Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.What might be the most expensive Corvette ever is going up for saleWhen it comes to Corvettes, none is more coveted than the L88. So when this, the first 1967 Corvette L88 to ever be produced according to Hagerty, goes up for sale at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, it’s expected to break sales records. The rare V8-powered car comes with a pedigree including a few SCCA race wins with Tony DeLorenzo behind the wheel, and is expected to fetch upwards of US$4 million at the classic car auction. Rear-end photos of the next-gen Corvette leak days before official revealIt’s mere days before GM is set to officially reveal the new Chevrolet Corvette, but just like a spoiled 9-year-old one day before his birthday party, we just can’t help sneaking a peek through the wrapping paper. An image posted on corvetteforum.com and reposted to Instagram appears to show the back side of the mid-engined Chevy, revealing tail lights that remind some of the Camaro. Take a look-see if you’re into spoilers, or hold off just a few more days until July 18.Hyundai says the Santa Cruz-inspired pickup truck is coming very soonHyundai is hoping to generate a “whole new class of buyers” with its first pickup truck, which it says should be on the way shortly. Details and specs haven’t been revealed just yet, so we’re still imagining something close to the five-seat crossover-style Santa Cruz concept truck Hyundai revealed over four years ago. The South Korean brand will likely build the trucks in the U.S. to avoid the 25-per-cent tariff on imports. We get behind the wheel of the 2020 Toyota GR Supra for the first timeIt’s been 21 years since the last Supra was produced, so when Toyota decided to bring it back for a 2020 model year, it only made sense to make it the brand’s sportiest production car ever. And the sportiest Toyota it is. Our experts can confirm it, having recently taken the car out for a first drive on Quebec’s Circuit Mont Tremblant. Sharing a platform with the BMW Z4, the Supra isn’t just a Bimmer dressed by Toyota. As Costa Mouzouris puts it, “the Supra looks and feels completely different, and returns a driving experience that is more visceral and more intense.”Gender reveal burnout goes wrong—congratulations, it’s an explosion!And just like that, with the ignition and explosion of an Australian muscle car, we’ve reached Peak Gender Reveal. Because instead of opting to cut into a blue or pink cake cloaked in white icing, or open a box full of pink or blue balloons, one Australian dad decided to announce the sex of his new child using the spinning rear tires of a V8 Holden Special Vehicles Senator. But before the blue smoke had stopped swirling, a fire broke out, resulting in an explosion and the destruction of the Australian muscle car. Nobody was hurt, but the driver was fined and the video of the incident is now being used as an educational tool by Australian police. Five reasons we can’t wait to drive the 2020 Shelby GT500People deal with excitement in various ways. Driving’s expert Alex Reid, for one, makes lists. This week, with the anticipation of the new 2020 Shelby GT500 becoming simply too much to bear, the auto journalist began documenting and organizing the reasons he’s excited to drive Ford’s new pony. First, at the heart of the matter is what the brand calls “the world’s most torque-dense V8,” making 760 horsepower and 625 lb.-ft. of torque. And then there’s the history, which dates back to Texas in 1965. Read the rest of the list to further benefit from our writer’s fastidious nervous twitch. GM recalls 500,000 trucks due to “hard” brakes and defrosters that could start firesA probe into faulty power braking systems in some GM trucks and SUVS has escalated into a full-blown recall of around 300,000 new GM trucks and SUVs across Canada. The fault lies in a deteriorating vacuum that assists the power brakes, which can lead to a hard brake pedal and less effective braking. A second recall is targeting nearly 160,000 trucks with potentially glitchy rear window defrosters that could overheat and possibly start a fire. Click the link above to see if you’re GM truck or SUV might be affected.
Origin: News Roundup: A US$4-mil ‘67 Corvette heads to auction, a gender reveal burnout ends in flames and more top stories
Corvette
This ’67 up for sale may be the most expensive Corvette ever
This is a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88, one of the most powerful and rarest cars to ever come out of America, and its coming up for auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.In case you are unaware of the L88, that letter and two digits carry a pretty hefty weight in the automobile world.While the 427 Tri-Power was the hot rod most people could put in their driveway, the L88 required a little more cajones to own, and had almost one-quarter more of the Vettes base price tag added onto it.The big news is the engine: the 427-cubic-inch V8 in the L88 boasted 12.5:1 compression, a 850-cfm Holley carburetor, and was essentially a rectangular-ported-head monster.Chevrolet said it made 430 horsepower, but in reality, output was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 500. It was a full-blown race engine you could put in your skinny-tired plastic two-seater.According to Hagerty, this is the first L88 Corvette to roll off the production line, making it exceptionally special, as well as exceptionally valuable. It also has the benefit of some storied race history at the hands of Tony DeLorenzo, who piloted it to a few SCCA victories. The car has been restored a few times, and now sits in original showroom configuration.A concours-restored number-one-condition 1967 L88 set records at auction not long ago when it sold for US$3.45 million. This L88 isnt in as good a shape, being described as a number-two-plus, but being the first L88 ever built could help it hit a high number.Hagerty predicts this L88 will sell for approximately 20 per cent more than the previous best-selling Corvette L88, which means it could go above the US$4-million
Origin: This ’67 up for sale may be the most expensive Corvette ever
Chevrolet Corvette: iconic sports car meets Britain’s country lanes
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 is about to be 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: Chevrolet Corvette: iconic sports car meets Britain’s country lanes
Vancouver man arrested after refusing to get out of someone else’s Corvette
A man was arrested Sunday in Vancouvers West End after trying to claim someone elses convertible sports car as his own.The owner of an open-top convertible called Vancouver police about 6 p.m. on Sunday to say he had returned to his parked Chevrolet Corvette supercar in the Sunset Beach parking lot to find a stranger had climbed inside the vehicle through the open roof and was sitting in the drivers seat without his consent.The owner asked the man to leave but he refused, prompting the owner to call 911.Sgt. Jason Robillard said officers who arrived on scene repeatedly ordered the man to get out of the car but he continued to refuse, stating that this was now his car.When it became clear the man would not leave the car of his own will, officers used a bean bag shotgun on the mans legs, which allowed officers to move in and arrest the 36-year-old Vancouver man.Paramedics on scene treated the man for minor injuries, despite the mans refusal for treatment. Robillard said police will pursue charges of criminal mischief.There were no damages to the
Origin: Vancouver man arrested after refusing to get out of someone else’s Corvette
Chevrolet auctions off last front-engined Corvette for US$2.7 million
The last front-engined Chevrolet Corvette crossing the auction block at Barrett-Jackson on June 28, 2019Barrett-Jackson The next-generation C8 Corvette has finally been confirmed by Chevrolet to be mid-engined, ending a 65-year tradition of the front-engined sports car.This also means the C7 Corvette will be the last generation to have the engine in the front, something Chevrolet celebrated this past week when it auctioned off the final one built for a whopping US$2.7 million.The car itself is an all-black Z06 with no distinguishing characteristics.That is to say, it will be an all-black Z06 the car hasnt been built yet, of course, and the one that crossed the stage at the Barrett-Jackson Northeast auction June 28 was just a placeholder.All proceeds from that sale are going to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which pays off mortgages for the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and builds mortgage-free, accessible smart homes for injured service members. The last front-engined Chevrolet Corvette crossing the auction block at Barrett-Jackson on June 28, 2019 Barrett-Jackson The foundation is named after Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter who was killed during the tower collapse on 9/11. Chevrolet has been a supporter of the foundation for many years, and most recently sold the first production 2019 ZR1 at auction to benefit it, to the tune of US$925,000.The C8 Corvette has been teased to the press since man first walked on land, but its finally going to be unveiled for real on July 18th.It was initially thought Chevrolet might sell the C7 Corvette alongside the new C8, but of course this news disproves that
Origin: Chevrolet auctions off last front-engined Corvette for US$2.7 million
Europe to outlaw C7 Corvette and Camaro SS sales
2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LEBrian Harper / Driving As Europe continues to tighten emissions regulations, the handful of EU or U.K. citizens that appreciate the subtleties of the big-block Chevrolet V8 and have been hoping to get into the latest performance offering from the brand are finding themselves in a pinch. A ban on sales of any Chevy vehicle with a 6.2-litre LT1 V8 engine will take effect August 31, 2019, making the C7 Corvette and sixth-gen Camaro SS impossible to purchase new in the United Kingdom and European Union as of September 1, though used models can still be moved. The over-460-horsepower V8 engine just doesn’t fit with Europe’s vision of a pollution-free future. To be fair, the modern American muscle cars have hardly been selling like crumpets across the pond. According to British outlet Motoring Research, which recently published a “last chance to buy a muscle car” warning, the last wave of English Vettes and Camaros are being sold from a single authorized dealer in the U.K. Not exactly crushing demand, despite the fact the Camaro tops Motoring Research’s list of Britain’s favourite specialist used cars. The Corvette didn’t make the top ten. Makes you wonder if GM will even push for European distribution for the upcoming C8 Corvette, right?
Origin: Europe to outlaw C7 Corvette and Camaro SS sales
Which Corvette was the best Corvette?
Since the beginning, there have been constant rumours over the Corvette going mid-engined. Will it finally happen?Handout For only the eighth time since 1953, we are getting a new generation of Corvette. The C8 Corvette will eschew the front-engined V8 tradition that has been in place since 1955. The writing is on the wall for the C7 that served us for five years and with that in mind, it’s time to take a look at all the generations of Corvettes and how good they really were. The Corvette story has heroes like the fire-breathing L88 427 big-blocks, losers like the asphyxiated 165-hp smog motors, and everything in between. What we’re going to do is rank all seven Corvette generations from best to worst. I’m sure many of you will disagree and that’s A-okay. Get your angry-comment typing fingers ready! #1: C2 1963-1967 C2-generation Corvette. Handout / Chevrolet The C2 Sting Ray is the coolest car ever made. It was styled like nothing ever seen before, bacon-wrapped in V8 horsepower, and used world-class suspension to be the most complete sports car of the period. From 1963 to 1967, not much could touch a Corvette. The 1963 model brought us the one-year-only split-window design and big blocks were added to the option list in 1965. The C2 was a film star, fashion statement, race winner, and dream car. The C2 was when the Corvette got serious and people noticed. If the C2 had an achilles heel, it was the brakes; the C2 debuted with antiquated drum brakes, but four-wheel four-piston disc-brakes rectified that in 1965. #2: C3 1968-1982 1968 Corvette (C3) Alyn Edwards / Driving The C3 is cool. The initiated will tell you that they all made 150 hp, but outside of California, most kept output above 200-hp, which was pretty good for the time. And the C3 isn’t #2 for the malaise versions anyways. It’s because the pre-smog versions from 1968 to 1972 were so darn good. The C3 had strong finishes at Le Mans, finishing on the podium among Ferrari Daytonas and Porsche 911s. It was also the car of choice for Jimi Hendrix and Apollo astronauts. The most powerful classic Corvette ever made was the 1969 ZL1 427 model. They only made two of them and later independent dyno tests reveal that true horsepower was around 510. The latter years of the C3’s 14-year run would see the big blocks go away and horsepower dwindle, but the sex appeal remained. Don’t believe me? It’s why Chevy decided to name their new C7 the Stingray. (The C2 was Sting Ray, two words) #3: C6 2006-2013 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette Z06 The C6 was the Corvette that got everything right. Everything, that is, except the seats. The base car had 400 hp, the 505-hp Z06 was an exhilarating madman to drive, and the 638-hp ZR1 took on the world’s supercar elites. For the first time since 1963, the Corvette had fixed headlights, though the signature quad tail lights remained round. People may not remember, but in 2006 500 hp was a really big deal, so the Z06 was the bargain of the century in its day. The Ferrari F430 didn’t even crack 500 and Ford’s GT made 550. When it came out, some wondered if the styling was a bit too soft. But park one next to the C7 and the C6 has aged gracefully. It’s just a great car. #4: C1 1953-1962 First-generation Corvette Clayton Seams / Driving The car that started it all. Sure the first Corvettes were pretty terrible with their languid stovebolt sixes and two-speed automatic transmissions. But by 1957, you could order the Corvette with a fuel-injected V8 and a four-speed. The wizard-like Zora Arkus-Duntov was starting to exert his influence over the Corvette program even in the early ’50s. The C1 grew up to be an icon of the 1950s. It was fast, stylish, and very American. By the end of its run in 1962, the chassis had grown quite old and rivals like the E-Type had surpassed it. We drove a 1959 version for a road test and were impressed by how well it drove. The Corvette beginning was a good one. #5: C7 2014-Present 2018 Corvette Final Edition The C7 might be another supercar-slayer, but it was just never as well resolved a design as the C6 was. And people noticed. Overheating issues plagued the early Z06 models and despite winning every comparison on paper, few C7s could translate that into a win in the real world. It is worth noting that the C7 was the first Corvette to have a seven-speed manual transmission and the first to have seats made for actual humans. The C7 represents the end of the road for the front-engined layout and possibly, the last manual-transmission Corvette to be made. It will be interesting to see how the C8 stacks up to it. #6: C4 1984-1996 C4-generation Corvette ZR1. Handout / GM Chevrolet had fifteen whole years to develop the C4. Not that it would show, if you looked at a 1984 model. The C4 debuted with janky Crossfire Injection and a hilariously bad Doug Nash 4+3-speed manual transmission. The C4 would slowly evolve and lose nearly all of its crappiness by
Origin: Which Corvette was the best Corvette?
Corvette faces lawsuit over allegedly faulty wheels
The 650-hp, 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06Handout A class-action lawsuit against General Motors claims some Chevrolet Corvettes have wheels prone to bending and cracking at “extremely low mileage,” and that the company knew about it and has been blaming drivers. According to automotive watchdog site Car Complaints, the class-action suit is on behalf of anyone who purchased or leased a 2015-or-newer Corvette Z06 model, or a 2017-or-newer Grand Sport model within the U.S. It claims GM was aware of the issues with the alloy rims that causes them to bend and crack, and has been “systematically denying coverage” under the usually all-inclusive 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranties. The lawsuit cites GM as blaming “potholes or other driver error” for bent or cracked wheels, instead of admitting inherent fault. The issue came to light when a customer took delivery of a leased 2018 Corvette from a California dealership last summer and discovered the wheels were bent. Actually, it was a Cali wheel-finishing company, CalChrome, that was tasked with coating the wheels that noticed the damage. When the issue was brought up with the dealer, however, the customer was told the warranty wouldn’t cover the busted alloys, and that the issue was likely caused by the way the car had been driven. Following some persistent complaining, GM agreed to pay US$1,200, a fraction of the US$7,500 the customer ended up personally paying to replace the wheels (looks like they may have been ripped off there, too). GM is being accused of knowing about the issue and covering it up prior to the 2018 sale that sparked the lawsuit. Multiple other complaints regarding the specific ‘Vette models’ wheels had been registered with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Car and Driver also covered the issue as it pertained to a 2017 Corvette Grand Sport it was testing last fall.
Origin: Corvette faces lawsuit over allegedly faulty wheels
News Roundup: Corvette buyers press cancel, Canada’s terrible fuel economy and the great drive-thru phone debate
2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1Derek McNaughton Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam. Here’s what you missed while you were away. Corvette buyers are cancelling orders as hype for new-gen model builds The mid-engine Corvette is finally coming. Handout / Chevrolet With the promise of drastic changes in the upcoming Corvette, Chevrolet dealers are struggling to move stock of 2018 models. We’ve entered the calm before the mid-engine storm, and the numbers prove it. In 2018, dealers sold 44 per cent fewer Corvettes than they did in 2015, and reports of customers cancelling orders for 2019 models are coming in. Seems like people don’t want the last of the front-engined Corvettes when they could have the first of the mids if they wait just a bit longer. Guess how many manual transmission cars Toyota actually sells 2019 Toyota 86 Clayton Seams / Driving Car writers love to lament the decline of the manual transmission, but it’s not that automakers don’t care about the enthusiasts, it’s that they know what sells. Carbuzz got the inside scoop about manual sales at a dinner meeting with a Toyota exec, reporting that even in the 86, one of the brand’s sportiest models, only one-third of buyers chose the manual transmission over the six-speed automatic. In the also pretty sporty Corolla hatchback, those numbers fall to 15 per cent. If any of these automatic transmission supports is on our staff, we hereby pledge to root them out and address the situation appropriately. Canadian cars get terrible fuel economy: report When it comes to fuel economy, Canada is basically the worst in the world. According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, vehicles on Canadian roads are bigger, heavier and guzzle more gas on average than those of any other country. Some of the factors contributing to this environmentally unfriendly statistic include North America’s enduring belief that bigger is better, lax fuel economy standards, and low fuel prices relative to the rest of the world. Click here to learn more about how our nation’s vehicles stack up against those of other countries. Police warn BC driver for using cell phone in McDonald’s drive-thru Vehicles in two separate drive-up lanes place orders at a McDonald’s drive-thru location January 17, 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois. Tim Boyle / Getty Images Is it distracted driving if you’re using your cell phone while in a McDonald’s drive-thru? News 1130 reports that a driver on his phone in a McDonald’s drive-thru was issued a warning by a B.C. police officer, so it would appear the answer to that question is yes, technically. The reminder from officials that driveways and drive-thrus are considered part of the roadway and therefore subject to its laws has prompted our Judgy-Pants columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld to explore the moral grey area and ask the logical follow-up questions, like “how are you supposed to use an app to pay for your food if you can’t have your phone out?” It’s a first-rate first-world problem and we need your input—answer the poll in the link above. Montreal’s war on cars heats up amid driver frustration over Mount Royal Closure Cars cross Mount Royal in Montreal Thursday May 2, 2019. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette Water-cooler talk in Montreal remains focused on one thing: traffic. For the last several years the city has been the site of a massive infrastructure update, rendering over 600 km of roads temporarily off limits. One particularly contentious route closure was that of the Camillien-Houde Way. Automotive journalist and Montreal resident Benjamin Hunting makes no bones about it: the Valerie Plante government’s Mount Royal closure frustrated everyone and served no one. And according to new information compiled by the OPCM, the majority of some 13,000 citizens share his views. We take the 2019 Mustang Shelby GT350 to the track The 2019 Mustang Shelby GT 350 has arrived, and Driving’s managing editor Jonathan Yarkony drew the long straw and earned the right to be the first of our squad to spend some considerable time with his hands on the rambunctious pony’s reins, including for a few laps of the M1 Concourse racetrack in Detroit. Live vicariously through him in our First Drive review. With aerodynamic upgrades, and a healthy 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft. of torque on tap, it’s easily the most track-ready Mustang to date. New science suggests rideshare back seats are bacterial cesspools Man’s hand in rubber protective glove with finger pointing to dirty textile back seat. Car’s interior problem and solution. Cleaning concept. Next time you book an Uber or Lyft, you might want to bring some hand sanitizer, because apparently the back seats of the popular ridesharing vehicles are legitimately more bacteria-ridden than your toilet. Tests
Origin: News Roundup: Corvette buyers press cancel, Canada’s terrible fuel economy and the great drive-thru phone debate
Corvette buyers cancelling orders as they await new mid-engined C8
2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1Handout Every few years, a car undergoes a major transformation. Buyers, realizing big changes are coming, wait to spend their money on the new machine. It’s a dynamic as old as Detroit, but certainly not unique to it (see: iPhone, Apple). At the moment, this pre-release slump has set in on the granddaddy of American sports cars: Chevrolet’s Corvette, the most collected car in America, is about to be reborn. Until then, though, no one seems to want the angry thing. Since its 1953 debut, the Corvette has been overhauled seven times. This time, however, the swoon in advance of the big unveiling is particularly pronounced, in part because General Motors is drastically changing the car. Its engineers have moved the engine from the front – where it has always been bolted – to the middle, behind the driver’s head and in front of the rear wheels. The swap moves the American sports car in line with competitors from Ferrari and McLaren who argue that the mid-engine layout makes for a more balanced car. The Corvette clan is ready. “We’ve been taking deposits for a rumored mid-engine Corvette since 2014,” said Sean McCann, floor manager at Stingray Chevrolet near Tampa, Florida. “People are canceling their orders (on 2019s) and starting to hold back, because they want to wait and see what’s going to come out.” Corvette sales in the U.S. have declined every quarter from the prior-year period since 2016. Dealers sold just 18,791 of the vehicles in 2018, 44 percent less than in 2015. Current models are idling on dealership lots, forcing dealers to offer large incentives. Stingray, for example, is dangling discounts and incentives up to US$15,000 on some of the high-performance models. If you’ve always wanted a Corvette and don’t care where the engine goes, now’s the time to buy one. General Motors declined to talk about the big Corvette upgrade or the sales slump, though the company did confirm a reveal date for the new car: July 18, in southern California. The Corvette is a so-called halo car. Its primary job is to shine so brightly on glossy magazine covers that the luster carries over to the local dealership floor and illuminates the greater Chevrolet galaxy, from the thirsty Silverado to the circumspect Sonic. From that perspective, the new ‘Vette is already doing just fine. The tricky thing, however, is that the Corvette is one of the rare speed machines that contributes significantly to the bottom line. General Motors makes a tidy profit on each one, and it typically sells a lot of them. At its peak in 2006, Corvette sales approached 37,000 in the U.S., roughly level with the Volkswagen Beetle and Lincoln Town Car. Sports cars in general are having trouble keeping up with the rest of the auto industry. Annual sales in the U.S. slid 22 percent in the past three years, as buyers clamored for SUVs of all shapes and sizes. Carbon-laced speed machines are expensive, and those who can afford them, mostly older buyers, are fast losing the physical capability to drive them—or at least get in and out of them. Jonathan Klinger, a spokesman at Hagerty Insurance, said the coming Corvette is a bid to attract younger buyers to the brand. McCann, at the dealership in Florida, is expecting a tide of customers who otherwise would be kicking tires at more exotic dealerships. Barring an economic meltdown, the depth of the swoon should reflect the scale of the coming Corvette boom. Tony Fiorello III (right) bought this 1965 Corvette for his ailing father and plans to add the 2020 version to his garage. Tony Fiorello Tony Fiorello, president of a dental implant company in Florida, will be one of many padding the sales stats for Chevrolet. He wanted the first mid-engine Corvette so badly he hedged his bets. In 2017, he put down two deposits, one for the 2019 version and one for the 2020. “It’s a paradigm shift,” he explained. “And I just knew that I wanted to be No. 1 on the list.” The 2019 model is now in his garage. He drives it regularly, and has no plans to sell. Eventually, he figures it will be a collectible: the last of the front-engine
Origin: Corvette buyers cancelling orders as they await new mid-engined C8
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