topelf

I just got my August copy of Motor Trend in the mail. There were a couple of articles in it about the upcoming Corvette C7. I scanned them and put them on Flickr. (See below) There was also a fold out of the 100 year Centennial Z06. My scanner is crap but, hopefully you can read it or see enough to decide to go pick up your own Motor Trend. Enjoy!

The Truth About the C7




The Future According to Maximum Bob





100 Year Centennial Z06 Foldout Poster

wolfdogs

forget the color black, otherwise you will need a Batman suit to drive around in. 4 cyl twin turbo 800hp................ yikes.

gilbybarr

Yep, got mine too. It says the split window "batmobile" look is not for sure and the 6 cylinder is a no-go. Sure hope that concept car look is not in the cards....personal opinion, but its "ug-ug-ugly."

gerryt

OnPoint

We will see huge change in engines over the next 10-15 years as tighter regs kick in. Some will view the changes with interest and acceptance. I fear I may be inclined to view the result as moving the powerplant closer to something like an appliance, with a concommittant loss of soul.

I have no doubt there will be faster vettes. Hopefully the engineers will be able to continue to infuse some "soul" into the machines.

phileaglesfan

3-Liter V8 for the Vette? That will be one high strung motor if weight is even close to being the same. The current C6 pretty much destroys their theory that big motors are not efficient. If GM designers worked for a little they could probably get the Vette's current motor up to about 35mpg highway and another 50 or so HP (direct injection, other tweeks).

Bill Dearborn

We will see a combination of different things including direct injection which is being debugged on the GT2 car now, more than likely a DCT which is being debugged on the GT2 car now plus maybe an adaptation of the so called short hybrid similar to the ones on the Malibu, Buick, etc. This gets a huge part of the city fuel mileage benefit of a hybrid without going full hybrid. The engine will shut off when the car is stopped, the hybrid battery will be smaller and lower weight which combined and it will get some power boost from the electric motor when needed. This will give the car a lot better city mileage thus bringing the overall average up quite a bit.

Bill

topelf

I'm just waiting to see the final C7 design. I won't know if I like the new space aged mid-engine/turbo vette until I sit in one and turn the key!

bluez06ny

Except the battery is going to be huge for powering the "gigawatt" sound system that will broadcast a GT2 V8 sound to make up for the lack of a real motor.

TSLAVette

there's no replacement for displacement.

CodyC6

I think most of us may prefer displacement. But cars like the GTR and Porsches have been doing pretty darn good under 4 Litres.

SubjectAlpha

Turn the key? What is this, 1986?

hyteck9

If GM wants to beat everyone at the "GREEN" game, I think they should have a "cruising" version of the C7 Corvette. Build a LSx engine focused on lower internal parasidic losses and pair it with a Z06 Aluminum frame and other weight saving measures, Plus a 35 HP electric motor coupled with a small 5-minute-duration Li-Ion battery pack, low r.r. tires and long gearing.

The electric motor kicks in for the first 5 minutes the car is idle-ing or the Cruise is set at a nominal load... and a pack that small will recharge quickly under normal driving.

The thing would get 50MPG EASY. That way, instead of your eco-stats being screw'd by stop lights and waiting in drive-thru or parking garage lines, you flip the numbers over and get super-inflated stats going 65 MPH with no fuel use at all for a bit. 999,999,999MPG

It would certainly help meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy levels for the company and who knows.. people might buy it too!

After all, which would you buy? A boring hybrid sedan or a cruising corvette that ONLY has 325 HP and redlines at 5,000 RPM if they both get 50MPG when driven modestly?

and of course.. that still leaves the monster v8's for those of us that want it.

Wayne O

A 2 liter, 4-cylinder, turbo boosted C7 Corvette... The demise of Corvette.
The real tragedy of Corvette going to a 4 or 6-cylinder engine would be the further loss of the American free enterprise system where companies make products to satisfy public demand. I don’t like being forced to use curly (CFL) light bulbs and I don’t like government dictating what I want in a high performance car. If I’m wrong so be but I rather doubt a majority of Corvette buyers really want a 4 or 6-cylinder Corvette. Our all-knowing government and radical environmentalists are dictating the direction of the US auto industry (and most everything else for that matter). As they did with the Volt, government will ‘compel’ the auto makers to submit to their ‘vision’ and rule. I'm all for more fuel efficient technologies but not to the exclusion of a free market, private enterprise economy where individuals have freedom of choice. I don't care how much GM tricks it out...I don't want a 4 or 6 cylinder Corvette!

danl72

X2

mikeCsix

There is nothing like the roar of the V-8, I attended a vintage road race last weekend and almost got my fill of hearing racing engines running down the track. We bought a new Equinox this year, the engine was a V-6 and direct injected. Very smooth running engine. The V-6 is basically our small block missing two cylinders. I know GM wants to downsized the V-8, but will be glad to see the benefits of direct injection. Diesels have been using this for years and are more efficient fuel economy wise. I was amazed to see the diesels at this year LeMans race and how quick the LMP's are.

AORoads

sometimes, a company looks to the future and thinks, "I can afford to lose my current customers because there are new and better ones out there (read: more affluent, or pliable, etc)." of course, there are also plenty of companies, worldwide, who have made that decision and now rest on, and in the "dustbin of history."

we've read what's being required/mandated for cars and car companies. what we don't know is how this company, or any company, is going to get there. and whether we, the existing customers, will like the product submitted to us.

if enough customers don't like the Corvette product, something like the Corvette may go away as a part of the model lineup. if enough customers don't like anything the company is producing, the company itself might go away.

it is a big gamble, and in a very real sense, this company is "betting the company." for all our sakes, let's hope they get it right.

AFVETTE

I view the C7 as a "bridge" to the future. I doubt the C8 will have a V8, so it's not entirely implausible that GM will offer at least two engine architectures in the C7. A small FI high winding V6 and a traditional V8 and possible one FI variant to keep up with the few remaining supercars.

We'll know in 12 to 18 months.

Tom

Landru

'Maximum Bob' neglected including insight(s) into how long we can expect 800 HP twin-turbo 4 bangers to last.

goatts

Good article. They're doing a good job of keeping things secret.

http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...tte/index.html