Did 1st year C8 sales come in already? Sweet!!!

 

You have statistics to back up that claim? Or are you just projecting your personal feelings?

I'm one "hard core long time Corvette owner" that is very excited about the ME Corvette. I think the actual reveal will show a better looking car than the latest camo shots show. I expect to be absolutely in awe, just as I was with the C7 reveal. If I'm right, I'll be placing my order shortly after the reveal.

BTW, I'm one of those that is "getting up there in age".

 

The natural tendency is to think that most people think like you do. So if you have concerns about departing from FE, you expect that most people feel the same. No doubt that there will be some that will prefer FE, but my guess is that ME will be welcomed by an overwhelming majority.

 

Just to throw in a younger perspective. I'm about to be 38 and on my 5th Corvette (4 C5s, 1 C7 current). I bought my first one fresh out of college at 22 years old. So I'm not the norm in that regard. Grew up around them and appreciate them for their on track performance, versatility, and attainable price points. Been tracking them since I was 20 and took my mother's '99 Vert to a Panoz lapping day at Road Atlanta in 2001.

I have a deposit in for a C8... I'm thrilled for the chance to own a mid-engine V8 sports car at a price I can afford.

 

I doubt that anyone has "statistics" to back up their opinions either way. That covers your "opinion" also of who is "overwhelmed" about the mid engine layout in the Corvette..

I'm 77 and a "hard core long time Corvette owner", and so far I'm not excited about the new Corvette. I personally don't see a single advantage in going with a mid engine layout. Last week I ran into another "hard core long time Corvette owner" a couple years younger than me, and he's not interested in a mid engine either. We discussed the mid-engine for a few minutes and what he knew about it from his talking to a long time friend of his that works in Bowling Green on the assembly line.

I do like the idea of going with a (good) DCT for the next generation Corvette, but that has nothing to do with where the engine is located.

 

I'm still thinking it defies logic to not sell a base model FE Coupe. The platform is done, throw a minor update on it and you still have your base model price wise (which is a large percentage of sales) and the Mid Engine fits nicely into the Grand Sport slot. The engine can be the same and your costs would be spread over the lower end FE model and the higher cost ME model. I think the FE convertible is done but the coupe is still going to stick. I of course could be totally wrong, it's just a matter of time until we find out. This is one of the reasons why I wish the people taking spy shots would hone in on the "C7" cars that are tagging along. they could be C8 FE's in disguise.

 

38 is old dude...

 

lmmfao...I can hardly for wait for July

 

Yep... but younger than the average new Corvette buyer at 62 and one of only 2 folks in our 120+ family local Corvette club under 40...

 

The reality is that the C8 will offer:

- Better performance characteristics (Mid engine handling, more power, better traction)
- Newer technology and interior
- Better auto transmission (DCT)
- Better visibility out the large front window due to design change

If GM can offer a mid-engine Corvette with improvements all around for $60-70k then it will be a hit. The looks of these cars tend to grow on you over time.

 

Bottom line for GM is they need to evolve or die. Continue to advance all of their products or become irrelevant. I have no delusions that my generation is driving the success of two seater sports cars but I myself land squarely in the demographic that sees the C7 as the first generation to evolve the nameplate and deliver more of what I expect out of the car. I also know the younger generation is attracted to this car and could care less whether it has the engine up front or in the back. The prices are simply reaching the levels where it will finally become affordable for more of these buyers to own one.

For Corvette to continue on it has to do two things. Continue to evolve and remain affordable to the masses. If the C8 does not sell in volume it won't matter where the engine is located.

 

Let me help you. A mid-engined car handles better than a front-engined car, and that's a fact, not opinion.

 

Might be a wild *** guess but would expect the age spread distribution on Corvette owners has more to do with the income level age spread distribution then pure desire to own one.

Base MSRP is near twice the average MSRP of all cars sold in the US.

 

It's also a fact that I'm not able to drive my front engine C6 Z06 to it's maximum capabilities as it is so being able to pull an additional .02g's around a 300' skid pad means nothing to me.

How many of us "hardcore long time Corvette owners" do you think drive our Corvettes at 10/10's on a nice Sunday afternoon drive in the countryside or an a two week road trip? Have you ever driven the Tail of the Dragon at 10/10's with your "old lady" in the passenger seat with a terrible headache from the constant side to side whipping of her head?

When I drive any of my four cars, I'm watching the traffic 100-200 feet in front of me. Being able to see if a penny is heads up or tails up that is on the pavement 6" in front of my car when I'm driving 80 MPH on the Interstate doesn't mean ****. Seeing that idiot swerve into my lane 100' in front of me is what I'm watching for, so I can take evasive action. Not being able to see a penny that is 6" in front of my front bumper doesn't' mean **** to me.



Maybe you should read up about the age of Corvette owners. Most of us are "old timers" and a mid engine Corvette brings nothing new to the table. Change for the sake of change is money wasted in my opinion.

 

Its not about the reality of what you can do with the car. Its about what the car can do in things like Lightning Laps & the Ring. I can't drive my cars at 10/10 on the street not even my pickup truck.

Basis of your argument says if you are interested in a Corvette why buy anything more then a 1LT with a 8ZF because I guarantee 99% of the owners can't drive even the base car at 10/10 anyplace even track-day.

 

You don't necessarily need to drive at 10/10's to feel better handling. Even at 5/10 there should be a noticeable difference. In any case, better handling is an advantage whether you will take advantage of it or not.

 

Not sure where its going to end up but I do hope the design is a hit. I also think the lack of storage will affect some of the buying public's opinion and I see people getting beat up all in the time "C8" section for mentioning the lack of storage space in an ME...i.e.."I didn't buy a corvette to haul golf clubs"..yada yada yada. I can however say after attending corvette meets for the last 20 years that consisted of hundreds of cars the vast majority came with coolers, folding chairs, tents, luggage and miscellaneous item's.
While it may seem novel and exciting from the start some of the above mentioned limitations may become reality on the first road trip. I know in my C6 i can and have traveled with all the above including my golf clubs and in the R8 i can fit a small cooler and 2 smallish folding chairs in the frunk. I agree change is necessary i just hoped there would be a place for both and having the ME as the premium model.

 

Let me jump in here and give you my humble thoughts on new Corvettes and mid engines. I’m on my 7th Corvette and my motto is, don’t argue “just buy one of each”!
I’m planning my 80th birthday present to myself in a few months and I plan on a 2020 C7 ZR1 AND a C8. Almost always Newer is better. Especially in the fast changing world of Electronics and Integration into real world cars. New requirements, materials, market pressures, and Opportunities! So far, GM mainly makes motor vehicles and needs to always be looking for new or better opportunities. There are a lot of $200K plus cars being sold in the world and many more coming out. Corvette is a profitable part of GM and has in place production and supply base, so all they need is new design to open up these opportunities. Also, they built a second production line at BG so it would be a simple decision to keep a refresh FE C7+ line going. (Already tooled, passed federal requirements, and a different choice of 2 different configurations of Corvette) along side the ME C8. I want one of each!
When I sold my business I bought myself a DB9 and thought that was the best handling car I had driven, until I bought a C6 Z06, then a C6 ZR1 what a machine! Then I bought the first C7 Z06-7 A8 and was wowed. I’m now down to 5 cars from 10 and I can’t wait for more HP technology and great styling and interior improvement. Then maybe I’ll sell these two. One Manuel and one A8, and “Can’t wait” takes on new meaning when you are my age. I’m planning on driving in the fast lane till at least 95!
Outa my way; Jim


2 Velosity Yellows. Love yellow on the Corvette.

 

Since we have four cars and a motorcycle the somewhat limited utility of an ME is not that big a deal. Having owned an ME in the past, I know that if I only had one or two cars, say an SUV and a C8, I might question not being able to take our pet and sufficient luggage on a road trip with the C8. So, my concern is not really with my issues, it is for younger buyers and buyers with tighter budgets that I fear the utility factor may hamper Corvette sales after the ME wow factor wears off.

For example we love to drive up to Monterrey and Carmel on old Highway One each year with a couple of sports car friends and enjoy some racing, do a little track, and enjoy the Concours at Pebble Beach. With a C8, we can ship a weeks worth of day clothes & evening clothes, helmets, and our golf clubs via FEDEX or just take our SUV or our CTS V. Or, we can ship the C8 and fly up. But, there goes enjoying Highway 1.

One day trips in an ME are OK but your pet doesn’t get to go too. Which we can also deal with. So, whereas an FE sports car enables fun and moderate utility around town and especially on road trips, an ME .... not so much. We plan to buy a 2nd year C8 once the bugs are cleared away (think 28 recalls on the new Cadillac XT). Now that C7 prices are likely to plummet even more, maybe we get a used ZO6 or GS to replace the CTS V and a C8 in two years to replace our C5 manual which we dearly love with all its great suspension and power mods.

Time will tell for all of us, but as always my concern is with Corvette survival above all other ME or FE concerns. The C8 is a very doable issue for those who can afford a $70K-$95K+ toy. But, again, what percentage of potential C8 Corvette owners need a balance of performance and utility? I don’t have that number, but hopefully GM does have a handle on that.

Looking forward to ME handling with a great DCT and it appears at least a Porsche level interior/cockpit.

 

...this again?

C4 = "The Corvette is Dead, nobody wants a car with Euro design and a digital dashboard" ( Last year sales of C3 = 25,407 to first year sales of C4 = 51,547 )
C5 = "The Corvette is Dead, the seats are horrible and the interior is a plastic mess" ( Last year sales of C4 = 9,752, to first year sales of C5 = 31,904)
C6 = "The Corvette is Dead, they got rid of the pop-up headlights and it is no longer a "true" Corvette" ( Last year sales of C5 = 34,064, to first year sales of C6 = 37,372)
C7 = "The Corvette is Dead, they got rid of the round tail lights and it is no longer a "true" Corvette" ( Last year sales of C6 = 13,466, to first year sales of C7 = 37,288)
C8 = "The Corvette is Dead, they moved the engine and it is no longer a "true" Corvette" ( Do you see a trend here?)