MR Corvette C8 - General Discussion

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Understood, this is the classic new vs used argument. Plenty of reasons why one would buy a new mid-engine sports car instead of a close to 30 year old mid-engine sports car.

For me it's more a slow car fast vs. fast car fast argument. I think the extra horsepower gets in the way of the experience.
 
It's already an option in the visualizer. Didn't even need Photoshop :lol: You can leave the mirrors and roof panel body colored too. I was just having fun, although I personally don't mind the accent on the side scoops.

In a few years once I have my Z06 paid off and they have some time to work out the kinks I hope this color is still available!


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Love that B2 piss yellow.
 
Everyone forgets the Corvair was read engined:sly:
I'm not sure that's the case. I suspect some (read as "most") people just don't know, and that's fine. Still, points ought to be awarded for knowing it didn't possess a more conventional drivetrain.

Love that B2 piss yellow.
Riboflavin is a funny word.
 
Would people stop posting pictures of the 720s next to corvettes? Its reminding me of good design.

The 720S is fine I guess overall, but the headlights are absolutely hideous to me. They look like 2 big blacked out voids rather than anything resembling a designed headlight fixture/area. They don't look good from an aero standpoint either. Anyways, design is a matter of personal taste, and I won't fault anyone for liking the things they like.

Anyone remember the "it's not a Corvette" outcry when the C7 came out over the "non round" tail lights (even though certain prior models had squared off lights)? I had assumed all those people jumped off a bridge because it was so blasphemous, but apparently they're back... :D

I will admit, I wasn't completely blown away when I saw the C8 reveal, but the more I look at it, the more it's growing on me. It was kind of the same with the C7 (which I now adore). To me, the C8 basically took the styling cues of the C7 and merged them (I admit at times a little awkwardly) with the Corvette Daytona Prototype of recent years from IMSA sports car racing. Throw in a little Camaro design language in the rear and there you have it.

Really, there's only 2 things that I'm not fond of and they both relate to the rear:
1. I wish the taillights were a little more C7 and a little less Camaro. If it weren't for the name "Corvette" squished in there I wouldn't otherwise immediately think/know it's a 'Vette from that angle.
2. I wish the exhaust was centrally mounted like the C7. It would look more sporty and less "muscle-ly" that way IMHO, and would help distinguish from the Camaro rear visually.

Now I'm not completely sure why, but for some reason from the following angle the C8's rear deck and "haunches" over the rear quarter panels really remind me of the C2 (edit: and I like being reminded of that 👍):
2020-Chevrolet-Corvette-Stingray-036.jpg
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Of course, all that real estate back there must be a compromise between form and function to allow for the added cargo space and make it more user-friendly in that sense. It's probably the least flattering angle of the car, but I want to see more shots of it (and especially in person) to see if it's just the way the camera was setup/zoomed for that picture. At any rate, it's growing on me and I can't wait to see it's performance put to the test and see the C8.R!

:cheers:
 
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What is this supposed to even mean?

"I think orange is a much better color than...*shudder*...green. Blue was doing just fine before someone went and added yellow to it. I'm sure there are thousands of people who agree."

It's perfectly fine to voice your opinion without vague allusions to some sort of bandwagon.
That part was to illustrate the fact that the aformentioned porsche boxter is not an embarrasment because the C8 exists. I literally do not understand what upset you about that comment.
 
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At least when I talk about Euro-elitism, I'm mostly trying to poke fun at it when it comes to cars.


As for the car, uh...anybody wanna mention Spa or Silverstone about eight thousand times for me?
 
That part was to illustrate the fact that the aformentioned porsche boxter is not an embarrasment because the C8 exists. I literally do not understand what upset you avout that comment.
State your opinion; there's nothing wrong with that. Might someone else present an opinion that differs? Sure, but that's not the end of the world. However, the unsubstantiated suggestion that your opinion is widely held does not magically transform it into fact that cannot be refuted.

Oh, and my pointing out your use of the ad populum fallacy--which doesn't make your case more valid even when it is substantiated--is not an indication that I was somehow wounded by your use of it.
 
State your opinion; there's nothing wrong with that. Might someone else present an opinion that differes? Sure, but that's not the end of the world. However, the unsubstantiated suggestion that your opinion is widely held does not magically transform it into fact that cannot be refuted.

Oh, and my pointing out your use of the ad populum fallacy--which doesn't make your case more valid even when it is substantiated--is not an indication that I was somehow wounded by your use of it.
But I was stating a fact. The car is not obsolete now. The fact that thousands of people dont think its obsolete essentially makes it so, even if it were an embarrasement and not worth it, and it is my opinion that it is still worth it. It is my opinion that the car is more desirable than the corvette, but it is fact that the car is still desirable to many over the corvette.

I only assumed it had upset you because I failed to find any other good reason for you to have taken the time to single that particular part of my post out and complain about it. My apologies.
 
I had to laugh, I immediately thought of the Corvair as well. Luckily I caught myself.

However you look at it, love it or hate it or plain don't-rate-it - it's quite the thing, this C8. Ooh, Spyker...


I am only a little disappointed that the LT2 carries the same old buzzy firing order, which somehow seems worse with the midship packaging. At least the intake is characterful enough, so it should sound particularly excellent in the cockpit. Also very interesting that the C8.R is seemingly a flat-plane V8.
 
Anyone remember the "it's not a Corvette" outcry when the C7 came out over the "non round" tail lights (even though certain prior models had squared off lights)? I had assumed all those people jumped off a bridge because it was so blasphemous, but apparently they're back... :D

Styling details is quite a different thing from changing the car as drastically as happened here. This change is not far from Ford changing the Mustang to a FWD platform - don't laugh, that nearly happened. In fact not even nearly, it really did happen but the car was sold as the Probe because the Mustang had always been a RWD car with a V8 and people's minds are hard to change.

That's why I think this one shouldn't be a Corvette either, a Corvette is a RWD sports car, not a MR machine. Call it the Aerovette after one of the old MR prototypes, someone suggested naming it as the Zora - another great idea. That way it would also be free of all the mandatory details included in a Corvette design as it would be a model of its own, eventually creating its own legacy.
 
I’m gonna need to see it in person. As of now, I don’t like it. It reminds me of an cheaper entry level Ferrari. Love the price, the dual-clutch, and Targa roof. I wonder if they’ll make a manual option?
 
But I was stating a fact. The car is not obsolete now. The fact that thousands of people dont think its obsolete essentially makes it so, even if it were an embarrasement and not worth it, and it is my opinion that it is still worth it. It is my opinion that the car is more desirable than the corvette, but it is fact that the car is still desirable to many over the corvette.
What is "obsolete"? Porsche hasn't replaced it in their lineup to my knowledge.

I gather the notion that it's not obsolete is in response to Matt Farah's suggestion that there's no reason to buy a Boxster over the Corvette, which is absurd even by the low standards I have for what Matt Farah says. Your response, which I read and to which I didn't object, was full of subjective reasons for you favoring the Boxster over the Corvette--something I'd also do for not terribly dissimilar reasons, by the way--but the fact that they're subjective leaves plenty of room for people to not favor the Boxster over the Corvette.

To recap: Stating that the Boxster is not obsolete is fact because Porsche hasn't replaced it in their lineup, and the number of people that say this has no bearing on whether it's fact or not, but stating that the Boxster is preferable to the Corvette is opinion all the way through, whether it's shared or not...and that's just fine.

I only assumed it had upset you because I failed to find any other good reason for you to have taken the time to single that particular part of my post out and complain about it. My apologies.
It was the only part of the post that I found objectionable, and I found it objectionable enough that I was motivated to say something.

We good?
 
What is "obsolete"? Porsche hasn't replaced it in their lineup to my knowledge.

I gather the notion that it's not obsolete is in response to Matt Farah's suggestion that there's no reason to buy a Boxster over the Corvette, which is absurd even by the low standards I have for what Matt Farah says. Your response, which I read and to which I didn't object, was full of subjective reasons for you favoring the Boxster over the Corvette--something I'd also do for not terribly dissimilar reasons, by the way--but the fact that they're subjective leaves plenty of room for people to not favor the Boxster over the Corvette.

To recap: Stating that the Boxster is not obsolete is fact because Porsche hasn't replaced it in their lineup, and the number of people that say this has no bearing on whether it's fact or not, but stating that the Boxster is preferable to the Corvette is opinion all the way through, whether it's shared or not...and that's just fine.


It was the only part of the post that I found objectionable, and I found it objectionable enough that I was motivated to say something.

We good?
I was more directing it at the people saying things like "why would anyone buy x becaue the corvette is better".

I think we good.
 
812 Superfast sports nearly 800hp.

There have been at least a couple of 750bhp+ FR road cars (not counting modified cars, if you include those there are a lot). The TVR Speed 12 has not been driven by many people but John Barker who used to write for Evo Magazine drove it once and said it was immense, the handling, the power, everything was just on another level. It is a relateively old car now though, and that level of power isn't exceptional anymore, it's top speed aside, modern supercars with similar power would probably beat it in most areas.

Aston Martin's One/77 has 750bhp and I don't believe that handles badly, also Ferrari's 812 Superfast has 788bhp, like the Aston, I don't think that handles badly either. But it also depends what you mean by "good handling" good for a track or road, the two don't often come together and at what point does the handling become good, what is the ball park.

Not that I'm dissagreeing with your actual point though, it is a logical choice though to move the engine back once the power and speeds increase, which is why mid-engines supercars are the norm. It's about the weight distribution and balance at speed as well as the size of the car, a front engined car can be balanced at speed, but they aren't nearly as compact as a mid-engined equivelent would be.

Good point on the 812, I forgot about that one. Would be interesting to see how much power the next one have, but I'm betting that it will be a hybrid 4WD setup to handle all that extra power.

The One-77 in my view is aimed more towards luxury GT than a proper sportscar (though with that much power it can humiliate a lot of sports car regardless), which is not where the Vette is aimed at, so it's a slightly different case and they can afford to be a little lax with handling. Not saying it's a deathtrap per se, but it won't have the sharpness of a proper sports car. And Aston going MR with the next Vanquish further rests my case.

In both of those cases, they also cost a LOT more than the Vette. Not saying it's impossible to make a good handling 800+ HP FR car, but at the Vette's price point it's gonna be difficult. Going MR is probably the path of least resistance, weirdly enough.
 
Pics of the that top view, I guess people are expecting helicopter chases in these. Unless you're Shaquille O'Neal or taller, that angle just won't be seen by the majority of folks on the planet. I also doubt many blue collar office workers have a corner cubicle with a view to notice.

Edit: About the name. 911 comes as an MR and RR. MAybe only as race cars, but they are both 911s. I thionk of the C8 were to be called something else sold alongside a FR Corvette, the MR car would be cancelled. It would end like Fiero. Something as a "what could have been".

Naming it Corvette, Chevrolet could still go back to FR in the future. Seems like the name won't die. Most of us, right now, will look back and remember the Corvette as an FR and reminisce when the C8 came out: "Our kids wouldn't believe it was an FR for most of its life.".
 
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I must be the only one who liked it around here. Sure it's not the prettiest MR car around, but give them a break. It's their first attempt at a serious MR supercar. Front end is as natural a progression as you can get from the C7. The rear end obviously is different, but what do you expect. I think they still did a good job adapting the Vette design to MR. About the only thing I don't like is the empty slab behind the engine hatch, but that's where the trunk is so plus points for practicality I guess. Also the side air intake looks upside down to me (the bottom part should be longer than the top). Apart from that, I can accept the looks.

From a performance standpoint, they are absolutely right to go the MR route. The previous ZR1 was already 750+ HP. I can't think of any road car with more power than that that is still FR and has good handling (*cough* TVR Speed 12 *cough*). Now the Camaro will be able to keep improving as well without stepping on its toes. And even with going MR and finally having a presentable interior, it's still significantly cheaper than its rivals. This car is even more in spirit with the original NSX than the new NSX ever will be.

Great job Chevy 👍 Welcome to the big leagues. I can't wait for the Z06/ZR1 versions and for this car to appear in sims so I can drive it too :D

No I easily liked it because of seemingly understanding the direction they were going in and potentially why it was the case. I also understood that the base model never looks as dynamic or engaging as the performance variants that put the car more into the super car territory. While others however seem to have one had an idea they've created on what the car should look like, or wanted it to look like. While using cars 2 to 3 times the price as "what a good mid engine car" looks like. Without stopping to think that perhaps that wasn't achievable and still retaining the idea of being a Corvette.

Others mask the fact that they didn't want a MR Vette in the first place as a reason the looks suffered and had it been a standalone Chevy or Cadillac it would have been a better idea. Yet the last time a non corvette corvette was made sales were horrid, the actual Corvette that was cheaper cannibalized it. But hey GM/Chevy probably don't have a clue and should be listening to the collective hive minds of the Internet for sure at this point.

I think the car is fine especially when you look at it in the context of the basic Corvette and living up to the continuation of what it has been for decades just in a MR form. My judgement I'm holding out on and will be far more critical of is the performance variants, but from what we know and has been speculated by insiders, that already seems to be going in a very good way idea wise.

I had to laugh, I immediately thought of the Corvair as well. Luckily I caught myself.

However you look at it, love it or hate it or plain don't-rate-it - it's quite the thing, this C8. Ooh, Spyker...


I am only a little disappointed that the LT2 carries the same old buzzy firing order, which somehow seems worse with the midship packaging. At least the intake is characterful enough, so it should sound particularly excellent in the cockpit. Also very interesting that the C8.R is seemingly a flat-plane V8.

It's not flat plane, if the direction they are suggesting is true. The Blackwing V8 is supposedly what is being used, it fits the regs for GTE/GTLM they're just changing the placement of the turbos and cooling. Early days though so we'll have to see.
 
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In both of those cases, they also cost a LOT more than the Vette. Not saying it's impossible to make a good handling 800+ HP FR car, but at the Vette's price point it's gonna be difficult. Going MR is probably the path of least resistance, weirdly enough.
Agreed on that point between them. The ZR1 is probably a lot like the 599 GTO was, a wild child that struggles putting down all its power, even with traction control. It remains to be seen with the next ZR1 obviously, but GM definitely doesn't have the luxury to develop a much more sophisticated driver aid system that followed all the front-engine V12 cars after the GTO.
 
I only assumed it had upset you because I failed to find any other good reason for you to have taken the time to single that particular part of my post out and complain about it. My apologies.
Dude, I think you are overreacting to someone who has an holier-than-thou speech.
 
No, thats not a Corvette for me. This is a big mistake from Chevrolet. Whit if Porsche would put the engine of a 911 in the front? That wouldn‘t be a 911 anymore. Or if Ford would put the engine of a Mustang in the back? No. I‘m sure its s great car, but it shouldn‘t carry the name Corvette. For me a Corvette is a V8 under a long hood in front of me while i‘m sitting on rear axel. Thats what is a Corvette and not this abomination.
 
...

It's not flat plane, if the direction they are suggesting is true. The Blackwing V8 is supposedly what is being used, it fits the regs for GTE/GTLM they're just changing the placement of the turbos and cooling. Early days though so we'll have to see.

Ah, I wasn't aware that GM had a "hot-vee" production turbo, thanks.

Still, that's some impressively tidy manifolding, from the sound of the thing. Even the M6 GT3 and the (flat-plane, still hot-vee) M8 GTE aren't as clean-sounding as the C8.R. That said, the 488 GT3 / GTE is also a little rougher sounding despite the packaging and crank differences.

But if they're moving the turbos, then to where? I wouldn't be surprised if they moved them to the outside to give more room for a more torque efficient manifold / turbo setup, combined with a flatplane crank; the MR layout certainly affords the space.

Using the "Blackwing" as a basis could just be because it's already more optimised for forced induction (block and cylinder / head castings), but at 4.2 litres it's too big (limit is 4.0). Since the block can't be changed, that means pistons can't be much (if at all) smaller and that only leaves the stroke. If you're going to change the crank to make it shorter stroke, why not (like BMW) play with the configuration whilst you're in there?
 
While using cars 2 to 3 times the price as "what a good mid engine car" looks like. Without stopping to think that perhaps that wasn't achievable and still retaining the idea of being a Corvette.

I understand what you're saying here a bit - that it takes money to really look outstanding. But I think that's not enough of an excuse in general (not speaking specifically about the vette here). Cars need to look good at every price point. If it doesn't look good, at least for what it is, it's hard to make people want to buy it and be seen in it (again, not speaking specifically about the vette here).

I get it, "it doesn't look as good as this $400k car" isn't fair. But at the same time "it doesn't look good" is fair.
 
@Danoff that's a good point, I have a relatively inexpensive Alfa Romeo parked on my drive and my word, it's a looker (IMO at least). Brand new it would cost at least half of what tihs new Corvetee will cost, so really the price doesn't really reflect the looks and vice versa. To add further, the Lotus Esprit started at around £45-£50k when it was being built and that looked great for it's time and that was a mid-engined budget supercar in it's day too.

Looks are often decided based on two primary factors, function and design and while you can design a car based on fuction alone, it will rarely look pretty. You can marry the two to create fantastic results though and there are a lot of cars that are testament to that.

The design of this Corvette just seems lazy, poor, bad, I could go on, but the point is I really don't like it. And that has nothing to do with it being a Corvette, American, non-European or any of that which I have been accused of in this thread (though been provided no response since asking for an explanation so hey-ho), it's simply that I think this car is ugly and not in an ugly-but-still-kind-of-cool way either, just ugly.

I'm sure it will run rings around almost anything at it's price point, so perhaps that's what will matter to those who buy it. I personally wouldn't buy it because of how it looks regardless of how fast it can go though, I'd probably never use most of it's performance anyway.
 
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I don't think you're getting what I'm trying to say. You seem to be talking about proportions, which are almost always determined by the engine placement, amount of seats, interior space, cargo space, and tires. You took a small part of my post to argue against, making it seem you disregarded the facts and chose one you could actually go up against making your point not seem very strong. The C7's styling does not date back to 2006.
My point from the very beginning, made long before showed your expertise on both car styling and human psychology, was that the C8 looks far too much like a C7 awkwardly made to fit on a mid engined body; taking the specific issues I already had with the C7 in terms of styling (despite it being a considerably longer time to adjust to that car than "two to three months") and exacerbating them. Here's me mentioning as such 13 pages and 3 months ago in this very thread based on the lightly camouflaged preproduction mules. Hence my issue with "in two to three months, everyone will love it;" and the assertion that the C8 is being called ugly because it's debuting a new design language that will proliferate through the brand rather than just because it's ugly.



If you want to talk about how the 5th gen Camaro in fact has a "radically different approach in the styling" from the current Camaro (them restyling it twice since it debuted to make it more distinct after going so far as to originally defend how close it looked to the previous car presumably being unrelated) and thus had no role in the C7's styling direction afterward to try and buttress that point, you're free to ignore the reactions from people when the C7 actually came out. I don't really care because at the end of the day I still know how some initially perceived the C7 and how people perceived the 6th generation when it released; that GM has already done enough damage with how they handled the Camaro that it's almost certainly doomed again anyway; and that it doesn't even really change anything whether the design elements are 13 years old or only 6 because they're still not new.
 
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Went to photoshop quickly to check what the back of the car would look like form 3/4s if GM didn't care about fitting 2 golf bags in the "trunk". Even in this base model, the impact is immediately visible.

I had more changes but this one is the one that impacts the overall weight of the rear section the most imo. I also don't like the side vent. It looks like a box shaped volume was thrown in there after the engeneers said "we need more air going in. Here, take this sketch Bob made."
 

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If you absolutely had to get from LA to Miami by road as rapidly as possible, without fail, and you had the choice of Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini or indeed any other supercar, which would you choose?
 
If you absolutely had to get from LA to Miami by road as rapidly as possible, without fail, and you had the choice of Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini or indeed any other supercar, which would you choose?

911 Turbo S or GT3 RS. Probably the GT3 RS
 
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