The Corvette C8 will never get a manual because no one buys them: engineer

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8Chevrolet The C8 Corvette is changing the game in a lot of ways for Chevrolet: it is, of course, the first mid-engined sports car its ever built. And weve now learned it is, unfortunately, the brands first sports car to forego a staple of the segment: the manual transmission.In a conversation with Motor Authority at the cars reveal, lead engineer Tadge Juechter simply said No when asked if the manual transmission would make an appearance in the C8.We couldnt find anybody honestly whod be willing to do it. Because just like the automatic, the DCT, it would have to be a bespoke manual, Juechter said.Its low volume, very expensive. The reason is its a low-volume industry. That industry is dying building manual transmissions.The numbers have changed vastly from when the Corvette first appeared on the scene, he said; now only 15 per cent of Corvette buyers choose the manual. Every year it goes down, down, down, down, Juechter lamented. Ouch. So not only will people not buy them, Chevrolet cant even get anybody to build them one at a decent cost, but it makes sense considering the requirements the C8 had for a transmission.According to Jeuchter, there isnt much room behind the driver to fit the engine, let alone the transmission, so it had to be compact. The engine is already dry-sumped to give it a small oil pan, and all the cooling devices associated with the engine also needed a place to go. Also, there had to be a place for the owners golf clubs, and thats more important than any performance options.Making the engine anything but an automatic posed too many problems for the team, so the manual was not even considered, marking the end of the row-your-own Corvette. Will you miss
Origin: The Corvette C8 will never get a manual because no one buys them: engineer

Don’t forget about the C8 Corvette convertible

The mid-engined 2020 Corvette has debuted to some serious fanfare (and criticism, but well ignore that for now), but Chevrolet actually discreetly revealed two cars, which you might not have even noticed.Famously, the Corvette has always come in two body styles, Coupe with Targa roof (or T-tops) and a convertible, and the C8 is no exception.During Chevrolets presentation to reveal the revolutionary C8 Corvette, they waited until the very end to share the convertible version with us, and we have to say, it looks great. The flying buttresses make a comeback for the first time since the C3, replacing the glass roof panel that would have let you peek at the engine. Instead of a removable roof panel, the photos show that the top likely folks underneath a panel that doubles as an engine cover.No official details were provided for the convertible variant, but we can expect it will have the same 490-horsepower 6.2-litre V8 coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission as the standard coupe, along with the Z51 package that adds another 5 horsepower. Traditionally, a convertible variant of a sports car has a slower 0-100 time, but since the C8 started life as a Targa, theres a possibility that it may not be affected.As for the price, the Corvette C8 convertible will likely command a small premium over the standard Targa style as it has done in the past, usually about $5,000. Availability has not been announced, but it took a while for Chevrolet to release the convertible version of the C7 as well, so well wait with bated breath
Origin: Don’t forget about the C8 Corvette convertible

What are people saying about the mid-engine C8 Corvette?

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8Chevrolet With the introduction of the most radical Corvette, weve listened to the internet to see what people generally think about it. The results really couldnt be more polarizing, there are arguments for every imaginable facet of the C8, as well as arguments against it.Chevrolets quoted 3.0 seconds to 60 mph (96 km/h) is rather impressive, and thats just for the base model with 495 horsepower, there will be faster Corvettes coming soon.A lot of the complaining seems to be about the styling, rather than the performance. A lot of the comments claim that the car looks like a wannabe Ferrari, although perhaps looking like a Ferrari isnt the worst thing you can say about a car. Comparisons to the NSX have also been made, but most people seem to think that the design isnt cohesive and that the front and rear end dont match up with the side view, some calling it horrendous, and others claiming that other cars of the same mid-engined layout may have somehow commenced in car coitus to produce it.New #Corvette is a dogs dinner. There I said it Oliver Knowles (@OKnowles) July 19, 2019My stars and stripes this new #corvette is amazing looking. Very transformative. Almost like a 21st century version of the NSX maybe. But American. And actually fast. Dean Mitchell (@phan8787) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram IDK HOW I FEEL!..😩 The front reminds me of a frs, rear looks like the camaro, Windows are like the camaro, front has camaro look too.. ughhh.. idk.. if i do get it, its gonna have ALOT OF CHANGES AND WORK done! Dosent seem like a Corvette ANYMORE!😣🤔🚘 #reveal #corvette #chevy #chevrolet A post shared by 💯⚠🤢Green Goblin😈🚘🔥 (@goblinvette) on Jul 18, 2019 at 9:17pm PDTA few less-than descriptive comments include Worst Vette ever!!!!, countered with best Vette since the 1963 327, a bold claim. More bold claims sprout out of that love for those original 1960s cars as well, with comments saying that the C8 is ruining history, while some others say its taken them 50 years to get the car right. The practical minded point out that the new configuration will be a chore to work on.#corvette #c8 Love the new car. I want one. However! I also think it will be a chore to work on. Project Jupiter (@ProjectJupiter) July 19, 2019People also dont seem to be complaining too much about the price, which is fairly nice. In Canada, the C8 Corvette will start at $70,000, which seriously undercuts pretty much everything its competing against, and also comes close to the BMW Z4/Toyota Supra, which really begs the question why you would buy that over the C8. pic.twitter.com/s4tU0m4R2q Grumpy Pilot (@FedoraHatCasey1) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram Chevy just changed the game forever 😈🚀 This Corvette is going to be such an AMAZING value around $60,000. The 6.2 liter NA V8 (LT2) gives it 495 horsepower and 470 lb/ft of torque, bringing it from 0-60 mph in UNDER 3 SECONDS! 🔥 Paired with an 8 Speed Tremec Dual-Clutch, this thing will be an animal. Leave your thoughts on it below! ⬇️ This car is officially a $60,000 supercar 🚀 . . . . . . . . #chevy #corvette #c8 #c8corvette #corvettefamily #corvettelifestyle #supercar #v8 #racecar #chevrolet #chevycorvette #corvettez06 #z06 #c7z #c6z #musclecar #sportscar #fastcar #carsofinsta A post shared by LS❌ Hub (@lsx.hub) on Jul 19, 2019 at 6:55am PDTGot to customize options for the new #Corvette #Stingray and she looks as good in yellow as I thought she would. Seriously think I need one. #goals #mynextcar pic.twitter.com/CGX2ABwFqC Michelle Lackey Maynor (@badlady53) July 19, 2019So C8 is pretty cool, or it sucks, depending on who you ask. What do you think of the 2020 Chevrolet Fiero? Er Corvette?That new @chevrolet #Corvette is a beast. A 6.2L V8 mid-engine that puts out 495HP, 470 ft-lbs of torque and does 0-60 in 3 seconds!? I never really was a huge fan of Corvettes but the #C8 might make me a believer. Mathew Poynter (@mathew_poynter) July 19, 2019 View this post on Instagram This is the truth atm for me what do you think? I’m going to wait for the Z06 model and they should have all the kinks out by then. @corvettelifestyle for credits #corvette #cars #carsofinstagram #sportscar #chevrolet #instagram #car #speed #exoticcars #supercars #musclecars #dream #love #marvel #deadpool #single #freedom #life #respect #racecar #adrenaline #power #beastmode #fun #beautiful #lifestyle #funny #funnymemes #me A post shared by DeadPool (@dp_vette) on Jul 19, 2019 at 9:11am PDTAnd if you have nothing better to do for a couple of hours, check out the whole spectrum of comments responding to Chevrolets reveal tweet:Its a mid-engine masterpiece. Introducing the 2020 Chevrolet #Corvette #Stingray. pic.twitter.com/0WLEBMp2xX Chevrolet (@chevrolet) July 19,
Origin: What are people saying about the mid-engine C8 Corvette?

First Look: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

LOS ANGELES, Calif. When did the good folks at General Motors become such wizards at PR?Ham-handed at times, and occasionally downright counterproductive they can be, but when it comes to the mid-engine Corvette, The General has been playing us you, the consumer, and we, the media like a Stradivarius.Dribbling out information like pronouncements from the mount, the unveiling of a Chevrolet-badged mid-engine supercar has turned July 18 into the automotive media event of the year.So, never mind that theyve been spooning out details like were toddlers in high chairs. Or that we all already knew, thanks to the most easily-accessed spy photos in the history of new automobiles, every angle of its silhouette. Ignore the fact that, even though Driving was given a super-secret, hush-hush advanced briefing by none other than Tadge Juechter, the C8s chief engineer, we still dont know all the performance metrics of this new Corvette.Yes, all that aside, heres what we know, what we think we know and even to paraphrase the immortal Donald Rumsfeld what we dont know we dont know about Chevys new C8 Corvette. They really were worried Corvette loyalists would hate the C8Rumours that GM execs were worried the Corvettes traditional audience old, male and shirtless, according to one brutally honest wag would hate the new mid-engined C8 were absolutely spot-on. Indeed, according to Juechter, rumours Chevy would produce the C8 and C7 simultaneously as a sop to all those hairy-chested geriatrics were at one point true, GM execs hedging their bets in a fine example of Detroit mawkish indecision.But, as Juechter tells it, as soon as they saw the first rendition of the new C8, all plans for a C7 continuation were dropped. According to Automobile magazines 2014 Man of the Year, thats because the new mid-engine Vette is stunningly gorgeous. But I also suspect a large measure of newfound confidence came from the fact that, from the front or rear dead-on, the C8 looks very much like a refreshed mildly refreshed C7. Oh, some angles and creases have changed, but from directly behind or ahead, theres no mistaking the C8 for anything other than an evolution of the Corvette.From the side, however, the C8 looks all genuine mid-engined supercar, and a truly gorgeous rendition at that. From almost every perspective, the new Vette looks purposeful in its aerodynamics, subtle in its proportions and positively dynamic in its stance.Oh, there will be critics. A few nay-sayers will compare it to a McLaren-cloned this or deride it as an NSX-derived that. Then there will be those who will call the styling too American-centric, as if that were insult.They would be dunderheads. The new C8 is, in a word, stunning.The (base) engine is another ode to Corvette’s pastThe only truly solid powerplant information we have is about the base 6.2-litre small-block V8. Juechter cites compact dimensions (important for space considerations in a mid-engined car), a low centre-of-gravity (c-of-g is allegedly right around the drivers inner hip to allow better steering feedback) and sufficiently attractive looks all those hide-bound loyalists will no doubt be thrilled by the large 3.2-mm-thick glass panel in the rear hatch shows off the LT2 as reasons to stick with the small-block.Its unlikely anyone will be disappointed with the performance. Thanks to a new intake system and a wild set of immaculately crafted individual equal-length up-and-over headers, the LT2 pumps out 495 horsepower (at 6,450 rpm) and 470 pound-feet of torque (at 5,150 rpm), the most horsepower and torque for any entry-level model in Corvette history. It will be mated to a new Tremec-sourced eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle. No, there will not be a manual offered, the new C8 yet another resounding admission the stick-shift transmission is all but dead.As with previous Corvette gearboxes, 7th and 8th gears are essentially overdrives, the LT2 loafing as low as 1,200 rpm on the highway. Second through 6th, meanwhile, are track-ready close-ratios, for minimal rpm drop between shifts. Most impressive, however, says Juechter, is how short first gear will be. You wont believe how hard this car launches, still talking about the base small-block.In fact, if Chevrolets testing is right, the new Corvette is going to be scary-fast. Officially, GM claims the new C8 will break the three-second barrier to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometres per hour). That would indicate even the slowest C8 will be a genuine three-second zero-to-100-km/h supercar. On the spec sheet at least, the base C8 would seem a real challenge to lesser McLarens and Lamborghinis.Were basically certain Chevy is sticking with the overhead-valve layout, at least in the base car, so loyalists will be comforted by the rhythmic clickety-clack of the pushrods know and love. As Juechter puts it, its a true big-bore Corvette sound. If you dont like the sound of the small-block, youre not going to like this one, because it sounds just
Origin: First Look: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Corvette courts Ferrari fans with a mid-engine sports car

The mid-engine Corvette is finally coming.Handout / Chevrolet Barry Grussner has been a Corvette junkie since he was a high school kid in the 1960s. He fawned over the original two-seater until he was able to buy his first, a used 1962 model.Eight Corvettes later, Grussner is one of the first to have reserved the radically changed car that General Motors is showing off Thursday near Los Angeles and will start producing this summer.CEO Mary Barra will be at the event to unveil the first-ever Corvette with the engine built into the middle of the car, just behind the two seats.Its a design approach that the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari have taken for years to better balance the weight of the car onto the wheels and improve handling. It also pushes the cabin forward and raises the back haunches, making the car look more like a cat thats ready to pounce.You get an engine in back like Porsches and Ferraris, said Grussner, 71, who owns a machine shop in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, Michigan. With a mid-engine, its going to be a great handling car, and if it looks like the sketches Ive seen, it will look great too.At a time when consumers are far more interested in SUVs and investors are keen to hear about carmakers plans to deploy futuristic robotaxis, an all-new Corvette seems so 1998. The market share for sports cars has been shrinking for several years. Yet GM is adding 400 workers and a second production shift at its plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in a big bet on booming demand for a re-imagined American icon.Its an audacious move. As Baby Boomers have gotten older, theyve been leaving sports cars for sport utility vehicles with more space and creature comforts. Corvette sales have fallen every year since 2014, including a 25-per-cent drop last year to less than 19,000 units. Sales are down another 10 per cent this year as GM prepares to bring out the newest-generation car.GMs biggest challenge may have less to do with appealing to existing owners than with getting a new generation of sports-car enthusiasts to take a look. To do that, Chevy will have to overcome less-than-ideal generalizations about who buys Corvettes.The hold-back for younger buyers with Corvette has not been the engine location. Its the image, said Eric Noble, president of The CarLab, a consulting firm in Orange, California. The image is some old white guy with a mustache whos on his third wife.Chevy is trying to appeal to first-time buyers with new technology features in the car, GM spokesman Chris Bonelli said, without elaborating on what new gadgets the new Corvette will offer.Plenty of Corvette die-hards are lining up for the car. Paul Stanford, who owns one of the largest Corvette dealerships in the U.S., said he has 170 people who have put down a couple thousand dollars to get on the waiting list and reserve one. He said GM is telling its dealers that they expect to be able to steal away some buyers of high-end European brands.People looking at these $250,000 mid-engine cars will look at this and see true value, said Stanford, whose Chevrolet store is in Dearborn, Michigan. Chevy is looking for a big opportunity with this car. Corvette buffs have been clamoring for a mid-engine sports car since GM first brought the model to life in 1953, said Kelly Ryan, president of the Corvette Club of America. While its controversial among front-engine fans, he thinks its the right move.This will be a giant step forward, Ryan said. Its about time. Ill buy one.With a starting price on the current model of $56,000 for the entry-level Stingray, Corvette has sold well in part by offering high performance for far less than European sports cars. But while the mid-engine configuration may improve handling, it also may make the car less appealing as a daily driver, CarLabs Noble said.Ryan said younger members are joining the Corvette Club and that he expects the new car to accelerate that generational shift. He sees the mid-engine debate as nothing compared with what the future holds.I figure in five years well see an electric Corvette, Ryan said. This may be the last major change to a Corvette that runs on gasoline.If Ryan is right, the die-hards will really have something to argue about
Origin: Corvette courts Ferrari fans with a mid-engine sports car

New Chevrolet Corvette could get hybrid or electric versions

The new mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette will feature electrified powertrains in the future – with a full electric version under consideration. The new C8 version of the two-seater was launched in Los Angeles, with the initial Corvette Stingray model featuring a 495bhp, 470lb ft 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. Chevrolet sources have confirmed the powertrain has been designed to allow for electrification, with insiders suggesting mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and, while less likely, full electric versions were being considered. Asked if an electrified Corvette might feature a mild hybrid battery-based starter motor, or use a small electric engine to provide four-wheel drive, one project member said: “You would not look stupid if you said that.” When asked by Autocar about future electrified variants of the Corvette, the president of Chevrolet parent company General Motors, Mark Reuss, said: “The company is committed to a strategy of 0-0-0: zero emissions, zero crashes and zero congestion. All of the technology rolling into this vehicle is meant to support that. This platform can carry a lot of different things into the future for General Motors.” Pressed on whether a fully electric Corvette was under consideration, Reuss said: “We’ll see. Stay tuned.” Reuss did confirm that the Corvette would be produced in right-hand drive and will be sold in European markets, which will most likely include the UK. The outgoing C7 model was only available with a limited number of British dealers. Chevrolet sources have confirmed that a convertible version of the Corvette will follow the coupé “in relatively short order”. Paul
Origin: New Chevrolet Corvette could get hybrid or electric versions

A British farewell to the C7-gen Chevrolet Corvette

This is going to be a most pleasant day. I have been tasked with the challenge of driving from the Brooklands motor museum in Weybridge to Brighton without using a motorway and preferably not using a dual carriageway. “Is it still possible,” asked the editor, “to enjoy driving on Britain’s congested roads?” It most certainly is. A couple of weeks ago, I joined some friends on a navigational rally around the Surrey hills followed by a pleasant lunch. It helped that I was driving an Alpine A110, but it would have been a wonderful day out in a Morris Minor. It’s going to help a great deal that today we are driving a brand new Corvette Grand Sport. The car has been loaned by Ian Allan Motors of Virginia Water who, as you have probably seen from their advertisements in the print version of Autocar, are the sole UK supplier of Corvettes and Camaros. More to the point, the Corvette has now been replaced by a new mid-engined C8 model and only a handful of EU type-approved cars are left. Allan has taken the immensely bold step of buying up 60 Corvettes and Camaros so that UK enthusiasts won’t go short. Including, on a temporary basis at least, this one. So let’s get cracking. Lovely weather but a few showers forecasted. Kevin Hurl at Ian Allan Motors had a red Grand Sport coupé lined up for us but someone bought it last week so he’s registered another Grand Sport from his secret stash. It’s red, it’s automatic and it’s a convertible. And he doesn’t want it back for several days. Goodwin is in his element. Not only did I grow up in Surrey but I was a motorbike courier based in Guildford for a year, so the Brooklands to Brighton route is right in my manor. I’m certainly not going to mess about with the car’s sat-nav and I probably won’t bother with the paper map that I’ve brought along. Our managing editor, Damien Smith, told me about a trip he’d done from Surrey to Williams’ headquarters near Wantage that inspired this feature. “I only,” he boasted proudly, “used a very short bit of dual carriageway.” I shall do better than that. I’m determined to not use an inch. By the time we’ve collected the Corvette and got to Brooklands, we are in the middle of what I call ‘the 10 o’clock sweet spot’. Van drivers are still loading up and mummies have dropped the kids off at school and have now put the X5 away and decamped to the coffee shop. And if you think I’m being sexist, come to Weybridge. The Corvette Grand Sport is wide, but the standard Stingray is actually two inches narrower than a Jaguar F-Type. Unlike the C6 model that we ran for one long-term test many years ago, it has straight edges on the top of its front wings so that it’s not too difficult to place on the road. Just as well because my route has taken us directly to some very narrow roads. We’ve crossed the A3 at Cobham and have run virtually parallel to it through the village of Ockham and then past the old Tyrrell Formula 1 factory. It’s now the home of an Italian cake decorations company. The buildings are as they were and even the old woodshed where Ken started it all is kept in perfect condition. Hard to imagine that a world championship-winning team was run from this small yard. Past another local motoring landmark, Bell Colvill, the Lotus dealers in East Horsley. Bobby Bell and Martin Colvill often used to have one of their classics in the showroom – a GT40 or BRM P160, perhaps – so this is another one of my regular haunts. I also went for a job in their service department in the 1980s but fortunately didn’t get it. We’re now on the route of the Olympic cycling road race and it’s surprising that we’re not surrounded by retired men in Lycra. You get a view right across to London from the high ground up here, including the Shard. The entry-level Corvette is the Stingray, and like this Grand Sport it’s powered by a naturally aspirated version of the classic Chevrolet small-block pushrod V8 that produces 466bhp. The most powerful ’Vette is the Z06, which uses a 659bhp supercharged version of the same engine. More money, more weight and a few tenths knocked off the 0-60mph time, with a top speed of 193mph against our car’s 180mph. All meaningless figures. What matters is the emotional appeal of cars like this and the sense of occasion. We’re now in the chocolate-box village of Shere, busy as usual with ramblers. A pub called The William Bray has the builders in and here we have another connection with Tyrrell: the landlord used to be ex-Tyrrell driver Julian Bailey. I once saw a band play here that had Eddie Jordan on the drums. We’re on single-track lanes here, cut into the Surrey hills with steep banks and passing places. In a big car like the Corvette, you simply have to think ahead and be relaxed, happy to give way. I had a massive moment on these roads in a Beetle when I was a teenager. The brakes went and I had to use the handbrake and bounce the car off the earth embankments to try to slow it down. Past
Origin: A British farewell to the C7-gen Chevrolet Corvette

These innovations defined the Corvette as we know it

The new Corvette makes an appearance at GMs Motorama car event in 1953.General Motors That the Corvette is here at all is a marvel. Designed as a plastic dream car purely to dazzle car-show-goers, the Corvette has survived multiple GM mutinies and a corporate bankruptcy. Along the way, moments passed that inarguably define Corvette.This is our list of the occasions and innovations that made the Corvette the fast, enduring and lovable car it is today.The V8Its common knowledge the Corvette was launched with the laggardly and un-sexy Chevrolet Stovebolt six-cylinder, so nicknamed for the shape of its head studs. But what GM really wanted to use was Cadillacs 331-cubic-inch OHV V8. Cadillac was then truly the Standard of the World, and was revolted by the idea of sharing its fine engine with a lowly Chevrolet. Thus, the Corvette soldiered on with the straight-six warbling through triple single-barrel carbs.But by 1955, a savior had arisen. The small-block Chevy V8 was nothing short of a revolution. Back then, it measured 265 cubic inches, it was light, it was compact and it was powerful. The Corvette had finally found its engine. The V8 added a much needed dose of power, and a new-for-1955 three-speed manual helped it scoot along even better. The Corvette was inching closer to becoming a real sports car.Literally Zora Arkus-DuntovZora Arkus-Duntov was undoubtedly a mechanical genius and a born racer. His first motorized vehicle was a 350-cc motorcycle that he raced. His parents worried this was too dangerous and told him to buy a car, which they believed would be safer. He bought a race car. He started working at General Motors in 1953, and by 1957 he had developed a performance camshaft for the Corvette that became known as the Duntov Cam; it was used in the gnarliest Corvette engines right up until 1963.Whereas most of GM management was content to let the Corvette stay a sporty-looking boulevardier, Duntov insisted it be a true sports car of the highest order and rarely settled for less. Mr. Duntov may not be the reason the Corvette still exists, but he is the reason it became a real sports car.His fingerprints are all over Corvette innovations, and he was a fixture in the Corvette world, giving his last Corvette presentation just six weeks before his death. His ashes are buried at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky (Im not kidding) and he will always be Mr. Corvette.The Fuel InjectionThe first fuel-injected production car was the world-beating Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing of 1954 complete with lambskin fuel filter! Just two years later, in 1956 (for the 1957 model year), Chevrolet made the second-ever fuel-injected production car engine when it installed a Rochester mechanical fuel injection system onto its top-spec 283-cubic-inch V8. The engine made exactly 283 hp, said GM, or one horsepower per cubic inch, a feat few had achieved in a production engine.The fuel-injected engine made the Corvette downright fast, and with acceleration gears, zero to 60 mph could be pulled off in under 6.0 seconds, a staggering number for the late 1950s. Though the injected 283 established the Corvette as a global leader in engineering, it wasnt exactly perfect. The mill was difficult to tune and very sensitive to adjustments, and most shops couldnt figure out how to work on the space-age piece of equipment.As such, most street cars and race cars removed the injection setup for the less efficient but doubtlessly practical dual four-barrel carburetors. Nonetheless, the fuel-injected classic Corvette soldiered on until 1965, reaching a peak output of 375 hp from 327 cubic inches.The Independent Rear SuspensionRace car tech has always had a way of trickling into street cars, and in the early 1960s, the tech the best cars had to have was independent rear suspension (IRS). Jaguar had lead the way on that front with the 1961 E-Type, a year that still saw live axles under cars like the Ferrari, Maserati and Corvette. By 1963, only one would adopt the new tech Corvette. The IRS system had been lobbied for heavily by Duntov, but Chevy execs were finding trouble seeing the value of making an entirely new rear suspension not shared with any other GM model.Various mid-engined CERV prototypes were made to prove the efficacy of the new setup and in the end, the bean counters acquiesced as long as Duntov agreed to use off-the-shelf parts for the Corvettes front suspension to save money. The rear suspension of the C2 (and C3) Corvette uses the half-shafts as the upper suspension arms, and then has typical lower suspension arms.The unique part is the Corvette uses a single transverse leaf spring to suspend all of this instead of two upright coil springs. The transverse leaf keeps the weight of the spring itself lower in the chassis and intrudes less into the cargo space. The independent rear suspension sprung the Corvette into the next era of sports cars.The Big-Block EnginesCorvettes had always been fast, but
Origin: These innovations defined the Corvette as we know it

66 Years of Corvette complaints: a history of hating America

A 1977 Chevrolet Corvette.Chevrolet The Corvette is Americas sports car. Sure, it wasnt the first to come along, and it has seen plenty of competitors come and go, but GMs plastic two-seater remains the favourite sports car of a nation.Today we have the National Corvette Museum, where various models are enshrined (when they arent being restored from sinkhole damage).And on any given weekend, you can find several Corvettes (along with their fashionably dressed owners) at basically any classic car show.Still, the Corvette has not existed free of criticism. From its troubled beginning as a flimsy show car, professional car reviewers have not held back on sharing their honest opinions on the Corvette.Having been obsessed with Corvettes since well, before I was eating solid foods, Ive built a veritable library of period road tests of the model. And so on the eve of the C8s debut, I pored over my collection of Corvette road tests and found the rudest things reviewers said about each of the seven generations so far.C1: 1953 to 1962The production C1 Corvette was born haphazardly out of GMs Motorama show, and its kinda evident when examined up close. Most reviewers were simply happy Chevrolet was actually building the thing, but it wasnt all roses. Especially in the handling department.A driving impression not entirely favorable concerns cornering, said Motor Life in 1954. The outlet said it showed a definite unwillingness to tuck back in after flinging the back end out in a corner, and mentioned that the ride was not as comfortable as other Chevrolets.From its clean design in 53, the Corvette had grown a smattering of Harley-Earl-dictated chrome details by 1958, some of which displeased the editors of SCI magazine. They disliked the washboard-like phony louvers on the hood and Pontiac-like chrome strips on the trunk. In regards to handling, the magazine said it would simply plow right off the road as power was applied. Hardly high praise!Yes, the C1 Corvette had a handling problem, and by 1961 it still hadnt gone away. When either end of the Corvette does swing out in a corner, it swings pretty quickly and without much warning , so some vigilance is required said SCI in a 1961 road test. In 1962, Motor Trend found the ergonomics rather poor and the build quality even worse, but still said the car was completely satisfying.They said the steering wheel is mounted in a vertical position and most drivers will find it too close.It also leaves little room between the drivers lap and the bottom of the rim. This and the miserably mounted throttle pedal (it kept falling off) are the only real beefs we have about this otherwise completely satisfying car. So the C1 was ill-handling, was (in some years) covered with chrome trinkets and had old-world ergonomics. But lots of that would change in 1963.C2: 1963 to 1967The C2 Corvette was a revolution. Benchmarked against the new Jaguar E-Type during development, the C2 was fast, beautiful, and technically advanced. Made only for a short spell, the C2 is now the classic Corvette. But what drawbacks did the car have when it was new?I tried to find evidence to support the oft-repeated tale that reviewers found the split rear window annoying and found absolutely nothing to support that. Even when turning a critical eye to the car, most reviewers had very few bad things to say about it. Some equated it with the contemporary Ferrari 250 GT. But it wasnt perfect.In 1963, Car and Driver said On bumpy turns its at its worst, veering freely from one course to another, making high-frequency corrections standard operating procedure. Regarding the four-wheel drum brakes, the magazine noted fade is easily provoked. Four-wheel discs would be introduced in 1965 to quell that issue.But by 1967, Car and Driver was still unhappy about the handling. The Sting-Ray rides softly and vaguelyyoure never sure what the car is trying to tell you, editors wrote. In all, reviews here were fairly positive. Maybe the C2s classic status is well-earned.C3: 1968 to 1982The C3 is possibly the most misunderstood car ever made. Its definitely the most misunderstood Corvette. I own a beat-up 1970 model, and nearly caught fire after I claimed it was the second-best Corvette generation of them all. Over its lengthy 14-year run from 1968 to 1982, it morphed from a no-nonsense sports car bristling with power and seething with lumpy-cam attitude; to an overweight, outdated fashion statement on aluminum wheels.The fastest and most powerful Corvettes of the classic era were C3s and the slowest and least powerful V8 Corvettes were also C3s. The complaints I found for the C3 reflect this shift.Early complaints for chrome-bumper cars like mine point to its brutal, animalistic nature. In 1968, Car Life said, The 427 rides like a truck. It shakes so badly on normal roadways that you have to hang on to the wheel just to keep it from bouncing out of your grip. The fiberglass body twists like a snake, and the big V-8
Origin: 66 Years of Corvette complaints: a history of hating America

2020 Corvette confirmed to wear ‘Stingray’ badge, steering wheel teased

Just as the eighth generation defines the Corvette formula, so does its steering wheel with its leather-wrapped, squared-off shape to enhance visibility and comfort.Chevrolet Chevrolet confirmed July 15 that the 2020 next-gen Corvette will continue to wear the Stingray badge first reintroduced on the C7, and also showed off the upcoming cars new two-spoke steering wheel.The C8-generation Corvette bows in just three more days, on July 18, and with anticipation running high, the automaker has been teasing some final bits and pieces of the cars to build hype to a crescendo.Besides its own efforts, a handful of leaked images of the new car have been stoking conversations, too. As was expected, the C8 Corvette seems to have inspired some divisiveness among enthusiasts, even just from those blurry photos and subtle teasers.Some fans, for example, took to criticizing the functionality and design of the new steering wheel as soon as Chevrolet showed it off last week and implied itd already soured them on the rest of the car. Others pushed back, noting two-spoke wheels are not uncommon in motorsports.At least the cars use of the Stingray name shouldnt prove too controversial. Sting Ray first showed up on the second-gen C2 Corvette, in 1963, then became one word Stingray when stuck to the fenders of the C3 in 1968. The badge was dropped in 1976, before the C3 generation saw its end in 1982.Chevrolet said July 8 the Corvette C8s full reveal on July 18 in Orange County, California will be livestreamed online, at 10:30 EDT (7:30 PDT). Following the reveal and through to early 2020, the new Corvette will go on a tour of some 125 U.S. dealerships on the East and West
Origin: 2020 Corvette confirmed to wear ‘Stingray’ badge, steering wheel teased