GTP Cool Wall: 2014+ Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
- Thread starter GranTurismo916
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- GTP_TheCracker
Roo
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- Hampshire, UK
- GTP_Roo
Liking something and something being cool are not the same thing. I like model railways, but they aren't cool at all.
Then there's race cars. Putting so much effort into something so pointless as travelling around in circles, or in a straight line for 400 metres, and trying to be faster than other circle travellers - "Look how quickly I can get back to where I started from 2 hours ago!" - is just utterly sad. Then there's the impracticality; sure, this car, for example, can travel at an average speed of 142mph around Le Mans, but when will that ever be useful or a benefit to anyone?
Then there's the noise - being deafened by something 100 yards away is not cool, it's damn annoying - and the inability for anyone else to be transported in it; how can anyone else find it cool if they can't experience it for more than the 2 seconds it takes to flash past, dipensing headaches as it goes?
That's way SUBRC exists - because race cars are, without exception, seriously uncool.
I like the Corvette, although it would be better if it was quieter. It looks really good as a yellow wedge, and I like that it uses off-the-shelf engine oil. I like that it can run hard for 24 hours, do a burnout, and not break, as I saw it do in person last month. But none of those things are even remotely cool.
- 16,446
- United Kingdom
SUB'Muricans... but also SZB-SUBRC-brigade.... what to do? What do to... I guess I could just vote on whether I've got a gut feeling it's cool or not.. but that doesn't conform to the un-written rules.... I'm so confused...
- 15,130
- Melbourne
- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
There is nothing wrong with this car. The snarl of the V8, the mean looks and an amazing history with the nameplate culminate to an epic package which you simply can't ignore. Cool
- 40,422
You'd be wrong, of course, since it has been explained countless times before; but whatever helps you through the day. I mean, it isn't as if there are nearly as many people who don't put any more thought into when they vote besides "what are most people saying so I can vote against that"; but railing against them as well obviously isn't as edgy as agreeing with someone who says "lol sheep".
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Roo
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- Hampshire, UK
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There's only one unwritten rule about the cool wall:
"Vote based on how cool you think this car is."
That's it.
I evaluated the car for what it really is - a seriously uncool racecar - 9 posts above yours.
Care to explain why?
- 1,817
- Weirs Beach, NH
- RS73private
Corvettes have been cool
-and successful
Since the C5R. Sub zero.
-and successful
Since the C5R. Sub zero.
- 16,446
- United Kingdom
Out of interest, why?
"Motorsports" is actually a pretty broad term when you think about, and to label the entire thing as uncool, no matter the discipline, level, or location covers a heck of a lot. From father/son bonding tweaking go-karts at the local track, to a day out, or road trip with yer mates, or your kids, or your parents/grandparents to a circuit to enjoy the experience, be it touring cars, GT cars, stock cars or whatever..., to finding your way through rugged or desolate terrain to see some astonishing scenery with some french-bloke going sideways at 100mph across it... to living it up on a yacht in Monaco harbour...
.. you can't find anything cool in experiencing motorsport?
Downhill Dino
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It's cool... for a car guy, and we're not exactly cool people.
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That's not my point, my examples should illustrate that you don't have to be a car guy to get something out of motorsport... if events were only frequented by "car guys" there'd only be a fraction of the people at them. My point is that as an entity, whether it be as a livelihood, a hobby, a passion, or what you put your life on the line for..... it takes place in so many different places, at a variety of levels, and is frequented by people of both sexes, all ages, and a huge array of backgrounds.... I'm just curious as to what element applies to it, throughout it's scope, diversity and geographical expanse that renders the entirety of it uncool.
- 1,737
- Massachusetts
- Ettick_
By your logic, all sports are uncool because they all put a lot of effort into something that sounds menial like going around in a circle or hitting a ball into a goal. But that's not the point, it's all about doing those things in the best way, and that is very difficult. And race cars are where future technology is pioneered for road cars, that is often the entire point of racing programs (see Toyota in the WEC), so yes, a car having an average speed of 142 mph around Le Mans will be useful for someone in the future.
Noise is just a part of the cars being faster and more efficient than road cars. Wearing ear protection is not shameful. It's also not like some road cars aren't loud as well. It's possible to see most of the track from spectator areas on a lot of circuits, so you aren't just seeing the cars for 2 seconds. And spectator areas tend to be near passing zones, which is where most of the action will be anyways. You can also watch onboard cameras, which is like being a passenger. Also WRC cars carry two people and are race cars. It's not like you can't put another seat into a lot of race cars that are based off of road cars that have two or more seats. But the point of race cars is not to transport someone, it is to go around a track as fast as possible, which is the point of the sport.
Joey D
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- GTP Joey
I race myself, albeit at an an amateur level and I'm horrible at it, but I still participate in it. I love it and it's a ton of fun, but I don't think it's cool. I'm spending a ton of money to drive around a track and win a small trophy along with some bragging rights among other people doing the same thing. Outside an automotive enthusiasts, I can't think of anyone I've ever mentioned I race too that thinks what I do is cool. Interesting? Sure. Unique? Absolutely. Cool? Not a chance.
Even if you take away what other people think, I still find something incredibly dorky about following or being a fan of motorsports, but I'm ok with it because it being dorky doesn't really bother me.
To me, all sports are uncool, especially professional sports since grown people are getting paid millions to play a children's game in front of thousands of other people who paid a small fortune to watch it. I'll still watch every baseball game I can though and come fall, every Thursday night, Sunday and Monday night will be taken up by football.
- 40,422
Sounds good to me.
"The point isn't to do it faster than everyone else like you said. It's to do it as fast as possible."
Except when it's not. I'd even say that racing isn't even in the top 3 things that have driven technological advancements for the past decade or so. How much future technology from the C7.R race car is going to benefit future GM road cars? Will GM come up with a top tier C7 Corvette that can go more than two laps around a circuit without overheating? Will I be able to stroll down to the Chevy dealer and pick up a 500 horsepower V8 Malibu? What's the biggest advance in technology that has come out of the Audi LMP program? The time machine that Audi used to introduce high capacity TDI engines into their road cars 4 years before the R10 made its debut?
Let's go back to American manufacturers. Chevrolet and Ford almost certainly spend exponentially more money on this other racing program (and in fact in the past the people who ran the Corvette program were generally guys Chevrolet had taking a break from it to do ALMS and FIA races):
I'm sure we will all benefit greatly from the future technology that sport has pioneered in the past few years, like "fuel injection" and "vaguely production shaped silhouettes".
Let's go further:
Since racing produces such obvious technological trickle down, we are truly looking towards an unprecedented new era in intermanufacturer cooperation. I mean, in the future, even German cars will just be somewhat modified versions of Japanese cars:
It's like all of 1980s hack Hollywood screenwriters' dreams come true.
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