Vernon

skank

Jagamajajaran just posted this on the other web site forum. The new GT Emblem
http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum...Bemblem%252522

skank

jimmyb, wake up, did you conveniently forget that the plant has been tripled in size. You've railed against PCMIII on your silly rant of Bowling Green production without acknowledging the fact that they now have over 3 million square feet vs 950,000 square feet of the original building.

The square footage of the Bowling Green plant before the new addition was 950,000 square feet. The new plant including the old plant is over 3,000,000 sq ft..

Using the Google Earth Ruler Line Measurement function the concrete foundation on the main section of the new addition is 460 feet wide by 1,000 feet long for a total square footage of 460,000 square feet per level. The photo of the foundation clearly shows the approximately 30 foot high foundation wall allowing 2 tall lower levels with the two above ground levels above it for a total of 4 levels. There is an additional 2 levels at 342,380 square feet per level at the rest of the new addition that is indicated as the Manifold Building.

950,000 Original Plant square footage
1,840,000 Main Section at new plant square footage
684,760 Manifold Section of new plant square footage
3,474,760 Total Square Footage Maximum Projection

The true overall walkable square footage will be calculated when we know where openings in each level are located at. There are elevator locations throughout the 4 level main building that reduces sq. ft. from the maximum number. There are areas within the Manifold building that could also have elevator locations within that section.

Quinten33

lt4obsesses

No, they're not. The OP has nothing in it that hasn't already been discussed somewhere, sometime, by someone on this forum.
I will give credit though, typically, when we see someone post that they know folks inside Corvette, they typically proceed to post some left field B.S. whereas this is well written and plausible at least. But we all know, as has been said before many times, those that know aren't talking and those that talk don't know. You see, if I were close enough of a friend of someone in the circle of trust at GM, and they laid the whole plan out in front of me, the last thing I would do is get on the internet and blab any of it on an anonymous forum. Simply out of respect for the trust and friendship with that person. Though marketing probably loves it...the more ridiculous the better, it stirs the pot and gets emotions rolling. Buying a car like the Corvette is purely and emotional purchase.

Now that I think of it, it wouldn't surprise me if some these are forum plants from GM, putting down misinformation just to stir the pot, get people excited in one way or another. I recall there were a couple of folks making similar threads before the C7 came out, and the day after the reveal, no one ever heard from them again. Interesting...

The interesting idea in there though is the three model plan. Taking the idea of splitting the up-level into two separate directions, luxury cruisers and then track hounds. Although, it's not really a new radical idea, we already have the Grand Sport and then the Z06. Although his thoughts on the GS track oriented car seems to insinuate an ordering system where you choose your levels of comfort vs performance, seems to throw back to the old days when you could choose your engine, like checking the L88 box, or the old COPO days, which of course, will not happen.

skank

After reading unlimitedPower's post, I still haven't determined if he meant the GT was a front engined C8 or the mid engined C8. GT's traditionally have always been front engined cars. That doesn't preclude a GT mid engine but a GT front engined C8 makes more sense.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A grand tourer (Italian: gran turismo) (GT) is a performance and luxury automobile capable of high speed and long-distance driving.[1] The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2arrangement. The term derives from the Italian language phrase gran turismo which became popular in the English language from the 1950s, evolving from fast touring cars and streamlined closed sports cars during the 1930s.[2]

Foosh

And then there is the Ford GT.

His post clearly implies all versions will be ME, and says this, "How the Corvette is sold will change as radically as the engine mounting position."

Exactly, no one who has been invited to see the car before the official reveal is ever going to speak publicly about that experience, and especially not on an internet forum. It would be unbelievably foolish for them to violate GM's trust.

MagRedConv

Link - https://www.topspeed.com/cars/chevrolet/2009-corvette-ss-aka-blue-devil-ar27808.html


Here's one:Just as soon as word surfaced that Chevrolet was working on a super Corvette, a k a Blue Devil, speculation ran rampant of what the Bow-tie Division would call it, with guesses all over the map, from Corvette SS to Gran Sport. While those are legendary Corvettes, they tended to be one-off racing prototypes.
What was settled upon, ZR1, not only harkens back to the 1990 ZR-1, then known internally as King of the Hill, but also Chevy's tradition of naming hot Corvettes after their internal RPO (Regular Production Order) number


How about this:

GM Trademarks the Mid-Engine Corvette Name of ZORA Across the World…Including China!

Link - https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2018...cluding-china/

Quinten33

I said as soon as I found those trademarks that they could be a precaution on GM's part. They can trademark multiple names and then decide which to use. I believe that Zora or ZORA will be the name of the highest-performing C8. I guess we'll see, but it looks like the OP was already right about the gt thing.

jimmyb

Wow Skank, you should let GM know that their info is wrong because YOU used Google Earth...You just LOVE making these unbelievably convoluted posts with all sorts of well thought (in your opinion) assumptions. According to GM, BGA is 1.7 million square feet, as of 11/29. I suppose it's possible it grew nearly 2 million square feet in a WEEK, but I doubt it.

https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/...linggreen.html

PS. EVERY guy that comes out with some pronouncement (say like MONTEREY) is simply throwing stuff out there for public consumption. What is funny is we end up with one pronouncement guy saying the OTHER pronouncement guy is FOS, and HIS answer is the one all of the unwashed masses should believe. I think THIS OP's assessment makes SENSE, but I certainly am not taking it to the bank.
In the end, the OP was NOT about BGA's size or how many different cars MIGHT be produced at BGA eventually.

skank

Wake up and do your own research on the size of the Building. I have and I discussed this with one of the Job superintendants on that building construction site. The info they portray is not accurate.


I got on Google Earth and calculated the square footage of the original roof (942,160 sq. ft) and the new buildings roof (802,380 sq. ft.) using the Google Earth Ruler Line Measure function. It is reasonably accurate. The Bowling Green Corvette Plant information page has always indicated that the square footage of the old plant as 950,000 sq. ft. That aligns very closely with the 942,160 sq. ft. above since there are a few elevated second story office areas in the old building to make up the other 8,000 sq. ft. Gallagher-Kaiser Construction Co. of Troy, Michigan was the General Contractor on the new addition of the Plant. They have indicated a 897,000 sq. ft. on their website(see link below). Check out the photo spread of the new plant interior on the link below. Clearly they have not indicated the subterranean lower levels under the main area of the new addition or also the second level of the above grade line structure. There are 2 upper levels clearly shown on the photos during construction(see photos from Corvette Blogger article below). The lower sub grade level appears to be at least 30 feet deep. I did talk to Kai Spande at the Laguna Seca IMSA race a few months ago and he validated that there were up to 4 levels in the new building but 3 levels in some of it. Using my estimates from the roof calculations it seems plausible that the new addition realistically is at least 2 million sq ft of all 4 levels combined and not the 897,000 that is indicated on their stats. That in effect is a tripling of the square footage of the entire plant. I'll bet that GM didn't want to draw attention to the actual real square footage to the public especially us Corvette geeks. I've talked to Gallagher Kaiser as well as another sub-contractor on the job named Walbridge Construction Co. The Walbridge person I talked to indicated 4 levels as well. He even mentioned the new hill that was created by the excess soil from the lower level excavation of the new building. Sure enough, while viewing Google Earth you can see there is a new huge 50-60 foot high mound of soil that shows near the plant.

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2017...ssembly-plant/

http://www.gkcorp.com/project-portfo...te-paint-shop/

http://www.walbridge.com/market/automotive/

skank

Yup, GM's media site is absolutely positively misleading and that's a fact. No way that building is only 1.7 million sq. ft.

jimmyb

So, GM is lying about the size of BGA...

skank

And most people on these Corvette forums that believe only one configuration is moving forward have yet to rationalize the tripling of the Bowling Green Plant size (950,000 to over 3,000,000). Why would GM triple the size of the plant to still build only one configuration when the old plant did just that. In fact the old plant had a 53,807 production back in the C3 year of 1979.

skank

Yes, they are! In fact they can't even coordinate with Gallagher- Kaiser on their own(897,000) manipulated number. They have their reasons for downplaying the new Sq. Ft. of the plant. Maybe to draw attention away from the obvious.

PCMIII

True that. Which is exactly why the ME Corvette will not be the only vehicle made at BGA going forward. Mary Barra ain't stupid.

pdiddy972

zr_kaizen

traind

well, let's declare Bob Lutz... former vice chairman of GM and godfather of the Viper... insane then. In the current issue of Road & Track magazine Bob says the C8 Corvette, mid-engined, will cost more but not too much more than the current C7. I think he has a little more perspective and data than you do, LOL.

skank

Reiterating some posts above to compile thoughts.

After reading unlimitedPower's post, I still haven't determined if he meant the GT was a front engined C8 or the mid engined C8. GT's traditionally have always been front engined cars. That doesn't preclude a GT mid engine but a GT front engined C8 makes more sense.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A grand tourer (Italian: gran turismo) (GT) is a performance and luxury automobile capable of high speed and long-distance driving.[1] The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2arrangement. The term derives from the Italian language phrase gran turismo which became popular in the English language from the 1950s, evolving from fast touring cars and streamlined closed sports cars during the 1930s.[2]

And most people on these Corvette forums that believe only one configuration is moving forward have yet to rationalize the tripling of the Bowling Green Plant size (950,000 to over 3,000,000). Why would GM triple the size of the plant to still build only one configuration when the old plant did just that? In fact the old plant had a 53,807 production back in the C3 year of 1979.

Too bad we couldn't get a clarification from unlimitedPower on what he meant on a GT configuration. Either way his use of "a true GT" doesn't preclude the other. If he has a correct understanding of the term GT, he could clarify.