captain vette

that red Ferrari is a Portofino and it is not a mid engine car it have a front mounted TT 3.9 v8

marinablu67

I'm well aware of that, and I was also aware of it when I said that the C7 will be the last real Corvette with a rag top! With a mid engine car, there's no room for a conventional convertible top! The point I was trying to make using the Portofino as an example, was showing my take on what a convertible was suppose to look like! I think both examples of what Pete posted were, just lets say not my taste in cars, and I'd take the Portofino any day of the week!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

BadAV

Nope, 3.5 Lariat or lower trim DO NOT have piped in V8 sound.

Don't disagree about trucks today being better towing power and torque-wise. You are entitled to your opinion but the fact is that the 3.5 eco is still a way better choice than the 5.0 if you tow any significant weight.

saplumr

The major problem with light duty trucks and even HD trucks with gas V8's is while they can technically tow x amount of weight the mileage is horrible. I had a HD truck with the 6.0 gas and got a wopping 4 miles per gallon with my trailer. That lasted one month and gone. For pleasure driving or towing light trailers the light duty is great.

captain vette

I get your point and I totally agree with you the Portofino is a gem, sadly I will never be rich enough to afford one.

haberman13

The C8 won't have a manual?

Oye. Welp. Guess I'm buying a C7 then instead of the C8 upgrade I was planning.

R&L's C6

No one knows anything for sure, lots of speculations it won't. Best to wait a couple of months for the reveal and know for sure before you make that decision.

FAUEE

It's a setting the dealership can flip, my understanding is that 302a and above XLTs have it flipped on. Truth be told, if I was towing a lot, I would buy the diesel.

My parents have an explorer with the 3.5 EcoBoost. They got like 12mpg towing an empty flatbed aluminum trailer. They get like 19 normally, 2 mpg worse than their v8 sport trac gets.

K-Spaz

Years ago I bought a C5 with an A4. The auto was one of the things I really did not want and in fact was a condition on buying the car which I ended up relenting on. I later changed the car to an M6 and it was drastically more fun. I'm not going to say I liked the car better but it was definitely more fun. I liked the car when it was an auto as well.

If the C8 comes only with and auto trans, I can probably accept that and if I were to buy one I'm sure I would enjoy it. Given a choice I would probably choose a manual.

In spite of my very unfavorable opinion of the C7 exterior, I'm always careful to add that I think it is an awesome car and there's a lot to like about it. Unfortunately for me there's enough to not like about it that I haven't purchased one. But I had considered it a number of times. I'm sure I'll feel the same way about the C8. I'm not Wild about the looks from the renderings I've seen. But I'll Reserve any judgment about the car till there's a car to judge.

I was a longtime f-body fan. Owned 16 of them, many new ones. Still have one that I bought new. So the 4th gen comes out and that was absolutely the end of the line for me. They killed Pontiac and they made the Camaro into something I absolutely did not like. Now on that you would think they would ditch the Retro styling and come up with something different. But no, they are going to continue making them like that forever. They come along and make the C5 and C6 Corvettes and I absolutely love the look of both of them. So what happens? They change the thing into a C7 and it appears that styling is going to stay for a very long time.

Whatever I don't like, stick with it.

dpigguy

Interesting range of discussion on Toyotas, exotics, and pick up trucks. As for the great American sports car, biggest concern I have is the reported $162,000 base car price tag. If my dealer handles it like they have past introductions (Z06, GS, Zr-1), they will add another $25,000 for “premium” edition. Not sure a sufficient number of buyers exist at the price to keep Bowling Green up and running. Whether the C-8 is an auto or manual, hard top or convertible, or supercharged or not may not enter in to the death of America’s sports car. JMHO

tri08sbc

I try to read a thread from start to finish and some of the truck stuff and other foreign brands just brought me back to the point that my M-C6 is probably going to be my last "newer" to me car.
It will always be the best bang for the buck car for sports car enthusiasts in my opinion. Prices keep escalating to make it harder to afford a new car without going into major league debt. I could actually buy 4 to 6 C6's for the price of one new C8. Maybe throw in a C5 Z06 and a C2 big block instead of 6 C6's. LOL I can buy a base and modify it to my personal liking and not go broke doing it. It seems like a cool hobby. That is my thought on the subject, but I know that not everyone agrees. That's what makes it so great to have one to speak about. The C8 just won't draw me in. Too pricey few options and maybe no manual transmission. HMMM I think I'll stick with the one I have for now.

Digidash

The Sports car is not dead (yet). When robots are driving, rich people will be able to drive cars manually, as they race thoroughbreds now that wagons are obsolete.

I have always driven sticks, but my wife‘s car has paddles on a double clutch and I find it a compelling option.

d-rockRN

Hey whats wrong with us millennials....... Change can be good or for the better. Don't be a luddite.

Gixxerman

I know quite a few millennials, the strange thing to me is they don't value things like a Corvette the same way or if at all. They think it's cool. They prefer Uber and if they have to have a car it's something cheap...they just don't see the value or logic of owning a high priced vehicle.. Alien to my generation lol

Pete Schweaty

Not a millennial myself but I agree completely. It’s that kind of attitude that got the American auto industry into so much trouble in the past. They were still making giant gas guzzling SU these when people wanted smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles. GM is actually giving the majority of customers what they want and attempting to remain profitable. Now that said, no way I would ever buy an automatic Corvette if there were a manual option, even if it were a DCT and a little faster.

d-rockRN

Sports cars have always been a niche market, regardless of generations. Although there are many millennials that make poor choices that put them in situations that cause them to have that mindset to be as cheap as possible..... end up working as a barista or majoring in basket weaving instead of going to a trade school or majoring in something that pays well..... my neighbor is a millennial also, successful like me and has a corvette, guns, success etc like I do. We do however use uber/lyft often, its convenient.

d-rockRN

I didn't buy a sports car for it to be fuel efficient but won't complain if it is. My ideal sports cars are N/A, Boosted, or coup de grace a S/C V8 with an electric motor bolted directly to the drive train/rear end (much like the La Ferrari and F1 vehicles) solely for the purpose of going faster. I would never buy an electric sports car for pleasure, but at the same time wouldn't mind having a tesla model X for a DD and keep the other cars in the garage for the weekend or a night on the town. But then again I am not the average millennial.

FAUEE

As a millenial myself, i feel like most newer cars are a step back subjectively. Obje tively, thryre faster, more features, more modern interiors and designs.... but they're not as good as cars in the 90s and 00s were. They lack the feedback, they are too focused on the bling aspects and bragging numbers, try to be too accessible and tame, and are too expensive.

For me, these new cars are too much of a piece of jewelry. I like a sports car with feedback and character more than one with high stats when driven by a pro.

BWF07

It is simply the continuing evolution of the automobile. I started out driving Corvette's in 1968 with a 427/425 roadster. That car was a seat of the pants car. a real handful but a lot of fun. over the years the cars have changed. For the most part the changes have been good. It is only natural that the new cars will never be like the old cars. each year has some changes and each generation is better then the past generation. If GM really wants a world class sports car they need what is predicted to be the C8. I remember when the C7 was first introduced it was not exactly well received by many in the Corvette community but it has done well. I see the same thing for the C8, plus I bet it will bring more first time buyers into the Corvette world as did the C7.

captain vette

The C8 will be a hit for sure