It seems like you have a center crease on the hood and the rear deck -- why not on the roof too?
The stainless steel hoop looks a little odd -- might it look better if the whole roof and A pillars match?
It doesn't look like there's enough intake air up front.
I think the turn signal indicators have to get larger to be legal.
I notice you have avoided any rear-end controversy by not showing us one
12-18-2012, 01:08 AM
#9
Thanks for the good and bad, fellas. I appreciate the compliments. To answer a couple things: Good point about the functionality of the headlights and turn signals. I'm sure there are lots of things like that which would need alteration for road worthiness. That's probably one of the most frustrating parts of a real auto designer's task, I'd imagine.
The hood is actually almost exactly the same height as the C6's hood at the front axle line. I think that demonstrates how attention to proportions can affect the overall appearance of a car. It will likely gain some more contours before I'm done.
With the stainless hoop I was going for something like this:
It's an Iso Grifo from the sixties which, in its first iteration, used... a Corvette smallblock.
The lateral center crease, on the trunk anyway, is really just a product of the fact that my model is composed of two instances of the same component, wherein altering one side changes them both. This makes the centerline a raw edge as far as the normal generator is concerned and that results in a defined crease. I think the trunk will actually be smooth.
I have avoided showing the rear end--and I knew I wouldn't get away with it--because I haven't finished it yet! But yes, it will absolutely have two round taillights on each side, as any real Corvette does. Not oval, not square, not "almost round." And certainly not Camaro shaped.
The hood is actually almost exactly the same height as the C6's hood at the front axle line. I think that demonstrates how attention to proportions can affect the overall appearance of a car. It will likely gain some more contours before I'm done.
With the stainless hoop I was going for something like this:
It's an Iso Grifo from the sixties which, in its first iteration, used... a Corvette smallblock.
The lateral center crease, on the trunk anyway, is really just a product of the fact that my model is composed of two instances of the same component, wherein altering one side changes them both. This makes the centerline a raw edge as far as the normal generator is concerned and that results in a defined crease. I think the trunk will actually be smooth.
I have avoided showing the rear end--and I knew I wouldn't get away with it--because I haven't finished it yet! But yes, it will absolutely have two round taillights on each side, as any real Corvette does. Not oval, not square, not "almost round." And certainly not Camaro shaped.
12-18-2012, 01:11 AM
#10
Burning Brakes
There's a car that looks very similar to that rendering. It's a Russian supercar called the Marussia. If you ever go to Monaco, you'll probably see one.
12-18-2012, 02:00 AM
#12
Le Mans Master
Don't let these guys discourage your work. Good or bad, you're learning a creative craft. People who have never tried it don't know how hard it can be to come up with new designs that are equally compelling and conventional. GM has been working on theirs for at least 8 years with a team of people. If you did that with Sketchup, I'm impressed. 
12-18-2012, 03:02 AM
#13
Hey thanks, robvuk. I appreciate your considerate words. I'm not discouraged. I have enough faith in my own aesthetic sense that internet criticism is purely academic. Most of the work was actually done with another program called Zmodeler but I've been doing the finishing work with SU. It's a pain not being able to move vertices directly but I digress...
RC000E, certainly no need to lie but I am curious exactly why you find it hideous. To me the lines and forms are much more harmonious than a few actual Corvettes even if they are rather bold. For instance, my dual intakes flow with the fascia in a much more integrated manner than the simple rectilinear grille found on the C6, which stands starkly against the curves of the fenders, headlight lenses, and wheel arches.
In full disclosure I will say that the last real Corvette I like is the original C4 before they "updated" it in the early 90's. That design was revolutionary, perfectly proportioned, sleek and aggressive in a subtle way, and has held up amazingly well for almost 30 years now. One of the best auto designs of all time.
RC000E, certainly no need to lie but I am curious exactly why you find it hideous. To me the lines and forms are much more harmonious than a few actual Corvettes even if they are rather bold. For instance, my dual intakes flow with the fascia in a much more integrated manner than the simple rectilinear grille found on the C6, which stands starkly against the curves of the fenders, headlight lenses, and wheel arches.
In full disclosure I will say that the last real Corvette I like is the original C4 before they "updated" it in the early 90's. That design was revolutionary, perfectly proportioned, sleek and aggressive in a subtle way, and has held up amazingly well for almost 30 years now. One of the best auto designs of all time.
12-18-2012, 11:26 AM
#14
Le Mans Master
Keep the crease on the rear deck -- it is, after all, a Sting Ray design cue. Try a crease (perhaps inverted) on the roof as well, see how you like it.
I like the Iso Grifo -- it's one of those brutal-yet-attractive designs the Italians are so good at -- but it looks good without the stainless steel too, and I don't think it translates well to a modern Corvette, especially since Corvette is famously non-metal. And yes, I think the C4 will be seen more favorably as time goes on.
.Jinx
I like the Iso Grifo -- it's one of those brutal-yet-attractive designs the Italians are so good at -- but it looks good without the stainless steel too, and I don't think it translates well to a modern Corvette, especially since Corvette is famously non-metal. And yes, I think the C4 will be seen more favorably as time goes on.
.Jinx
12-18-2012, 12:36 PM
#15
Le Mans Master
