Comebackid

Fellas,


As someone who first fell in love with the Corvette during the C4 generation, it wasn't until the C7 when I finally pulled the trigger. I couldn't afford the C4 during my teen years, and when I had enough scratch during the C5 and C6 runs, I opted for BMW or Mercedes since those cars were much more refined - especially the interior. It wasn't until the C7 when I was officially blown away. I love the C7 so much that I ended up getting 2. Well... I traded the 2016 Z51 Coupe for a 2017 GS Convertible.


With that being said, I think about cars I grew up with that if they never existed then, and if the same exact design came out today, the automobile world would welcome them with open arms. Of course take into account if these cars are equipped today with better performing motors, all the modern day creature comforts, refined interiors, etc. Some that come to mind are the 2005 Acura NSX, 2002 Mazda RX-7, 1996 Nissan 300ZX, 2005 Porsche 911, 1999 Ferrari F355, 1987 Buick Grand National. OK. Maybe not the Buick, but man do I miss that car!


What's on your list? Do you think the C7 would qualify?

Billy346

Only time will tell. I think one of the things that made cars from the '60s "classic" was the fact that increased government regulation, a significant increase in the cost of fuel, and a persistent recession through the 1970s caused cars in the late '70s and '80s to be slow. Car designs in the '70s and '80s also got really bad for the most part. I mean, google "1972 Chevelle" then "1973 Chevelle". Time did that car design no favors, and it didn't get any better as the years wore on. The '80s didn't get much better, in terms of performance and design and I probably don't have to get too specific for you to get the point. (Of course, you had some outliers that were fairly attractive, that can be considered "classic" today, but for the most part, cars of the '80s were still slow and ugly compared to cars of the 1960s.

To your point, I don't think the C4 was a bad design for its time. I just think that technology, design, and horsepower improved to such a point that the C4, as great as it was, became plain and slow in comparison. I mean, in 1995, I think the base Corvette was running 300 horsepower. That was enormous power for that time. The ZR1 was practically a super car. I was in elementary school when it came out, and I had a trapper keeper binder with a Corvette ZR-1 next to a Lamborghini Countach on the front. Of course, then came the C5 where the base model was running 350 horsepower, and the Z06, which matched the C4 ZR1 for power but cost less for its time. Then, of course, the C6 came out with 400 horsepower in the base car, and the thundering LS7 505 horsepower Z06, not even to mention the 600 horsepower C6 ZR1. The C4 wasn't a bad design, nor was it slow for its time, but cars just got exponentially better. It's like putting the prom queen from your school next to Charlize Theron. The prom queen is still hot, but Charlize just makes her look plain in comparison.

I think the C5 is going to be a classic. It still looks nice, has proven to be a good performer, even when pitted against other fast cars of today, and is reliable. If I suddenly couldn't afford my C7 but still had a limited budget for a sports car, I would buy a low-mileage C5 Z06 in a heartbeat for half what I paid for my C7 and still have a car that compares favorably to my C7 in both looks and performance.

One thing that tells me the C7 might be a winner is that it has better looks than its predecessor, the C6. After living with my C7 for a while, the C6 is just not quite as easy on the eyes. The lines on the outside of the car just look plain and the interior looks hopelessly cheap. In my opinion, the base C7 is a better looking car than the C6 wide body. (I think the base C7 also compares favorably to the C7 wide body, but that's another topic.) . Again, in a scenario where I had to sell my C7, I would probably go for a C5 before I went for a C6.

Saying that the C7 will be a classic in line with the C2 and early C3 is a tall order. I would say that for that to happen, you would have to see a significant decline in automotive performance and design over the next 10 years, as happened in the '70s and '80s. However, if automotive design and performance continues to improve as it has, the C7 may simply remain a nice looking car that is a solid performer with a good following, much like a C5.

ExRedRacer

We'd all probably like to think that the C7 will be an all-time favorite style above and beyond whatever else is out there right now. In regards to all the other Corvette generations, the creases and angles of the car compared to the smooth, rounded sides of the body set it apart from anything else heretofore and the performance sets it apart as well.

I appreciate the fact of how the designers kept the 'base' models closer in appearance to the GS and Z06 models unlike the C6 where it just took a quick glance at the front end to know which was which.

Having owned a C5 and a C6 before my present ride, I think I can objectively state that the C7 is by far the best-looking, best performing one of all and the differences are such that if any Corvette will be thought of has having a 'timeless design', it will be the C7.

ojm

I think C7 will be a design admired for a long time....love corvettes and mustangs but let's face it some of the designs were just crap.

PS if you had a choice of a new c7 or 63split window full resto what would you choose?aside from the fact the 63 is worth more.

Nathaniel

First let me say you have a a great list
I'll go in reverse 17 GSCE 02 Yukon 95 Legend 93 Nissan 85 Monte SS. All had great features Iconic are the 17 GSCE and 85 Monte. I too saved my scratch and pulled the trigger to get the GSCE and don't regret it not for a nano second. I say welcome to the Vette family. I left Jersey in 85 for warmer weather but home will lalways be Monmouth County "GO BUCS"

Comebackid

Yes. Loved the Monte Carlo SS. If the turbo Regal motor was available for the Monte Carlo, I would've jumped on it. I still loved my GN though. Prices have been steadily creeping up, but some day I'll be reunited.

Jersey is great, but I agree with you on the weather. Perhaps we bumped into each other at Parker House or D Jai's during the summers.

Frosty

I believe it will be timeless much like the Porsche 911 looks to me. If you look at racing sport cars, of the 1980s through current, they all have a very similar look about them because the physics of aerodynamics hasn't changed much once it was learned and refined. Over the years they may tweak it because of rules changes, but basically the GTP cars like the 956 and 962 of the 1980s look a lot like the GT Prototype cars of today. Same thing with the old GT2/3 cars of the 80s and the new GTLM and GTD cars of today. There is a look about these race cars that has not changed much over the years. They looked awesome 35 years ago when I first started watching racing and they still look good today.

Why do I talk about the timelessness of the look of race cars? It is because the C7 was designed with sports racing in mind. Because of that it will still look modern decades from now. if you like the apparent timeless look of race cars, then will you like the look of the C7 many years from now. Form follows function as Porsche would say.

ztheusa

Yes................right AFTER the C2, C1 and C5!!

Johnp94

I never envisioned spending more than $20,000 on a car. I never owned a Corvette. I joined Corvette forum last January and looked at the official ZO6 picture thread. Wow, it became a must have. I now have a 2014 Z51. After buying it, paying taxes, wide body conversion and interior change I’m down $61,000. No regrets it is the best looking car ever made. People who had cars that said they would never sell. Sold them when C7 came out.

Luke42_02

red62vette

A couple points:

- You asked if we'd take a C7 or a C2. I made a similar choice, and sold my '62 C1 to buy the C7. Sure, I think the *design* of that C1 car is more timeless and I loved it, but it just wasn't that useful and I decided to go for something I could drive as much as I want. That said, my favorite Vettes from a design perspective are almost all of them: C1, C2, C3, C6, and C7, but time will tell.

- Not all the 911s are classic. The early water-cooled ones with the jellybean headlights won't go down as a classic IMO. I don't think they've aged well. But I do like anything air-cooled, and anything after about 2014.

Avanti

No.

Skid Row Joe

Take a wild guess..........

Skid Row Joe

Fact of the matter is, the C7 makes ALL that came before it, now look archaic.

The then so innovative C2, ^^^^ now looks AND drives like an antique, frumpy bumpercar.

If the trend continues, we've got an exciting future.....

red62vette

Pretty soon you won't be able to buy a stick or a non-turbo or non-hybrid. I think the C7 is perfect and may be the last of its kind. Glad I have one.

fsvoboda

Build the first (original Stingray) with all the features of the second (current Stingray) and I would buy it!

Comebackid

Billy346

KnightDriveTV

There's one observation across the car world that I think creates the idea of what's "timeless" and what isn't.

1. A car that stays close to its original design ideology is timeless (think Porsche)

2. Curvature and soft angles are more timeless than hard angularity because hard angularity is far less popular across the past century. Hard angles really became parallel with the 70's and 80's, and the Bertone era of design.

3. Any vehicle that departed from a "core value" tended to be disposed of by enthusiasts long term (think square headlight jeep)

4. What C7 has going for it is the level of chassis, best interior quality to date, and all around "bandwidth" nature (auto trannies in all models, open air in all models, etc)


I think the design is simple enough that it could potentially be valid for some time, it just really depends on what GM does next. If the next car follows suit and just flows off of C7, C7 will be safer. If C8 were to do something irrational, like return to round taillights, it'd be very bad for C7 long term.

topper7788

I have been off the board for a while.. I just sold my 13 and I am picking up a C7 Grand Sport next week. The last time I was active was just when the C7 was revealed. I fondly remember the great no round tail lights feasco. It was very entertaining LOL. I thought the C6 was a really nice lookng car (ZO6 & GS), and think the new GS and ZO6 are nicer. As to classic.. No, C2 all the way and early C3. C4 was a terrible car (I owned 2) C5 was better and still my favorite back of the car. For the record I have owned 1 C2, 1 C3, 2 C4's, 1 C5, and 3 C6's... Never had a C1, would have loved to have had a 59 through 62, but it never worked out.