ME Zora Debut Soon........
08-14-2018, 12:32 PM
#61
I'm going to Carlisle on Friday-Sunday... that would be amazing, but I just can't see it being this early.
08-14-2018, 12:57 PM
#62
Le Mans Master
Originally Posted by Tool Hoarder
I guess the $1,000,000 question is if the ME is a halo car or the entire C8 line up... only time will tell. I was hoping I could get a $65K basic ME Corvette... that's the dream. If the ME is a halo car it does nothing for me.
08-14-2018, 01:26 PM
#63
Le Mans Master
OK, time for some logical conjecture. I've known about this for a few days now so here goes. Both Monterey Classic Car Week and Corvettes At Carlisle have the same exact dates this year. There's also intel out there right now that GM will be making a major announcement soon, very soon. Both events are huge and I've extolled the virtues of Pebble Beach in the first post of this thread. Carlisle is huge also but is directed at the traditional Corvette clientele. Pebble Beach and the whole Classic Car week has all the mid engined sports car manufacturers there and would be incredible to debut the ME Zora there with the other top mid engined cars of the world. If you look at the Carlisle link below and scroll down the page you will notice that there is a list of Team Corvettes engineers, designers, and marketing people. Tadge Juechter has been to Carlisle numerous times but is not on the list there this year. Neither are Kirk Bennion, Tom Peters, and other top critical people from the Corvette team. I now find out this morning that Kai Spande will be at Laguna Seca and most likely other venues around Monterey-Pebble Beach-Carmel. If Tadge is not at Carlisle, where do you think he is going to be? If you are like me and guessed Classic Car week you'd be right logically. I'm thinking a dual World Debut at both locations at the same exact time of the day on Friday the 24th. Both would have video feeds on the internet and both would be showing the Zora in it's base form. The folding hardtop Spyder version would debut a few months later at the Los Angeles Auto Show for the convertible sun seeker crowd. Both Targa an Spyder versions will be at Detroit. A world debut at Pebble Beach in front of all the brass from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and McLaren will go a long way in creating hype well beyond any normal car show where people and kids are crawling all over the beautiful new Zora. I can only assume that CEO Mary Barra, Mark Ruess, and other top GM brass would want to do it this way as well in front of their main competitors at this beautiful world class event. Time will tell if I'm right on this but it certainly looks to be a logical debut of the incredible new Zora !!
http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlis...s-Carlisle.pdf
http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlis...s-Carlisle.pdf
They will not launch a car of this magnitude without a dedicated press event. Koenigsegg can launch a new car in Monterey because they only build a few per year, they invite their potential clients personally, and any media coverage is incidental.
When Chevrolet does this, there will be a media spectacle. Either at a major show or at an associated event nearby. There will be invites, and those invites will be openly discussed by the media beforehand.
If they do anything related to Monterey, it'll be some carefully choreographed "spied testing" of the new race car at Laguna Seca.
A Carlisle event would be more likely to have something to do with that gray and orange Z06+ZTK car that was running around recently.
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08-14-2018, 01:51 PM
#64
Racer
It's the internet age...it doesn't take a huge press event to quickly spread the word about something new. I kind of like the idea of unveiling the car, and letting the 'word' spread organically among the car enthusiast community. It wouldn't take long!
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ArmchairArchitect (08-14-2018)
08-14-2018, 02:00 PM
#65
Le Mans Master
08-14-2018, 02:15 PM
#66
...The Monterey Classic Car week with it's crown jewel show "Pebble Beach Concour D'Elegance" would garner more captured potential buyers than any single car show in America or Europe. The entire Classic car week has more mid engine sports car manufacturers displaying their latest than any event anywhere in the entire world. ....Stay tuned !!
Either way, I'm in for the excitement of the release
Last edited by Ryan427; 08-14-2018 at 02:16 PM.
08-14-2018, 05:22 PM
#67
One major problem with this theory.
They will not launch a car of this magnitude without a dedicated press event. Koenigsegg can launch a new car in Monterey because they only build a few per year, they invite their potential clients personally, and any media coverage is incidental.
When Chevrolet does this, there will be a media spectacle. Either at a major show or at an associated event nearby. There will be invites, and those invites will be openly discussed by the media beforehand.
If they do anything related to Monterey, it'll be some carefully choreographed "spied testing" of the new race car at Laguna Seca.
A Carlisle event would be more likely to have something to do with that gray and orange Z06+ZTK car that was running around recently.
They will not launch a car of this magnitude without a dedicated press event. Koenigsegg can launch a new car in Monterey because they only build a few per year, they invite their potential clients personally, and any media coverage is incidental.
When Chevrolet does this, there will be a media spectacle. Either at a major show or at an associated event nearby. There will be invites, and those invites will be openly discussed by the media beforehand.
If they do anything related to Monterey, it'll be some carefully choreographed "spied testing" of the new race car at Laguna Seca.
A Carlisle event would be more likely to have something to do with that gray and orange Z06+ZTK car that was running around recently.
08-14-2018, 08:21 PM
#68
Auto-this is your mother's Vette
08-14-2018, 08:31 PM
#69
I can't deal with the auto either--don't care if it is faster or my 80 year old mother could drive it. It's not as involving. It's right in line with some of the motor press being located in Los Angeles and then trying to tell us about a performance car. I don't give a **** about traffic on the 405 and how it takes you an hour and a half every morning and night to traverse those 15 miles--but it does give you great insights on how many cup holders there are and how well the distronic cruise control/lane departure warning/drowsy driver alert/auto anti-think device/blue tooth/apple in car play/etc/etc works. Autos suck, long live the manual!
I willing to bet you never driving a super car with a proper DCT far from boring.
But I guess Ferrari, Lamborghini , Maclaren, Audi, Bugatti, Pagani all are shooting for that grand MA can drive our car crowd.
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tooold2race (08-15-2018)
08-14-2018, 08:37 PM
#70
Pro
I would almost be happy with that if I could just look at your avatar a little longer. I truly hope that is your wife because it would go a long way to validating your comments. You must have taste if this is your wife.
08-14-2018, 10:21 PM
#71
Just because everyone else does it doesn't mean everybody in the world will love it. Sequential double clutch.........still an automatic and yes it's great if you like that. That one or two times a year you go on a track you can marvel at how your car is faster than the manual but at the end of the day it's still an automatic. Fortunately I don't live in or near a city--as I think that life sucks also, which allows one to drive a manual without always being on the clutch. Let's face it--regardless of how much money you spend on a car you aren't going to be a Schumacher or Hamilton.
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JustinStrife (08-18-2018)
08-15-2018, 07:01 AM
#72
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
If the C8 FE is such a minor change that there are no mules then it's not worth having. The C6 was basically a C5.5 and the C7 is really the same architecture and they had mules for all 3 C5/6/7. They have to validate any body changes for airflow and real world usability. They have to validate new engines in the real world and make sure they stay cool.
If the FE C8 is new body panels a new LT2 motor and a refreshed interior, they still have to make sure it all works and holds up.
Yes they could test a new motor in an existing C7, but that's just one small piece of the puzzle. They tested the C7 chassis/engine under C6 Grand Sports, but you could tell something was off as the longer wheelbase of the C7 didn't quite fit in the C6s wheel wells. We've seen nothing like this to date.
Now... that could mean the C8 FE won't be out for another few years so they're getting the Zora halo car done and to market along side the C7 and then will get to work on the real C8 FE development.
More and more I'm thinking this is the case.... ME car is fancy halo, C7 continues on sale as is through 202X, then FE C8 development starts next year. But... the only thing holding that back is that we've seen basic ME mules with basic brakes/wheel/tires. Why does that exist if the "Zora" is a FGT type car?
If the FE C8 is new body panels a new LT2 motor and a refreshed interior, they still have to make sure it all works and holds up.
Yes they could test a new motor in an existing C7, but that's just one small piece of the puzzle. They tested the C7 chassis/engine under C6 Grand Sports, but you could tell something was off as the longer wheelbase of the C7 didn't quite fit in the C6s wheel wells. We've seen nothing like this to date.
Now... that could mean the C8 FE won't be out for another few years so they're getting the Zora halo car done and to market along side the C7 and then will get to work on the real C8 FE development.
More and more I'm thinking this is the case.... ME car is fancy halo, C7 continues on sale as is through 202X, then FE C8 development starts next year. But... the only thing holding that back is that we've seen basic ME mules with basic brakes/wheel/tires. Why does that exist if the "Zora" is a FGT type car?
To extend the C7 line until then ('21-'22) AND bring excitement to the Corvette brand, an ME coming out sometime, would be great timing and better, if sooner. So, whether it's Jan., 2019 at Detroit, slightly before, or slightly after is good timing, IMO. A couple weeks or more ago, I said that suppliers/vendors, etc. have all been nailed down for months (if not years), and that camo doesn't have to come off the car---it's done. All we have to do is wait for the reveal.
I would also not doubt either "skank" or that the two biggest car events in the country, Pebble Beach/Rolex Monterey Classics week(s) and Carlisle Corvettes, could be factual for something to happen re ME disclosure of some type. If you can think of two more prestigious, better-populated Corvette and car events, post them up. (Other than Daytona 500 or Indy 500 and they are both not until next year).
Time will tell....all.
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skank (08-15-2018)
08-15-2018, 07:12 AM
#73
Safety Car
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Unmodified C8 of the Year 2021 Finalist
2018 C7 of Year Finalist
I’m going with Skank as he has way more history here on CF providing reliable information. I’ve been going to C of C on Fridays most every year so this year may be even more special if Skank is right. I don’t expect actual ME cars at C Of C probable but an unannounced choreographed video ME presentation by Harlan Charles, who will be there, would be awesome. I will arrive ~7:00am to park inside gate #1 then go directly to the GM Engineer’s Tent. If a video screen is set up, which in the past is never there, it should get everyone excited to what may happen. Whether this happens or not, I will be having a great day, weather permitting.
P.S. They do the Corvette US Flag on Friday too. I will keep an ear tuned to the PA as some years they need a few more cars to complete it. I’m in two already, once with a red Corvette, the other being blue.
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skank (08-15-2018)
08-15-2018, 11:38 AM
#75
Burning Brakes
While I really hope you all are right about the 'double; announcement, I would offer this.... While Carlisle is a world class Corvette event, it really doesn't get the global motoring press attention that Pebble, LA or Detroit get.
The other thing that concerns me is that Pebble has a whole different audience vs the historic Corvette buyer demographic. Then again, isn't that what Harlan and the Corvette brass have been trying to change for years! A limited edition ME priced over $100K would capture that audience attention.
How about just a couple of 'track laps' in the ME at the 'historics'??? That would set the media buzzing too!
The other thing that concerns me is that Pebble has a whole different audience vs the historic Corvette buyer demographic. Then again, isn't that what Harlan and the Corvette brass have been trying to change for years! A limited edition ME priced over $100K would capture that audience attention.
How about just a couple of 'track laps' in the ME at the 'historics'??? That would set the media buzzing too!
08-15-2018, 11:39 AM
#76
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Just because everyone else does it doesn't mean everybody in the world will love it. Sequential double clutch.........still an automatic and yes it's great if you like that. That one or two times a year you go on a track you can marvel at how your car is faster than the manual but at the end of the day it's still an automatic. Fortunately I don't live in or near a city--as I think that life sucks also, which allows one to drive a manual without always being on the clutch. Let's face it--regardless of how much money you spend on a car you aren't going to be a Schumacher or Hamilton.
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JustinStrife (08-18-2018)
08-15-2018, 03:24 PM
#77
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
While I really hope you all are right about the 'double; announcement, I would offer this.... While Carlisle is a world class Corvette event, it really doesn't get the global motoring press attention that Pebble, LA or Detroit get.
The other thing that concerns me is that Pebble has a whole different audience vs the historic Corvette buyer demographic. Then again, isn't that what Harlan and the Corvette brass have been trying to change for years! A limited edition ME priced over $100K would capture that audience attention.
How about just a couple of 'track laps' in the ME at the 'historics'??? That would set the media buzzing too!
The other thing that concerns me is that Pebble has a whole different audience vs the historic Corvette buyer demographic. Then again, isn't that what Harlan and the Corvette brass have been trying to change for years! A limited edition ME priced over $100K would capture that audience attention.
How about just a couple of 'track laps' in the ME at the 'historics'??? That would set the media buzzing too!
08-15-2018, 03:39 PM
#78
Le Mans Master
The only thing you're going to get out of Harlan this early is more talk about the "exciting things" at the plant and some hints about having the capability to build multiple models on the same line.
My guess is they'll have a couple C7s in the new gray and blue colors. Think of it more like Birthday Bash Bonus Round
My guess is they'll have a couple C7s in the new gray and blue colors. Think of it more like Birthday Bash Bonus Round
08-15-2018, 03:43 PM
#79
08-15-2018, 03:57 PM
#80
Le Mans Master