OT: The New C8 Corvette is Revealed

[mildone]

read a good article that discussed this. It said the avg age of Vette owners is like 60+. They have to take the risk of losing some current owners to attract new (younger) owners for the brand to survive.

That makes sense, from their perspective.

New trends in automotive styling often seem to catch on even with people, like me, who dislike them initially. Not sure if that's more about the designers being prophetic or about humans being adaptive. Maybe it's a little of both.

OTOH, despite having had plenty of time to adapt, I still find the C6 Corvette to be the best looking of the relatively modern bunch, the C7 being, to my eyes, a slight step in the wrong direction. I kind of wish the C8 was a mid-engine version of the same type of styling as the C6, with gentler accommodation made for the new engine location.

Maybe I'm just not very adaptable any more. Get off my lawn, you kids! LOL

 

[RUScrew85]

That makes sense, from their perspective.

New trends in automotive styling often seem to catch on even with people, like me, who dislike them initially. Not sure if that's more about the designers being prophetic or about humans being adaptive. Maybe it's a little of both.

OTOH, despite having had plenty of time to adapt, I still find the C6 Corvette to be the best looking of the relatively modern bunch, the C7 being, to my eyes, a slight step in the wrong direction. I kind of wish the C8 was a mid-engine version of the same type of styling with gentler accommodation made for the new engine location.

Maybe I'm just not very adaptable any more. Get off my lawn, you kids! LOL

You're right but it had to fit into the Chevy theme so we got what we got. Not a big fan of those Camaro/Vette brake lights.

There comes a time when fashionable is not the best way to go. Fashion by definition is fleeting. Classic lines endure.

 

[miketd1]

I thought the Aria executed the idea better, especially the air duct into the rear quarter panel.

Stick the C8 headlamps on this thing and call it a day.

Edit: I'd make the rear look like this:

 

[mildone]

Now this... this is a nice looking Corvette:

 

[RUScrew85]

I thought the Aria executed the idea better.

Stick the C8 headlamps on this thing and call it a day.

If I may be a bit of a curmudgeon here (Me? LOL). All modern mid engine cars basically look the same.

Small nose, Side air intakes, big hips, goofy ass, the windscreen look like it's diving into the back of the hood.

Some do it better than others but I'll bet most people couldn't tell the difference between this and a new Vette.

 

[RUScrew85]

I thought the Aria executed the idea better, especially the air duct into the rear quarter panel.

Stick the C8 headlamps on this thing and call it a day.

Edit: I'd make the rear look like this:

Those round taillights are the key to the vette if you ask me. But with that generation you don't need to find a way for air exit grills in the ass.

 

[miketd1]

If I may be a bit of a curmudgeon here (Me? LOL). All modern mid engine cars basically look the same.

Small nose, Side air intakes, big hips, goofy ass, the windscreen look like it's diving into the back of the hood.

Some do it better than others but I'll bet most people couldn't tell the difference between this and a new Vette.

The younger generations can spot subtle differences a mile a way.

They grew up on Gran Turismo and Forza games, complete with customizer that lets the user nerd out on miniscule details.

 

[RUScrew85]

The younger generations can spot subtle differences a mile a way.

They grew up on Gran Turismo and Forza games, complete with customizer that lets the user nerd out on miniscule details.

I was thinking about more of a non-car guy/gal.

But yeah I guess that's a different avenue for getting into being a car guy.

 

[miketd1]

Those round taillights are the key to the vette if you ask me. But with that generation you don't need to find a way for air exit grills in the ass.

I agree.

Ferrari finds a way to vent the rear and still have circular tail lights.

Personally, I'd take inspiration from the Pagani rear:

 

[mildone]

If I may be a bit of a curmudgeon here (Me? LOL). All modern mid engine cars basically look the same.

Small nose, Side air intakes, big hips, goofy ass, the windscreen look like it's diving into the back of the hood.

Some do it better than others but I'll bet most people couldn't tell the difference between this and a new Vette.

I agree most people wouldn't see much difference between the Aria and Corvette. But that's most people among the general population. Among car enthusiasts, the percentage of people who see the differences is much greater.

I think that there are some outright hideous angles of viewing for the C8 (I posted one such photo earlier in the thread). The press photos are carefully selected (as they are in all cars). But in some of the spy shots that aren't taken from carefully selected angles, the car just looks bad, especially around the air intakes at the rear fender.

And they gave the C8 too much wheel gap. Fill those damn wheel gaps. This is a sports car, not an SUV dammit! LOL

 

[miketd1]

I agree most people wouldn't see much difference between the Aria and Corvette. But that's most people among the general population. Among car enthusiasts, the percentage of people who see the differences is much greater.

Agree completely.

Porsches and McLarens tend to look the same through lineups that can significantly vary in price.

 

[mildone]

I think maybe Chevy got stuck trying to build an every man's mid-engine supercar at low cost.

For example, they didn't make the car as low as it should be, because that would wind up being too stiffly sprung, or else would require very expensive suspension components. They'll go lower with up-models because they can charge more and because people buying them will be true driving enthusiasts who understand the compromise between performance and comfort.

And at $60K, they had to carefully watch manufacturing and procurement costs - which supercars don't really ever do since they don't plan on selling many and they sell at very high prices.

And after thinking about it a bit more, the rear end looks like what happens when style conflicts with packaging constraints and, as @RUScrew85 mentioned earlier, cooling demands. It's expensive to build a car that can fit a hot running engine into an attractively shaped ass.

 

[mildone]

I'm really curious to see how well this car sells. I think it will do okay, if there are no major reliability issues. But will it sell as well as the C6 or C7?

I'm even more excited to see how well the C8 race car does. I suspect it will do even better than it's predecessors on track, and those predecessors racked up some pretty amazing accomplishments.

 

[jtung230]

I think the big draw here is that this will be a supercar performance that can be a DD.

 

[RUScrew85]

I agree.

Ferrari finds a way to vent the rear and still have circular tail lights.

Personally, I'd take inspiration from the Pagani rear:

Like mildone says earlier - Chevy is only getting $65K a pop. There's a limit to how much engineering you can spend to jam all that stuff in the back AND make it look great.

 

[RU Golfer]

I thought the Aria executed the idea better, especially the air duct into the rear quarter panel.

Stick the C8 headlamps on this thing and call it a day.

Edit: I'd make the rear look like this:

Got to love Eagle Eye taillights

 

[miketd1]

Like mildone says earlier - Chevy is only getting $65K a pop. There's a limit to how much engineering you can spend to jam all that stuff in the back AND make it look great.

C'mon, even Toyota can come up with a better rear-mid engine tail:

I guess I am let down because I was hoping for something more like:

 

[RU4Real]

C'mon, even Toyota can come up with a better rear-mid engine tail:

Um...

There's a considerable difference between packaging a 1.8 liter inline-4 and a 6.2 liter V8.

 

[miketd1]

Um...

There's a considerable difference between packaging a 1.8 liter inline-4 and a 6.2 liter V8.

I know that, but the end result didn't have to be this:

 

[RUScrew85]

Um...

There's a considerable difference between packaging a 1.8 liter inline-4 and a 6.2 liter V8.

Yeah I was going to ask where the air comes out in the MR2 then I realized what RU4Real is saying too.

 

[RUScrew85]

I know that, but the end result didn't have to be this:

Agree but, they wanted to go with Camaro styled lights and the bottom 1/4 was probably determined by aerodynamics so what's really left? Air gotta come out the sides. Do a spoiler delete if that's the only spoiler choice.

 

[miketd1]

Something more like this would have been better, IMO.

(Understood that Evora is a V6)

 

[ivan brunetti]

I agree.

Ferrari finds a way to vent the rear and still have circular tail lights.

Personally, I'd take inspiration from the Pagani rear:

Holy crap. The C-8 Corvette's rear is bad but this is far far WORSE. It looks like something an 8 year old would design. Paganis are like haute couture. Ugly just so everybody notices you.

 

[miketd1]

ivan: I used to think the exact same thing. But after a while, it actually grew on me. It's weird.

 

[mildone]

I think the big draw here is that this will be a supercar performance that can be a DD.

Yep. Although the C7 also had supercar performance in the up-models. As do the Mustang and Camaro. Car tech has come a long way.

I want to see one in person. If the styling is easier on the eyes in person, and there are no serious reliability issues, and the 0-60 time verifies, I could see picking one up and immediately swapping in some high-quality aftermarket suspension tech (to lower it, then align it and corner balance it properly), and some wider, lighter wheels. Even with the additional 15K for that stuff, the car would still be a pretty inexpensive sub-3.0 weekend toy, as mid-engine cars go.

 

[mildone]

C'mon, even Toyota can come up with a better rear-mid engine tail:

I guess I am let down because I was hoping for something more like:

I actually had an MR2. Underpowered, but it was sooo much fun to toss around corners (as long as it was dry - the car had a snap-oversteer problem in the rain).

 

[mildone]

Agree but, they wanted to go with Camaro styled lights and the bottom 1/4 was probably determined by aerodynamics so what's really left? Air gotta come out the sides. Do a spoiler delete if that's the only spoiler choice.

For me, it's not the presence of the vents that are the problem. It's the mishmash of body panel lines back there. The lines don't work right. They don't seem complimentary to the whole, I guess.

 

[mildone]

Something more like this would have been better, IMO.

(Understood that Evora is a V6)

Lotus seems to design some nice butts. Not always a fan of their front and side views, but they can look pretty bad-ass from behind, pun intended.

 

[miketd1]

mildone: not sure about your politics, but we certainly have similar car design sentiments.

 

[RUScrew85]

Lotus seems to design some nice butts. Not always a fan of their front and side views, but they can look pretty bad-ass from behind, pun intended.

I'm guessing 4cyl in there? Back vents seem smaller than the vette. Just saw a 6.

 

[RUScrew85]

For me, it's not the presence of the vents that are the problem. It's the mishmash of body panel lines back there. The lines don't work right. They don't seem complimentary to the whole, I guess.

Agree, I'm saying that the vents influence the mish mash.

 

[mildone]

mildone: not sure about your politics, but we certainly have similar car design sentiments.

Car design is way more important than politics. :)

Anyway, I have no politics. Politicians are a necessary evil. Political ideologies are all pure nonsense.

 

[mildone]

I'm guessing 4cyl in there? Back vents seem smaller than the vette. Just saw a 6.

Yeah, 3.5L V6.

 

[jtung230]

Yep. Although the C7 also had supercar performance in the up-models. As do the Mustang and Camaro. Car tech has come a long way.

I want to see one in person. If the styling is easier on the eyes in person, and there are no serious reliability issues, and the 0-60 time verifies, I could see picking one up and immediately swapping in some high-quality aftermarket suspension tech (to lower it, then align it and corner balance it properly), and some wider, lighter wheels. Even with the additional 15K for that stuff, the car would still be a pretty inexpensive sub-3.0 weekend toy, as mid-engine cars go.

so, you would immediately turn in into a non-DD car. LOL.....They actually added a feature that can lift the frontend by a few inches to make it more DD.

 

[miketd1]

From this angle, the car looks amazing...

 

[pawildcat]

Boring generic supercar styling at 60k.

Yes, but also not-boring supercar performance at 60K.

 

[mildone]

so, you would immediately turn in into a non-DD car. LOL.....They actually added a feature that can lift the frontend by a few inches to make it more DD.

Pretty much. Yup.

I couldn't live with the wheel arch gap of the base model. In truth, I'd be more interested in the up-models that come out than this base model. And those are likely to have wider wheels and lowered suspensions stock anyway. Especially a ZR1 version.

Although they'll also likely be a lot more than 60K.

 

[mildone]

From this angle, the car looks amazing...

That's one of the better angles. But still not amazing in my opinion.

Wheel arch gaps are still much too big. And even with that relatively low resolution photo, looking at the sides of the car make it seem almost like it was in a fender-bender accident to me, due to all the different and non-complimentary angles. I just want to yank off the body work and put on something much smoother.

It kind of reminds me of a stealth plane's multi-faceted surfaces. Maybe it's highly resistant to radar. LOL

 

[miketd1]

They certainly could have gone with simpler lines, but then they'd risk looking too similar to McLaren's new "GT".

 

[mildone]

They certainly could have gone with simpler lines, but then they'd risk looking too similar to McLaren's new "GT".

I’m not loving the rear fender/intake area in that either. But at least it doesn’t look like the body panels were designed by a guy suffering from a blend of ADHD, Crack withdrawal, and Tourette’s syndrome. :)