pologreen1

I want you to know that you are my FAVORITE troll of all time.
My respects to you for infiltrating such a large platform and having the ability to wield the power or information like you do as the Curated Content Editor

TRT SR

I was at the Industry preview at the Detroit car show yesterday and while I was admiring the ZR1 two engineers were talking near me about the mid-engine car. One guy who sounded like he knew a few details said to the other don't hold your breath on the car coming out soon. Hope he is wrong and that we will find out this year the details, sure looks like a complete car is hiding under the black cladding they have on them now.

elegant

Customer ME’s coming in the summer of 2019. It would be too long for any of us holding our breathe that long.

Judgment Day

The way I see it, for a new generation vehicle, it's borderline mandated for GM to make an official announcement of any type in advance. This is to at least generate interest in preps for the show in question. If I recall, the C7 was officially announced 2-3 months before making its first appearance...the C8 will likely follow suit because it's considered a major release.

Once ZR1 got put into the equation and announced (again, by GM), that pretty much confirmed a C8 no-show at the Detroit Auto Show because this is the vehicle that's ready to build and promote. And even without the ZR1, if you didn't hear anything directly from GM, something as major as a generational vehicle isn't showing up. Especially considering it was 3 weeks prior to the event and people were not only anticipating, but expecting it. This "hope" that it would just "show up" like Reptile from Mortal Kombat isn't the right way to go about it from a marketing and sales perspective. That's just common sense.

And for anyone saying that the ZR1 and C8 are two different markets...from GM's point of view, it's really not. GM's not in it to sell any Corvette, they're in it to sell every Corvette. Having the C8 and ZR1 simultaneously, especially when the ZR1 has yet to enter salesroom floors would thin out the numbers and step on the toes of the ZR1's marketing ploy. You don't want C7 vs C8 when money is directly involved.

PurpleLion

Already DEAD!

Mr. Peabody

Geoffrey Card

GM are in danger of missing a great chance to launch the C8 while the economy is healthy. I think the ZR1 is largely a waste of time as relatively few units will be sold.Who wants a highly strung over powered beast for normal highway driving - perhaps a minority with too much money and inflated egoes. Much greater profitable success would be achieved by launching the mid engined car this year and follow up with an up-dated front engined C7. Not sure what the hold up is as mid engined technology has been around for years.

sunsalem

You have a point about the economy.
Now would be a perfect time to release a new gen of Corvette.

My guess is the C8 must not be far enough along in development as some assume.
I find it difficult to believe GM would hold up release of the C8 just for the opportunity to sell a few thousand ZR1s.

RoketRdr

The car was designed for track use and thats who will buy it. Too much money and inflated egos? Only the "have-nots" make such statements.

RedLS6

I would imagine the C8 program isn't far enough along yet in development and especially testing for a 2018 release. Hopefully they learned some lessons from the Z06 release. I will gladly wait for a thoroughly wrung-out and tested platform.

Even if the ME C8 were to be released today concurrently with the C7 for a couple of years, I'd opt for a ZR1 instead if I were buying right now. The base model C8 will likely not deliver performance anywhere close to the ZR1, if past history repeats. When the 850hp C8, or a higher performance version, debuts in a couple of years and eclipses the ZR1 and C7Z, then I'll switch over to the C8 from my C7Z.

fyreline

So, Um . . . Where is the C8?

Right where GM wants it to be. Development continues as the expected bugs are worked out. The launch will take place on GM's time frame, not ours. In the meantime, as so many of us have said all along . . . those who talk don't know, and those who know don't talk.

PurpleLion

The base model ME C8 will walk all over the ZR1 on a road course. Yes, the ZR1 would win a drag race or a top speed run. There is a reason, after all, that GM is moving to a mid engine platform.

sunsalem

We don't know that yet...let's wait and see.

RedLS6

You're wading in a little too deep, too soon IMO. Have you driven a ME car alongside a 650+hp C7 at a fast track? Unless the base model has 600+ horsepower and Cup2-equivalent tires, it won't stand a chance at a track like VIR. On a tight autoX course, then maybe. It takes much more than an inertia change to keep up with a power and handling monster like the ZR1.

That said, I'm excited to try the C8. I think the later versions will really deliver ZR1-surpassing performance.

gthal

Although a ME platform will be better on a road course, this doesn't mean the first iteration of the C8 (call it a base model) will out perform a C7 Z06 or a ZR1 on a track. It's not like those cars are slow... they already outperform a number of existing ME cars on various road courses. You statement suggests the current platform isn't a very, very fast road course car and that's incorrect. It's just way too early (and too optimistic) to make this statement.

Now, the C8Z, that's a different story...

sunsalem

For those who really would like to compare, go here: www.exoticsracing.com

VERY true.

eyedeekay

odd how the corvette costs the same amount to drive compared to cars twice the price

tbrenny33

sunsalem

Yeah, I noticed that.
Must be popular.

Steven Beaver

Curated Content Editor. LOL. I have never seen anything worth reading from this account