Tintin

I had a Cobra and a Miata, the Miata was a bit longer and handled a lot better than the DeathMobile 427.

The Lotus is a very cool car indeed and when supercharged to a bit higher hp , is a very wicked little car on the track or street for sure. Sadly Tintin has too many former injuries to get out of the Lotus very easily once in so the pains prevent my having one but the minimalist (Colin Chaplin) philosophy is the way to go. All of the electronic gizmos in modern cars are just service appointments waiting to happen....

Racer X

DeathMobile 427 I like that. Nobody said the AC Cobra in the original form and then the 427 guise wasn't a handful... OK 2 or 3 or maybe 4 handfuls at full stoke.

The Lotus can also be a little tricky due to it's low polar moment as well. See the things that allow you to change direction quickly on command, also allow you to change direction quickly .... not on command. The Lotus had about 62% or was it 68% or it's weight on it tail (without the driver) Either way, driving, it to it's fullest took a lot of skill and quick hands and feet, and smoothness.

PowerPro01

It isn't ga$ price$ that predicate the move, it's the looming 35mpg AVERAGE CAFE rules. The C7 will be the au currant model come 2015 when these rules take full effect, so out comes some weight, down goes some hp, but it will be ALL about power-to-weight, just like it is now...just like the Elise is...
There'll be a version for boulevardiers, like the existing Base car, most of who's owners never approach the car's ultimate performance potential. And, I'm sure, there'll be a Z06ish performance version for the true afficienado. Both will be worthy successors, all things considered.
And life will go on...

Tintin

Speaking of Loti (Multiple Elises) and whether small, lightweight cars with 120 cubic inch engines can be sporty, check this out - it looks like a video game! Evidently they invert the grid for race 2...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQOnOXXc-ps

I may struggle my ancient carcass into one of these babies after all..

JerriVette

The existing base coupe is for boulevardiers? Performance and top speeds pretty dam impressive even if it isn't the top dog ZR1 or Z06..

Top speed of the base coupe is dam near 190mph. zero to 60mph in four seconds or slightly more..

Those numbers are dam impressive and I'm sure the new C7 will equal those numbers...

Base c7 should tag 190mph and run to 60mph in 4 flat if not better.

It'll cost more to buy...thats for sure...but thats always been the case with meeting government regulations...

I am sure the new c7 will out handle the c6...beat it in acceleration and braking..too

Better gas mileage and lower emissions as well.

Eric91softtop

Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. Let us not forget the 190hp C3 after the gut cutting emissions mandates of the 70's . Corporate memory is as short as the last quarter. I wouldn't bet to heavally on any speculation on a car we will not see untill 2010.

CandyVette

They had better not lower the horsepower. That would kill the spirit of the car, as well as kill my desire to buy one. I would think that the engineers are able to raise the mpg up by at least a few by the time the C7 comes out. Don't make an Elise clone, don't make a Solstice, don't make a Miata. Keep my Vette as it is, only improve it.

vette-oholic

im pretty sure that the Orignial post was a joke??

4.7 liters?? *****:

From C6ZO62C8

I hope that doesn't happen, I won't buy a C7

I'd like to know the complete facts on the C7, if it's not what I want I'll just buy a used 09 Z06

StickShiftCorvette

If GM is smart, they will INCLUDE a 50 mpg MINIMALIST (no power anything, single seat (needs only one airbag) that CAN be upgraded for an additional passenger, NO sound deadening, sliding windows, etc.....) car with the purchase of a new Corvette that the owner can sell or donate to a charity.

That will allow them to get their average to where it's mandated AND provide a Corvette that will be please the traditional Corvette owners!!

JPL0407

A lot can happen between now and 2015 to affect CAFE standards and how they are met. Flex fuel, plug-in electrics, hybrids, diesel, direct injection, variable compression, combination spark and compression ignition, and increased use of lighter weight materials are some of the technical possibilities. If mileage is improved enough in other parts of the GM product line, the Corvette's mpg may not have to change that much to meet standards. Also, the future CAFE standards are actually pretty complicated and leave lots of room for gaming the system.

I think it would be a big mistake to base the next generation Corvette on something like the Solstice. One of the advantages of the 'vette, at least the C5 & C6, is that it is bigger and has enough useful luggage space for extended road trips. The current Solstice has about enough room for a change of underwear. And the 'vette should have a V8 - a 4 cyl 'vette would be like a Mustang II.

Boo383

I think the vette definitely needs to be smaller and lighter. Less weight improves EVERY aspect of performance including MPG which is becoming quite important. I don't like the looks of the C6 so the next car I am considering adding to the stable is a Lotus Elise. I hope the C7 is around 2500lbs and looks like the drawing posted in the C7 section on a different Corvette website.

Rkreigh

I'd love to see a vette at 2500 lbs with 400/400

it would be just fine! if they could somehow go even lighter, all the better

strip out some of the crap, give me a small displacement DOHC engine that revs reliably to 8500, a low drag slick shifting paddle trans, and a killer suspesion and CF brakes

works for me. oh, but don't make it uncomfortable or ugly!

gm can do it, they just need to stay in biz long enough to make it happen

dust off the illmor engine and make it run on alchy!

Racer X

Can anyone point to a 8000-8500 RPM DOHC 4 liter V-8 that gets good milage?

High RPM usually results in less mileage as the engine friction goes up exponentially with RPM.

The Corvette is perhaps the highest mileage car with a 425+HP and 500+HP rating production car. Please point me to something better. All without DOHC and 8000+ RPM.

Dropping the weight by 15%+ and reducing the wheel, tire, and brake size and weight (reducing rotational mass). Reducing frontal area. Then lowering the drive ratios would increase the gas milage on the cars both in City and Highway mileage. Maybe 20+ MPG City and 30+ Highway ratings.

All without sacrificing the performance (probably raising it), and possibly without changing the engine block (maybe add DI).

Corvette.C6-R

Well said.

GaryW

The last thing we need is a high-revving DOHC engine - just look at the average Ferrari/Maserati to see how bad the fuel consumption is. Added to which, it adds a whole load of cost and complexity for no benefit, not just at purchase time but during regular maintenace. Adding Direct Injection makes a lot of sense (the face-lifted Porsche 911 is on average 15% more economical and a little under 10% more powerful from the addition of DI and the higher CR it allows).

The big challenge is reducing weight. I wouldn't like to see the C7 too much smaller than the C6 (having spent 4 years cramped in a Z4 before getting my C6). The C6 (especially the vert) is already pretty light for its size, which only leaves two options: go back to basics or use exotic/expensive materials. My preference would be back to basics, and I think most of us could live w/o electric seats, etc (since we never let anyone else drive our cars so who needs to move the seat? )

0to60

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI inflation calculator (http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl), 50 cents in 1970 is equivalent to $2.79 in 2008. Gas is around $4.15 a gallon, so I'd say it is definitely more expensive nowadays than 1970.

Likewise, $5000 is equivalent to just about $28k in today's dollars. A coupe can be had for ~50k, so the corvette, too, has gone up in price considerably (78% by my reckoning).

WhiteDiamond

I think some of the "exotic/expensive materials" will come down in manufacturing costs by the time the new C7 is ready to come to light. I see GM playing with Carbon Fiber and Carbon-Ceramic parts right now, although at higher price point vehicles, but they are getting experience and helping the various suppliers of those parts to become more effecient and reduce costs. I honestly think the C6 could loose about 200lbs(aluminum frame and CC rotors alone are more than 50% of that 200lb reduction) just with material changes that are likely to become more obtainable in this price range in a few years.

I also don't want to see the Vette get much smaller. My wife really wants a Sky and that thing just doesn't have any additional room. Her daily haul of computer and related material to and from work will have to sit in the passenger seat......

Riley P

I like the idea of it being smaller, at least not any bigger. I've always liked the size of the last RX7. Lighter always equals better performance, obviously. I also like the idea of a high reving V-8. But this is all based on opinion and thank goodness we all don't have the same one. I've learned from this forum that if there is something you don't like about the vette, you can always mod it until you do.

Tintin

My point is that if you have 50-60 grand for a toy car that is only useful for short trips (no space for luggage, I know , you can get a lot of underwear shirts, excuse me T-shirts into one but try carrying a suit for dinner, a tuxedo for going to a show or nightclub and a couple of jackets for the afternoon and then your wife's stuff. Some people only wear shirts with collars you see... ) The point is that if you have the money, an increase in the gas price by $1- a gallon over last year doesn't matter very much..

I understand that 50 cents is not $4 but since both items have increased by a factor of 10 it is the same thing.. gas is not a factor at all in the decision to purchase a car like this and listening to the professional whiners complaining about it is kind of boring to be honest. Be sure that Dubya and his cronies will have it back under $3- for the election. They got what they wanted, they can drill in the parks now...

A light car is far more fun than a heavy car, that is for sure. If the Malaysians can do it (Lotus) , why can't GM? I would really like to see a car like the Elise but easier to get in and out of and I don't care if it has a V8 or a TDI... all you need is >6lb/hp and it will be a ripper...