When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
With another round of C8s rolling down the production line recently, for validation, I don't see any other path but for GM to put some on the road very soon with NO Camo. I remember the comments by one of the lead driver's, think it was Jim M, on how he needs the camo to come off earlier for full testing. Mid engine cars probably aren't as hard to get engineered as it used to be, computers and all, but there is no way GM can get full confidence on the new drivetrain layout without removing that camo and driving the heck of production mules. As others have said in here, I expect there to be either a early announcement by GM or some "accidental" non-camo pictures very soon. Either way gives GM the chance to just pull the black tarps and drive the hell out of them.
Ok, headed to Summit county a few times this week!!!! Will be on the look out. Only warning GM...hahahaha
Would be fun if the original poster is correct yet I tend to think GM has it planned to the last possible moment.
I agree. The mid engine Corvette is a car that has been over five decades in waiting. This is not your typical generational evolution of the car, this is really big stuff. GM is going to keep this one under wraps until they are ready for us to see it, and it will be a huge dog and pony show when they are.
I agree the camo has to come off before everything is finalized (particularly balance and aero).
For the first time since its inception, GM will produce a REVOLUTIONARY Corvette.
This is a big, BIG deal for the brand.
However, I expect GM will try to keep the covers on as long as possible (it's a decades-long habit).
Whether or not we will see the true car before the official unveiling, I'm not too sure...but I sure hope so.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 07-23-2018 at 09:03 PM.
C7s were still wearing the heavy cladding through Dec 2012. The only places they were stripped down were in very private places like GMs indoor facilities or Michelin's test track. They may reduce the mass of the camo between now and the announcement, but we won't be seeing them bare until the reveal.
C7s were still wearing the heavy cladding through Dec 2012. The only places they were stripped down were in very private places like GMs indoor facilities or Michelin's test track. They may reduce the mass of the camo between now and the announcement, but we won't be seeing them bare until the reveal.
I agree. The only place we can see seeing the IVERs with the full production bodies and no black covers before January is on a racetrack/proving ground such as Laguna Seca or Milford. I doubt that we’ll see them testing the Stingray on a track, but it’s possible.
C7s were still wearing the heavy cladding through Dec 2012. The only places they were stripped down were in very private places like GMs indoor facilities or Michelin's test track. They may reduce the mass of the camo between now and the announcement, but we won't be seeing them bare until the reveal.
C7s were still wearing the heavy cladding through Dec 2012. The only places they were stripped down were in very private places like GMs indoor facilities or Michelin's test track. They may reduce the mass of the camo between now and the announcement, but we won't be seeing them bare until the reveal.
I'd say betw. the Arizona and Michigan secret testing facilities, I'm not sure GM will significantly de-camo the cars. By the track testing and computer modeling/testing, I'd guess they're more than 80% or 90% home on what works and what doesn't.
Of course, these testing venues will incl. some new things to test for such as better cooling the engine/trans from/compared to the C7s, and whatever type of "automatic trans" there is, making it a bit more sturdy to the extent it doesn't break, skip or clunk. Sounds harsh, but not meant to be.
CFD can't be substituted for good old-fashioned wind tunnels.
Both work hand-in-hand and DO require on-track validation.
Because of that, the cladding will have to come off sometime soon if GM hopes to sell the C8 in early 2019.
Would be fun if the original poster is correct yet I tend to think GM has it planned to the last possible moment.
I agree. The mid engine Corvette is a car that has been over five decades in waiting. This is not your typical generational evolution of the car, this is really big stuff. GM is going to keep this one under wraps until they are ready for us to see it, and it will be a huge dog and pony show when they are.
All of you have some good points, but this car is a complete change. I really believe the Camo is coming off soon. GM will want to put a ton of miles on validation units and that just isn't possible is a controlled environment like the Yuma facility. They need real world miles and situations and they really can't afford major delays in production start up. This requires real world driving. The camo is absolutely changing airflow characteristics around the car. With C7 Z06 guys complaining of limp home mode and high temps almost immediately after the release, I think GM realized their so called "super computing" just couldn't do the trick.
Last edited by WhiteDiamond; 07-24-2018 at 12:01 AM.
I really believe the Camo is coming off soon. GM will want to put a ton of miles on validation units and that just isn't possible is a controlled environment like the Yuma facility. They need real world miles and situations and they really can't afford major delays in production start up. This requires real world driving. The camo is absolutely changing airflow characteristics around the car. With C7 Z06 guys complaining of limp home mode and high temps almost immediately after the release, I think GM realized their so called "super computing" just couldn't do the trick.
GM made a mistake with the Z06 by not doing a thorough validation of the design.
The results were "most track-ready Corvette yet" that WASN'T, and it was a major embarrassment...as well as lost sales.
To this day, the zeitgeist is the C7 Z06 overheats.
Hopefully, they won't make the same mistake again.
AO is right when we are talking about customer ME’s arriving will not be early next year, nor even during the spring of next year. They will be at dealerships summer a year from now.
All of you have some good points, but this car is a complete change. I really believe the Camo is coming off soon. GM will want to put a ton of miles on validation units and that just isn't possible is a controlled environment like the Yuma facility. They need real world miles and situations and they really can't afford major delays in production start up. This requires real world driving. The camo is absolutely changing airflow characteristics around the car. With C7 Z06 guys complaining of limp home mode and high temps almost immediately after the release, I think GM realized their so called "super computing" just couldn't do the trick.
No need to take off the camo for a long time yet. They did Nurburgring testing on the C6 with the cars camo'd. You can still find videos of them running there with the camo on the cars.
No need to take off the camo for a long time yet. They did Nurburgring testing on the C6 with the cars camo'd. You can still find videos of them running there with the camo on the cars.
My thought is that GM will work out 99% of the aerodynamic and cooling issues with naked ME mules and pilot cars in Yuma, Milford and other 'private' venues. In the mean time, they are running the hell out of the heavily camo'd pilot cars all over North America exposing them to a variety of road conditions and climates. Some time shortly after the 'reveal'..... hopefully in January at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, they will strip off the camo and run the crap out of 'em naked to fine tune operational and production issues before customer deliveries begins in October of 2019.
As much as I'd like to see the whole process move along faster, I guess I'd rather be surprised than disappointed......
07-23-2018, 12:11 AM
IMO, Camo will be coming off soon
