Kevin A Jones

I'm 100% sure that nothings 100% sure on the C8 and fate of the C7 as of yet.

Trackhawkz06

Thank you... I thought i saw someone had some inside info in the other thread... Wasn't positive thou! Enjoy your weekend!

Corgidog1

With the arrival of the ME you might have to say goodbye to the great view of the front end from behind the wheel when driving.

CJ Willys

Big Lebowski

Really? Based on what? I’d say the Corvette has “evolved” quite nicely while remaining relevant and exciting.

Koufax

I'm with that - the evolution has been quite nice. Actually, if you remove the C3 from the chain, it looks even more natural. The C3 screamed "Track car". The other models showed themselves more as versatile sports cars.

sTz

Meh, this information was already posted and debated 2 weeks ago. I’ll wait and see...

SilverFish

No manual for means I won't be buying anymore new Corvettes and will look elsewhere. Jaguar F Type maybe? Back to Shelby Mustangs again? I'm actually open to some thing like the design rendering illustrates but no manual is a show stopped for me.

Kent1999

It’s funny how that article writes “opinion” as if it is “fact”.

Did I miss the quoted reliable sources?

We’re just supposed to “take their word” on everything?

Not saying some of their SPECULATION won’t or can’t come true, but I’ll just take it as “fun to read fiction” until they can actually provide sources.

And of course, count me in as one of the dinosaurs who simply will NOT buy an automatic transmission-only Corvette. If the C7 is my last Corvette after literally decades of being an owner/enthusiast — so be it.

Glenmcp

Time marches on for almost every product. There are always those who do not like change. Nothing wrong with that, but it is not the end of the world.

Judgment Day

Yeah - take the information with a grain of salt for the moment. C7 still produces MTs at an overall 20-25% clip (for the Z06 specifically, 1 out of 3), which is substantially over the national average, and I believe even over convertible sales.

Kent1999

I see what you are saying, but it would be inaccurate to think that anyone not liking this purported “evolvement” of the Corvette does so just because they “dislike change”. Nothing wrong with change, but it would be the height of foolishness to think that changes are always for the better, and thus must always be embraced.

But we do agree — Totally not the end of the world. There are lots of other choices for sports cars other than Corvette. I’ve always loved Corvettes, but also could be happy with Porsche, Shelby, etc. if GM takes a major directional change with Corvettes that I don’t like.

dmaxx3500

GM will build ''BOTH'' cars side by side for 3-5 more years,they need to pay for the building expansion and all the work they put into the c7

fumbling

It's a great view that I like seeing except when going westbound as the sun is setting, the reflection off the hood can be blinding and uncomfortable compared to cars where you can't see the front end.

Rebel Yell

If Car & Drivers picture is anywhere close (I do highly doubt it is, but) I'll be doing just as you did brother. I'm off to look for a nice Z car, and be done.

patentcad

Relax. It all remains auto journalist speculation on a friggin vaporware car.

Steve_R

This. And why link a C8 thread in C7 Gen?

Palantirion

- No, it is not premature. If you are an astute reader of C&D then you can tell when they are estimating a detail and when they know a detail from inside sources. And we have C8 mules running around and can judge many things from those mules that corroborate C&D's article.
What IS certain is:
1) Mid engine.
2) Twin tips behind the rear wheels.
3) A smaller trunk.
What is very likely, from a combination of C&D sources, spy photos and direct interviews is:
4) No targa roof.
5) No manual transmission.
6) Poorer rear visibility.

You can wait if you want, it's a free country. But if you wait until GM announces details officially to order a C7 I see a risk of the words "nationally constrained" in your order's future. Just go back and look at what happened to Watkins Glen Gray orders after the official word came out.

- I would certainly hope that the C7 would continue on in production longer. Frankly I hoped that the Corvette would continue on indefinitely as a front engined sports car. The C8 should have a different name, perhaps officially The Zora, to signify it as a different Corvette than the Stingray. That is how I would do it. But I am not GM and I don't know the details of their budget. Obviously they don't plan on building both Corvette architectures in the future, so they had to choose. And only a mid-engine gives them the traction the car needs to make the numbers to makes the sales according to their research.

From what I remember from The Bash interviews the entire Bowling Green plant will be shut down in August, set to re-open in December. Now, ask yourselves, would they shut down the whole plant to reconfigure it to produce both C7 and C8s, then shut it down a second time to switch over to only C8s later? Or would it make more sense to kill a quarter year's profits only once? Honestly I can see it both ways.
1) Shut down, then reopen with C7 and C8 parallel production because GM is nervous about the C8 being accepted by Corvette buyers. This leaves them a way out, perhaps, but costs them a lot more in the long run if the C8 is successful.
2) Shut down, then reopen with only C8 production because the future has been decided. And it's not like there is another front-engine practical and very fast sports car for any C7 owners to switch to. You can argue Mustang or Challenger, but no, neither of them are really comparable in terms of driving dynamics. This is the strongarm owner loyalty play.

- C&D flatly stated TT for the uprated C8 engine. They didn't hedge with any verbage to inply that it was a guess or estimation. In my experience they only do this when they have direct knowledge 100% from a factory source. If it wasn't they would have used different words.


- It isn't vaporware. The C8 exists NOW. They are nearly through final testing. The Corvette plant will be closed down this fall to ready it for C8 production. That means production is likely to start in January 2019.

I made this thread in the C7 section, since you obviously didn't actually read my OP, as a courtesy to C7 owners/prospective owners. Because many reading THIS forum section prefer a front engined Corvette. Starting this thread was to inform those ignorant of the fact that the C8 is very close and that the end of C7 production is probably closer than they think. So if you want to order a C7 I would get on it ASAP.

Maxie2U

I COMPLETELY disagree with you. While the C7 is a major advance in the design of the Corvette its DNA is all Corvette.

patentcad

Car guys won't ever get it.

Until you can walk into the dealership, write a check and drive it home, it is friggin VAPORWARE. Moreover, extrapolating this alleged (50 years worth of allegations in fact) car GM keeps threatening to sell us (via its inability to keep its corporate 'secrets' which is admittedly much harder in the car biz) into the extinction of the C7 despite rampant competing rumors to the contrary is pretty silly. Try not to get an aneurism over pointless speculation.

Nothing is more unfathomable, destructive to a company's sales and maddening in general than friggin vaporware. It would be worth whatever money GM has to spend to keep a MUCH tighter lid on this crap. Seriously.