Some of my exotic car friends never gave the Corvette a second look. They do now. While they still may not ultimately buy one they are giving respect to Corvette that was never there before. The ALMS racing program has single handedly done this for Vette. Instant credibility when you go over and clean the clocks of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin at LeMans. They have finally addressed all perceived faults whether they were true or not. All in a new modern design that will advance Corvette on the track and street while further dominating the race scene.

 

I love your choice of words.

"Clean the clocks of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin".

I hope the foriegn car lovers that troll here read that.

Great post!

 

Except that I would have added "..........even with additional weight penalties and horse power restrictions!".

 

Could you imagine a Ford GT/GT40 powered by the current 5.0 Coyote turbocharged to like 700 HP. That would be insane. I want one now!

 

DR, factory they were 550 and came with a Eaton S/C. My buddy did a pulley, exhaust, whipple and intake, the car is an animal. One of the most beautiful cars out there IMO.

 

Absolutely gorgeous piece. Local dealer had one for well over a year, let it go for near invoice which was around 145K or so. I considered it but had 4 cars, 4 motorcycles, a boat and some other stuff at the time, hindsight says it would have been the right move. I would not be shy if there is a 2nd chance on a new version of same.

 

I readily admit I blew it by selling that car. It was a Tungsten Grey with all four options, I paid MSRP which was $166945 and traded it three years later with 7k miles on it for 150k. Still kick myself...I'm going to go sulk now!! LOL I did enjoy the car I must say.

 

Actually, to a degree the Corvette, including the C7 from the doors forward (not from the doors back though), IS Retro to a fairly large degree. Modernized retro, if that makes sense to you, but retro nonetheless. Chevy has been consistent in taking the best styling cues from the all time best selling Corvettes (the 1978 and 1979 model years) and modernizing and carrying those styling cues forward with each new generation. You can see some of the 1978 Corvette in every C4, 5, 6 and (doors forward) C7 built.

For example, you can see a lot of 1978 Corvette in the C6 (despite the exposed headlights) as the C6 still has very much the C3 shark shape, the excellent rearward visibility and cargo space enhancing glassback, the signature four round tail lights, and thus the C6 is at once identifiably a classically styled Corvette from any and all angles, but also at the same time very modern looking.

I know the C6 sales dropped off, but I would read that more as the economy crashing in 2008 than any commentary on the C6 being a modernized yet in many good ways retro design. Before the economy imploded, the C6 was selling quite well...

In the main we Corvette owners (I own 5 with plans to buy more) expect continuity of styling across generations and true Corvette lovers have been quite satisfied with that, up to the big departure rear of the doors on the 2014.

So I would suggest the Corvette IS Retro, and it IS modern, all at the same time.

Again with a major exception for the Camaro-esque back end of the C7, kudos to Chevy for decades of excellent retro-modern Corvette styling and continuity.

 

The C6 fastback glass reminds me of 1978-82's.

Even on the new C7, you can clearly see how GM usued the C6 as the blueprint, particularly from front & side views.

The front end is basically C6 still, except with vertical headlights now, plus a "totally new" hoodscoop. But overall height, width, and length stay almost identical.

So I really don't see the huge difference some claim between C6 & C7 design as far as basic shape. Mostly changes in angles, squares used instead of circles, etc.

And that's good - the C6 is the best-looking Corvette built to date!

 

You understand it is not a hoodscoop nor an air intake at all don't you?

 

Yes the C 6 is the best looking car to date.. But come fall it will graciously take 2nd place..on the streets of America.

 

My first car was a '64 coupe. Although I have really liked the style in the past it is nowadays beginning to get really dated. I remember seeing the first '68 on a small card, maybe from a bubble gum packet, and thought that was definitely the Cat's meow. I bought a '68 and enjoyed it immensely but now, it too, is getting a little long in the tooth as far as styling. The body designers for every new model get my complete thumbs up.

 

I had a C2 in the late 60s but I can't image it being in style in 2014. If there is a resemblance between the C2 and C7 it has completely escaped me.

 

Don't forget the C4 and C5. The 1978's basket handle and huge rear glass continued for 35 years, from 1978 through 2013 coupes. It caused some of us to buy verts instead.



.

 

Just ridiculous looking cars.
But to each his own.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

 

I think GM needs a limited run department. There is a production number that is low enough to get you out of all the crash testing, epa crap, etc. So keep all the cars under that number.

Make retro looking cars that people want and would buy... with a warranty.

Think... Olds 442, Trans Am, Chevelle, GTO, etc. They could even do later model stuff like the Camaro from the 80's. There are people out there that LOVE the look of certain cars and would buy a new version of it again if they could. They could do a mix match of retro looking and actual retro bodied cars.

GM could charge a nice premium over the model it was based on and the department would be profitable (although not high profit). It would be more of a PR thing and a great one.

 

times a billion or so..

it's all about moving forward. tired of retro/remakes of things. If you want that there are plenty of resto-mods out there which are of course, awesome, but a manufacturer has to keep evolving things (an in some cases with some generations devolving) to move it forward..

 

I don't think this can realistically be done and not lose money or need to charge a lot. Low production run cars make it difficult to recover initial investment in R&D and production start up. I suppose if it were just a body kit type of car maybe.

I also don't think you get by crash test ratings either way... even if GM could it would carry liability risk. Not a bad idea but not a practical one IMO for a large behemoth of a company with a cost structure that differs a lot from specialty car companies.