Mew2

Hey guys if the C7 was received very well what would the chances of getting a very "exotic" top end model of the C7 be?

Am I the only one who wishes the "ZR1" model would be ultra low very sleek and different from the base model? Kinda like the Audi R8 (different from other "fast" models) or Porsche Carrera, they have the same style but stand apart from the base models of their kind? Just some food for thought :]

I know the chances are very low due to cost but hey we can dream right?

NotAnExpert

I am personally on the fence with the base c7.

I think chevrolet is getting a bit far away from the sleek aerodynamic form. That large air dam they call a grill looks like a nice point of friction and resistance. I like the evolution of the rear; but the front is getting so exotic and less function oriented.

Is it function over form, or form over function?

I get it they want an exotic form to compete with porsche, ferrari, and lambos. However, look at the nose of those cars, they are smooth and sleek WITHOUT giant air dams.

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MikeyTX

I think you need to come to the Bash in April at Bowling Green, KY. The design of the front end is very functional. Read some of the other threads from those that have actually seen the car and spoken to Tadge J.

AORoads

I'm not sure about the front end's functionality. There is always a give and take between sustained high speeds (less need for large cooling, intake area) and sustained "city" driving (more need for cooling at lower speeds, less forced air). One is a drag, and one is mandatory but slows the car down at speed.

Considering all the rules and probable driving habits, it is a tricky thing to manage especially when design is added into the final product. Three generations of prior "fronts" did not look like this from an air-in standpoint, so this is a departure. Maybe it's aero driven, or engine driven, or design driven, but whatever it is, it makes a big statement. Given a choice, I'd bet that front air intake opening would be less than it is. But for whatever necessity, it is designed the way it is. I'll have to see it in person to comment on how it looks just like those tail lights with all their angles can't really be "seen" from photos, no matter how good the pics are. jmo, anyone can disagree.

C7envy

The ferrari berlinetta and gto have huge front air damns that looks exactly like the ferrari. The viper has it too. It is all for cooling and aero. The air will flow into the giant grill and be directed under and out through the wheel wheels helping to cool the car and push it down.

Though I am skeptical when they say this will have the lowest coeficient of drag and be the best handling corvette ever because it is probably like that since it only has 450 hp. I mean at that point a miata would be the best handling the car. Car has to be zo6/zr1 fast and then have the best handling as well IMO.

jr3

It will come down the road. Now is the time to milk the base model. Then after they get all that $$$, it will be time to come out with a new model. Its only natural.

rexracerx9

The front is highly functional. I Think it is the most aerodynamic Corvette ever in terms of "lift reduction" . The C7 spent more time in wind tunnels for aerodynamic testing then any other Corvette. Engineers said almost every inch of the body was designed for better performance. All of the Z51 vents are functional and were derived directly from the very successful Corvette Racing Program.

lt4obsesses

Just purely anyone's guess at this moment. However, it seems to me that by going with the aluminum frame and the incorporation of the air ducting throughout the car, that they have set the C7 up to have one body style. Add the fact, that in many of promotional vids, i.e. the Jay Leno walk around, GM is trying to avoid the word "base" in lieu of the title "Stingray".

My personal guess is that there will be higher performance cars, but they will be modifications to the power and drivetrain placed in the same chassis. My bet is that the production costs GM incurred by building essentially two completely different chassis throughout the C6 generation bit them in the butt. So now, it may be one chassis capable of handling all the performance levels. Just like the 60's and 70's when you would choose the engine package.

drivestwin

Correct me if I am wrong, but the coefficient of drag numbers are higher on the C7 than the base c6....or the C5 for that matter.

BWF07

In the C6, I think GM did just fine with the Z06 and the ZR1 even though the body design stated basically the same, just more powerful engines. The each went up in price over the base model as to be expected, but to come out with a complete different body style will raise the price substantially more then what it has been in the past.

When Gm introduces the high performance model or models in the next few years, I expect it to be of the same body style as the C& Stingray is now, Oh I am sure there will be some changes, but most likely cosmetic in nature.

talon90

The front aero treatment on the C7 is actually the most functional front fascia yet on a Corvette. The top third of the grille opening is designed to feed the CRFM area directly and then vent out the heat extractor on the hood creating a downforce element. This pressure works to both cool the car and extract heat from the engine bay all while providing downforce.

rexracerx9

Not 100% sure about actual cd drag, someone will have to look it up. I think the C5 was .29 and the C6 was .28? There was a lot going on (adjusting camera) when engineers at the Chicago preview were discussing this so don't quote me. I seem to remember them saying the C7 aerodynamically had the most "lift-reduction" of all Corvettes?

rexracerx9

Here is a GM video. It's worth checking out and brief.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=201...UTF-8&fr=moz35

WaxWeekly

I believe we have heard enough to confirm that there are some serious performance variants in the works.

I'm looking forward to seeing the bowtie brand lay some serious spank on the sportscar and hypercar scene.

NotAnExpert

Hmmm. Read the comments and watched the vids. Please forgive men, I am a perpetual skeptic. But I try to remain open minded.

It would seem to me that the better way to go is to reduce drag all together rather than build a large front fascia and design a way to handle the drag it produces.

Also something telling in the video is the guys said function over form. Then they said they increased the width over an inch to help with handling. My question is if they are true to function over form and they know that more width gives better handling then why did gm allow the c6 to become over an inch more narrower than the c5?

I know we are talking about c7 but my skepticism is that its more hype. If I take a wooden board and have it move a 60 mph it gets drag. If I drill holes or slots on the board it gets less drag. If I simply turn the board to where the side/edge is facing the direction of friction I get the least drag. Why are we over complicating a very simple physics demonstration?

The words art and design were used too many times in those videos for me to believe the front fascia was not form overtaking function.

Also if the front fascia is coming from the performance divison why does the vette not come with a large racing wing style spoiler too? The spoiler is omited cause the conditions that woiluld make the spoiler relevant would get u arrested on the streets. But yet we get a spoiler supposedly designed for those same performance race conditions. Sorry if im over the top. It just seems like a gap in the logic of necessities of design.

Just my 2 cents.

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GOLD72

The car can't be made so aerodynamic that it wants to fly off the ground at high speed. Some aero sleekness has to be traded off to create more down force to stay on the road. JMHO.

NotAnExpert

I dont see lambos needing to trade off to an air dam and I would say those cars, stock, much closer to taking flight than a base vette. I just think folks get sowrapped up Iin techno babble that they talk themsleves into thinking resistance on the front end of a car is good.

Put it this way. If i take a car and drive it from 0 to 60 or 1/4 as fast as possible resistance become much more relevant sooner than having aerodynamicly designed downforces.

Also my understanding is that for straight drag racing/street racing its better to have some lift as it reduces the friction of the front tire and allows for faster straightline acceleration. The downforces are better for high speed cornering. Like taking corners at 100+ mph. Not sure if I will need a street car that can take corners at 100+ and benefits from downforce anytime soon.

Flex182

They purposely designed the C7 after the Race car. that is why the hood had what it has. The car is meant to function and have form both.
I think they did a great job, and by no means over do it or under do it.

Mew2

What talk has lead you to believe there are some serious variants coming? I was just speculating whether a higher end model would have body style changes...significantly enough to distinguish it completely.

4GS7

Lamborghinis don't have a front bumper inlet because the engine is in the back. Compare the Ferrari 430 to the Ferrari F12berlinetta.

Engine in the front.



Engine in the back.


I would have used a 458, but the 458 does have a large front bumper opening dedicated strictly to downforce.

GM doesn't design a car for just you. They design a car to compete with the other cars in a segment. The last ZR1 was compared to the Ferrari 458 and the McLaren MP4-12C. Those cars handle. The Corvette must handle. There's a reason there's a factory Corvette road racing team, but not a factory Corvette drag team. What you don't need in a car that is going to be reviewed at 100+mph is a car that will lift ever. People open up Road and Track and read "on the straightaway, the Corvette's nose got light and nervous" and you lose thousands of sales thinking their high speed sports car is now poorly engineered to go high speed.

Ideally for drag racing, you want the front end to be neutral. Lift is drag, and more drag than your front skinnies will give you.