themonk

There is no reason why a car company can't make an exotic looking car that is inexpensive. Bodywork is bodywork whether it's a Civic or 488, it's the engine, drivetrain and guts that make things expensive.

OH THREE Z

i agree with part of this... the other reason is that when you are only building 100-1000 cars the development costs are spread much thicker onto each individual car..

i imagine that GM only has a higher build cost on a base vette vs a malibu because the suppliers charge a higher per part cost due to smaller order contracts. id love to know what GMs actual cost for just the parts to build a corvette. i bet its less than 10k

if chevrolet only planned to build 1000 malibus they wouldnt/couldnt carry a 20 grand msrp

Tom73

firstvettesoon

SingleTrackMinded

I'm hoping it looks like a new mid engine corvette.

capevettes

No I didn't. Pretty strong money. There were a lot of surprises both high and low.
Heck of a car show whether you are buying or not.
F40

1SG_Ret

Would not be surprised since the C7 was pretty much a reinterpretation of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.

ssidekickbp

In my OP I clearly stated I too want it to be 100% original. My point was if it isn't which way would anyone prefer it to look more like.

I'm speaking purely stylistic elements. That's where I say if it's not 100% original, I'd rather it look more Ferrari-ish then Lamborghini if that makes any sense then anything else.

I definitely don't want the C8 looking anything like an NSX, that's for sure...

ArmchairArchitect

Ferrari always had the more timeless designs, more flowing whereas Lamborghini more angular. This is why I'm afraid the C7 won't age well in 20 years, too angular and harsh looking, though it has a nice front end and side profile.

C7pimp

This is correct. Making something a different shape or form factor with the tooling and manufacturing is otherwise comparable, design does no dictate price.

Honda could make a car look just like the NSX , while being equipped with Civic Si level "goodies" and sell it for $30,000. I really wish car companies would do this.

C7pimp

I'd take the looks of a 488 Pista or McLaren 720S over anything else Mid-Engine.

If we are talking FE, the new DBS Superleggera is a beautiful car.

Tom73

firstvettesoon

Atari_Prime

For the public at large the answer has been set for many years, Ferrari. All three have their audience though. As far as desire to own, the audience for Ferrari and Lamborghini is much larger. On the flip side, Corvettes are much more attainable. I mention this because attainability impacts the vehicles styling. Ferraris and Lamborghinis have the liberty to be outlandish in their design. This helps create that desireability. Also, their audience is willing to shell out a lot more money, this also results in crazier designs. Corvette on the other hand is designed to be a borderline practical vehicle. This means, styling compromises. Considering we are on a Corvette forum, sure there will be some that prefer Corvette styling but overall it is hard for Corvette to win this contest.

Newer Corvette audiences are going to like the C7, but its angular design has a lot in common with Lamborghini. And most C7 buyers would pursue the Lamborghini if they could afford it. People who have been around the Corvette scene for a while will gravitate toward their respective design preference, with the C2, C3, C4, and C5 all having very large audiences that love those designs. They are all a bit more curvy though and often can be thought of as Ferrari lite. The same holds true, if most of those could afford a Ferrari, they would buy that instead.

I guess the conclusion is that it's not really a three horse race. Ferrari and Lamborghini are in competition with each other and designs made by McLaren, Koe****segg, and Bugatti. Corvette is in design competition for looks with Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Porsche.

For my money, the most beautiful car in the world is a 1984 Lamborghini Countach. I like the Gallardo, but its too conservative. I like the Huracan, but its a bit of a cartoon fighter jet without wings, essentially it is trying too hard. Ferrari has some wonderful designs and overall they are much more elegant and the very essence of style. The 458 is a work of art, but so is the slightly conservative F355. The F12 makes for just about the best looking daily driver I could imagine. McLaren deserves a nod as well for the F1 (the second best looking car in the world) and the P1, an agressive angry and stealthy beast. As far as Corvettes go, a 1995 ZR-1 is just about perfect, but so is a 1969 L88 convertible w/ side exhaust. Callaway Supernaturals are lovely as well.

They are all great, but if picking a design theme I have to go with gentle curves of Ferrari.

firstvettesoon

Atari_Prime

The C7 looks absolutely nothing like an F12.

Atari_Prime

This design has its flaws, but nowhere near a bad looking car.

Atari_Prime

But style is solely dictated by price. Everyone wants to make a pretty car, however the more 'stylish' you make it, the less you give to other considerations such as practicality or even driveability. Many Lambos and even Vipers have the pedals pushed to the left or right to accomodate wheel wells and transmissions. A great many cars, have cramped seating compartments to accomodate the design of the car. Mirrors often in funny spots, wipers that don't work, switch locations that don't make any sense. All for the sake of styling. These oddities impact the number of people that can and will drive the car. So, sales go down and prices go up. Often, styling gems aren't even meant to make money but act as an moving advertisement for 'look what we can do, buy a X'. The result, no one is going to design a major styling innovation into an every day driver. This means the price goes up in order to try and make some of the money on designing the car back. You end up with a low production halo car. So, yes, styling is solely dicated by price and yet at the same time drawing and molding some body panels doesn't cost that much.

sunsalem

With Ferraris, it's supply and demand.
Agreed....and I usually like the styling of McLarens.

sunsalem

I'm not so sure the C8 will be like this :