C7 to C8 design and lineage
 

I have to agree with Chip on this...

I agree also a little while back with others and some not so much.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...r-this-c8.html

Yes Dale just covered this a few weeks ago I believe. Keeping my C7 Z06 . Last Generation front engine SPORTS CAR, MUSCLE CAR for me!

I think he absolutely nailed it! Ever since I’ve seen the C8 (on the road and up close) I never got that “Holy Cow!” feeling. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a case of the sour grapes since I’m pretty sure my C7 is a keeper. After seeing Foose’s rendition and hearing his comments, I’m absolutely sure I don’t care for the design.

I never did I guess... keep hoping for a better design down the road... crazy buying anything first year as it is.. give' em time

Sorry, I dont visit here as often these days. I did look a bit before I posted but didnt find the thread.

It doesnt surprise me that the guys over on the C8 Forum don't agree, those people have already bought into the car. I bought my Z06 with full knowledge of the C8 and made my choice to go with what I see as the pinnacle of Corvette's lineage. Dont get me wrong, I think the C8 is a great car, I just dont think it feels like a Corvette. As time passes models come and models go, some are designs that dont age well and other stand the test of time. The front engine era is over, the Combustion Engine days are numbered, The C7 will always be the iconic and most beautiful legacy Corvette ever designed. The C8 will not be long lived but it will always be the transition point, just like the C4 was. (The C4 was hailed as the next great Corvette when it debuted and we all know how much love that car sees today)

Amen

I suspect the visibility in that car would be pretty poor with that low roofline. Looks cool, though.

C9 might be the cat's meow. :yesnod:

Never cared for the C4, but was in the same situation as you were. With full knowledge that the C8 was initially anyway being an automatic transmission only car, that killed it for me without seeing it. I immediately went in search of the right new C7 deal for me.👍

Was the C7 ZR1 front bumper intentionally styled to look like the C8 to provide some sort of continuity? (Like the rear of the 1961-62 prior to the 1963)

I think they were getting people ready for the new look yes.. I liked the ZR1 hood, but did not like how open the front fascia was on it either.. it serves purpose of course, but from a design standpoint it ruined the flow of the body lines.. but just one person's opinion.. different strokes for different folks...

The ZR1 front end was styled to allow airflow to the aux coolers. That's why they didn't apply it to the rest of the C7 range. If it was supposed to be some sort of aesthetic transition to the C8, they wouldn't have limited it to ~2900 cars.

I'm aware of the cooling necessity. Since they had to make the change to the bumper anyway, I wondered if they were "inspired" by the next generation.

I guess a better analogy would be the 1990 ZR-1. It needed a wider rear end anyway , so they intentionally used the rounded tail and square lights that were planned for the 1991 styling refresh.

Just thought I'd slip this in.....
 

Went to get the oil changed on my '14 Torch Red Conv Z51 7MT 1LT and I had never even seen a C8 in person. They had one! Torch red 1LT, as basic as the C8 gets. I asked salesperson what they're asking; "high nineties" he replied with a smile, "but as a long time customer (have bought three Vettes from them including my first) we might have a little room." Now I'm not complaining, no surprise due to conditions we all could repeat, but still, including taxes, fees, etc. ("Great news, I was able to get my boss to knock ninety bucks off the undercoating.") they are asking close to 40K over list! Whew....and with the problems of production they will get close to that! Amazing. And I hate to admit it, its every bit as roomy for the driver (I'm 6'2", long legs and a small gut)........

I'm not sure about either one at this point. I'm not sold on either design.
Curious what @Foosh thinks of this design..

The thing I value the most in the design of the C7 over the C8 is the stick shaped object on the console that moves in 8 different directions.

I'm going to have to be the outlier here and vehemently disagree with Chip's take on the car and most of the consensus. Not to be some edge-lord or something, I just don't agree. I think the C8 looks too much like the previous generation of Corvettes and I also think that GM was too cowardly to really evolve the design language. Sure, throw in a subtle cue here and there but, I can pretty instantly recognize it as a Corvette when seeing it on the road, even at a passing glance. It doesn't look like a foreign car at all, to me. If anything, it looks like a bland mid-engine car with almost no real design cues. I say this knowing that I had a deposit down on the C8.

But, to be fair, I also really, really didn't like any generation of Corvette before the C7 (C5 was ok, sometimes). For me, if GM was going for such a departure in architecture, that was the perfect opportunity to really change up the design of the aesthetics. I'm just thrilled they didn't do something really idiotic, like bring back round tail lights--I actually like the Camaro-esque tail lights on it. But admittedly, the front doesn't match the back of the car. They've got to rebalance that somehow. Either fix the front or fix the rear to match each other better.

My personal problem is that it looks like 1 team designed the front, one team designed the side and another the rear and none of them communicated together to make the design flow together.. much of the car looks "tacked" on to me.. I do hope they improve it's sleekness over time. I know the ZR1 reasoning behind front fascia and at the end of the day I am not exactly in love with the opened look... it still looks way more visceral and muscular compared to C8

Exactly my thoughts.
It's bigger then I like in a sports car but that aside I still cannot get used to the rear end after nearly 2 years and more then a few sightings later.