2020 Corvette

[Richard Bartrop]

5 minutes ago, Classicgas said:

They don't have to look the same.

Then people cry about how it doesn't look like the old one.

[sjordan2]

In the years since I bought my C4 Corvette, I’ve seen that dealers jack up the sticker price in the showroom by as much as $10,000 in the introductory period of each new model. You may be able to get a better deal if you shop around the country at high-volume Corvette dealers, but you’ll pay a premium if you want one today from your local dealer.

[Alfa158]

12 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

Though I have to say, this one is still my favourite Corvette design.

Same here. I have the unbuilt kit in my stash, so I should finally build it as a tribute now that the mid-engine Corvette is a reality. The original concept used a four rotor Wankel before GM killed Wankel development and replaced it with a standard small block V8. I  have the kit of the Mazda LeMans winning racer which also had a four rotor Wankel. There  are a few photos online of the GM four rotor Wankel, so I think when I build this Corvette I will disguise the Mazda rotary as the GM one and transplant it into the Corvette.

I've been watching for the last 50 years news about the mid-engine corvette about to be released and it’s weird to finally see it  come true. Sadly I live deep in an urban sprawl where it is, on a good day or in the middle of the night, a one hour drive to even get to a sports car type road, so I no longer own sports cars.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Alfa158
Double word

[Classicgas]

54 minutes ago, Richard Bartrop said:

Then people cry about how it doesn't look like the old one.

It doesn't look like the old one except for the tail lights.

[Spex84]

People are attached to the Corvette's traditional long-hood proportions. Understandable, as it was 100% unique and didn't look like any other car on the road. lol.

Joking aside, I get it. Thing is, in order to stay relevant in a world that includes Mustangs, Challengers, the Ford GT40, and "cheap" $180k McLarens...it makes sense to position the 'vette as an attainable supercar.

If you look at a car like the DeTomaso Pantera, it was trying to capture that Lambo-like supercar flavor with a domestic V8 engine and mid-engine styling.

The Pantera was something like $55k in the mid 80s, whereas a Lamborghini Countach was apparently more like $100k (just from a quick Google search, I could be wrong).

Today, when a Ford GT40 is $450k, it makes the mid-engined 'vette at a base price of around $60k look like a smoking deal. (I'm sure they'll be $110k+ in Canada!).

If they "look the same" to some people, surely that's part of the appeal, no??

Anyway...I see a lot of that "american supercar" attitude and Pantera spirit in the new C8.

 

 

[Richard Bartrop]

The "they're all the same" argument is so lazy, because you can apply it to anything.  1930s Classics?  All the same.  Jaguar D type?  Looks just like a Lotus.  You took the fenders off a Model A and put big tires and fancy wheels on it?  Gee, where have I seen that before?

It shouldn't be news to this group that car styling has its fashion trends like anything else, and that both stylists and engineers have been borrowing from each other since the very beginning, and some things end up being used over and over again because they work. Furthermore, the laws of aerodynamics haven't changed,  and when you're making something that goes somewhere north of 200 MPH, where all that air is going becomes vitally important, so any high speed vehicle is going to be exploring similar territory.

One beautiful design resembles another beautiful design?  I'm not seeing a problem with that.

[Classicgas]

No one is saying that. I just see little that says corvette.

[MrObsessive]

Yup..........even in the "old days" designers would swipe an idea or two from other cars. Take a look at this '53 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante coupe.

Then there was the '63 Corvette Stingray........

Those fender bulges....hmmm.............

And yes, one of the reasons the Corvette ended up looking the way it did was definitely for high speed handling. While the C2 'Vettes were sharp cars, they didn't handle very well at high speeds.

Between the two cars, though I would definitely pick the '20 'Vette. The GT40 is a nice car, but I would get neurotic over the slightest stone chip with what that thing costs!

[MrObsessive]

1 minute ago, Classicgas said:

No one is saying that. I just see little that says corvette.

Folks may have felt the same way about the then new '63 Stingray. After 10 years of seeing the same basic car, I'm sure it was quite a shock to those that laid eyes on it the first time. When they were first showing prototypes running around of the '20 'Vette, I didn't care for it at all as it didn't say 'Vette to me. I'm sure as time goes on and these start showing up on the roads en masse, I'll get accustomed to the new style to the point that it'll be very familiar.

Already it's growing on me!

[Richard Bartrop]

Ironically, one of the reasons for the shape of the C2 was that for the original Stingray racer, the body was supposed to work like an inverted wing.  Of course, it didn't work that way in practice.

 

People do have a different attitude about change than they did back in the early days of the Corvette.  Back then, the future couldn't come fast enough.  Tradition?  Tradition isn't going to beat the Russians to the moon, pilgrim!

Edited July 20, 2019 by Richard Bartrop

[Classicgas]

I do overall like the new design. Not so sure about the huge side scoops but the balance is ok. I didn't care for C7 either until I saw one on the road.

[7000in5th]

Mine- red accents, white exterior and blue interior. USA all the way!

[Deuces]

On 7/19/2019 at 9:35 AM, iamsuperdan said:

So no manual transmission then.

 

Booooo

 

 

I got one of these in my new car..... ??

[Jhedir6]

Well if I built one it would be this..... the more I look at it the more I'm starting to like it.

 

[Classicgas]

In electric blue with no wing for me. I'm starting to like it more and more.

[Joe Handley]

Went and played with the configurature, here's what I got.

That said, if I were to get a Challenger Scat Pack, it would look like this.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Joe Handley

[iBorg]

Quote

 

And the 1963 Vette looks like a Jaguar XKE.

With that said, I asked my wife her opinion. She likes it, unlike my Audi TT. I asked her about buying one and she asked me if I still wanted to retire. I'm hoping to see the convertible version before I go window shopping.

[Joe Handley]

If you think a XKE and C2 Vette look alike, you may want to have a closer look at what you're drinking.....or meds, if not both!

[Rodent]

9 hours ago, Deuces said:

I got one of these in my new car..... ??

Can you get a (reasonably sized) sticker with that? I needz one for my 2016 Mazda 3. 

[Rodent]

14 minutes ago, Rodent said:

Can you get a (reasonably sized) sticker with that? I needz one for my 2016 Mazda 3. 

Never mind. Already ordered one. 

[Richard Bartrop]

2 hours ago, Joe Handley said:

If you think a XKE and C2 Vette look alike, you may want to have a closer look at what you're drinking.....or meds, if not both!

Apparently, the E-type was one of the cars the GM studied when they were working on the C2,  though the original Stingray racer made it's debut a full two years before the Jag.

I suppose if you *really* squint, you could argue that the wheel openings could have been inspired by cars like the Jaguar D type, the Lotus Eleven, and the Disco Volante, but yes, you're absolutely right.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Richard Bartrop

[1930fordpickup]

The local paper had a write up on the new Mid-engine Vette. So GM is saying the new car will start just under 60 grand. 7% more than last years 55.000 starting point. This is what they are saying now but I don't see many leaving he dealer for under 70 myself.  The story also said that the new design was less aerodynamic than the previous model because of the side air scopes. 

Personally the thing about this car I don't like are the ugly Tail lights carried over from the Camaro. 

[Classicgas]

I like them.

[Rusty92]

9 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said:

The story also said that the new design was less aerodynamic than the previous model because of the side air scopes

 I don’t see how that would make it less aerodynamic. I bet it’s more aerodynamic.

[Matt Bacon]

1 hour ago, Rusty92 said:

 I don’t see how that would make it less aerodynamic. I bet it’s more aerodynamic.

More or less “aerodynamic” is a pretty meaningless thing for the paper to print. If they read anything, I guess it might mean that its drag coefficient is higher than the previous model. But drag coefficient is only part of aerodynamics; downforce is important for handling, and even if it’s not generating F1 or hypercar quantities you don’t want lift at high speed. To generate more downforce typically ends up increasing drag a bit versus a more slippery shape. Unless you’re Adrian Newey, or Gordon Murray in his new successor to the McLaren F1, which is going to use a fan to cool the engine and manipulate the air underneath through the diffuser, which in theory gives massive amounts of downforce with no additional drag...

best,

M.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Matt Bacon