Hirohawa

Saw the C7 yesterday at the awesome Corvette day at the Peterson Museum. A big thank to all involved to get this car out to LA for this incredible debut.

As many have reported it is true the new C7 is actually better looking in real life than in pictures. The front of the car is absolutely stunning and has some of the best headlights in the entire auto industry. The creases and swoop of the hood are fantastic.

Side is gorgeous too! My only worry from the pics, the side vents, do not look as bad in real life it is more curved and less GTR looking in the flesh. Still too long but great looking.

Now comes the rear end - I was with my dad who is in his 60's and a lifelong Corvette guy - the one person most responsible for my obsession with them. He has never been on this forum or privy to any of the discussions about the rear end. We both marveled about the new design talking it in from front to side and made our way to the back. As soon as we rounded the corner and looked at the tail of the car he blurted out

"Looks like a Camaro".

Sorry the rear does NOT work. It is not just the tail lights, it is too busy and clunky. Way too many shapes and surfaces that just does not feel like they committed to one motif for the rear of the car. It looks worse in person because the rest of the car looks so so good - so bold and fresh- that the back end just stands out as a hodge-podge of ideas thrown into a blender(a Japanese one made by Nissan).

Also what is interesting as they had more than one version of every Corvette ever made, and looking at the rear end from C1-C6 there is a unifying simplicity of great strong design regardless of tail light shape. The new 2014 Corvette is missing that.

C7 needs a cleaner sexier rear end that has to match the rest of the car.

Also the Carbon flash contrasting "accents" all over the car need to be omitted. All those vents and scoops should either be semi gloss black or body color. Hopefully they run out of Carbon Flash paint before the C7 Z06 comes out.

Turbooo2u

Excellent and unbiased report from someone who is probably someone GM is targeting for the next GEN Vette.I'll be going to the NY show in a month to see for myself.

LIE2ME

Good write up. Tell the truth, after all I am hearing about the rear end, I may be keeping my C6 a little longer...

You know, I always liked the rear of the C5 better then the back of the C6. A trend?

bigterpsfan

I have not seen it in person, and there are elements of the car I like. However, the lack of cohesiveness withe the rear, fangs on the bumper, and the black vents (even if functional) all over the car make me wonder what they were thinking at times. I do really like the fact that they ditched the fog lights, which I think are the worst looking part of the C6

elegant

No, not a trend. Of the folks who see the car, the vast majority like it. Even looking at the polls of the forums, of which probably 90% hadn't seen it when they voted, two-thirds like it.

Agreed that the minority, even after seeing it, do not like it. However, this is exactly what we heard after the C5 came out (criticized for its big butt), and what we heard about the C6's hidden exposed headlights (how many times did we hear and read from folks that they wouldn't buy one because of the headlights). Give it three years and then let's see how how many folks who initially said they didn't like the C7, but by then own one, or wish they could afford to buy it.

Michael A

I still can't understand how anyone can come away saying it looks like a Camaro. I don't get this at all. Personally, I think the C5 and C6 are too plain in the back end, and I own a C5. To me the C7 is refreshing, like they actually spent some time putting some detail into it. Look at the Ferrari 458. They didn't just give it a plain back end. It's got a lot of detail to it, shapes and surfaces.



The bottom line is you can't please everyone. We've had "plain" for a long time. Now it is time for the other Corvette buyers who want more detail to have their chance.

Michael

sfc rick

That's the attitude that says so much about you. Not very Corvette people friendly on the surface of that comment.

Turbooo2u

Please don't compare the 458 with a C7. That's just brutal. Look at the simple design of the SINGLE tail lights. Why couldn't GM design something that nice??

Michael A

Why not? I think the C7 holds its own very well. In fact, from some angles, I like the C7 better. It seems like a few of you are just fixated on taillights.

In my opinion, the weakest part of the back end on the 458 IS the taillights. I'm not fond of the "rocket motor" design, but the rest of car is extremely nice, and they are unique, so I can still appreciate the car (unlike some of you with the C7).

If enough C7 owners want "plain", I'm sure the aftermarket will come to the rescue, just as they have for all the people who want chrome bling add-ons.

Michael

458it

Jawnathin

I think you're misunderstanding the criticism.

While I think the car is a bit too busy overall, we aren't asking for a 'plain' rear end.

We just don't want an ugly rear end, which is exactly what the C7 has.

sam90lx

Wow, if I had the money!

Michael A

I don't know what you specifically are asking for, but what I've heard so far from others is they want the same plain C5/C6 back end, with the same plain C5/C5 oval taillights. Some guy even posted a picture of a prototype C6 back end grafted onto the C7.

I admire the Corvette team for taking what they learned at the track, and incorporating it into the C7. It takes body vents to do that, including in the rear facia. Some Corvette people don't like vents. That's OK. This isn't going to be the car for them, and it doesn't sound like it's the car for you.

However, for every one of the C6 people who don't like the car, there are loads of people who do. When I was at the West Coast Debut, I heard one guy say "This car just makes my C6 look sad." He was standing where I was, looking at the back end. He hadn't made his way to the front yet. Yesterday, there was a guy in his late 30's/early 40's who was ready to buy a BMW M3, until he saw the C7. He loved the C7, and that was going to be his next car. We were both standing there looking at the back end.

Chevy may lose a few Corvette owners who don't accept much change, but the C7 will bring in loads of new buyers from other makes. It will bring in people who held off on getting a C6, because it was the same ol', same ol'. It takes change to do that. You can't keep building the same old car.

The C7 will be a sensation when it hits the streets. Mark my words.

Michael

gthal

If my income was $800k+ a year... or if it were $400k+ a year and I were single... I need to go work on some better ideas to get one...

tdb

Cause they are GM ;-)

AORoads

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But I note with great interest that even the relatively smaller (looking) rear end of the pictured Ferrari broke up the rear end look with lots of contrasting "plastic/black" pieces including a lower facia panel. I can only imagine how all of that would have looked if it was one unified piece of boring color. jmo.

sam90lx

There is alot of contrast on the rear of the 458, the difference is it flows very well with the whole car.

bigterpsfan

Exactly!

B747VET

I can't throw any stones because I couldn't stand anything about the C5 when it first came out. But I think a lot of that had to do with the 17/18 wheels which didn't help. And, geez, the nose looked so bulbous!

Now I consider the C5 Vert to be one of the best ever. Sometimes, change just takes a little while to overcome past prejudices. That's simple human nature. Heck, the last two Ferrari design prototypes I saw did not have round tail lights. Who knows what the future holds there?

As a very wise man said in the 1960's, "The greatest threat that mankind will face in the year 2000 is not war, hunger, or disease. It is the amount of change that will be occurring and the rate at which it will have to be assimilated."

C7? Now that I've seen it I'm totally on board.

Ad, whatever the C7 tail is, it's certainly not a Camaro. It's totally OK to not like it, but this new tail design makes the Camaro look butt ugly and designless in comparison.

Larry/car

I like the rear of the C7. The tail lights are super, can not wait to drive one. The vents complete the performance look. It is not your grandfarther's Corvette.