[ec1990]

"I attended the 60th Aniversary dinner gala at the Peterson Automotive Museum this evening, where the C7 made is West Coast debut.

You've seen the pictures, but don't bother making your decisions about whether you like the car or not until you see it in person.

It is absolutely gorgeous!!! It is one of the best looking cars of all time. The proportions are perfect. The design has real detail. This car will turn heads. It's really a beautiful car.

Forget what you've heard, or think you have seen in pictures, about the back looking like a Camaro. When you see it in person, you will see it doesn't look anything like a Camaro. It's completely different, including the entire shape of the back end.

I did learn a few things during the talk given by Kirk Bennion, and in talking with him and Art Spong, Brand Quality Manager for Corvette.

* They added the chrome piece to the grille to balance out the chrome tailpipes at the rear.

* The design studio wanted large tailpipes, 4.5", but they had to get innovative with the design and contour them in diameter to meet the weight targets specified by the Chief Engineer, Tadge Juechter.

* The area of the rear spoiler where it fits to the body, where a number of people here this forum were complaining was poor quality, is actually an intentional bevel that increases downforce.

* The hood is high enough that it could accomodate the current ZR1 engine, but they would not commit to saying they would be adding a supercharger (I didn't expect them to spill any beans).

* The roof is a half inch lower, but care was no reduced over the C6.

* The Cyber Gray car on display was used as a model for design approval by the GM Board. It does not have a full interior.

* The staggered wheel sizes help fill out the high back.

* The trans and diff coolers have fans which aid cooling if the air flow into the fender vents is insufficient.

* The side mirrors went through extensive design work, so they only contribute 1.5% to the overall drag of the car.

* The European side mirrors will have the mandatory repeater lights on the side.

* There is ducting under the car for brake cooling (I could not see this).

* The bottom of the car has a flatter profile than the C6 for better aerodynamic drag.

* The A-pillars are a very glossy black finish.

* The dimensions of the C7 are very close to those of the 2013 911. They wanted to create a Corvette with a "responsible size". The wheels are pushed out further to the ends of the car than the 911.

* They wanted to extend the front of the car over the C6, to give it more character.

* The side coves are designed such that they actually reduce aerodynamic drag.

* The hot hood extractor air makes its way to the sides of the car, so it is not ingested by the HVAC system.

* The design of the new Corvette was open to GM's design studios around the world, and over 3000 designs were submitted, which they then reviewed and cataloged.

* Kirk Bennion said that a good, lasting design is one which pushes people a bit out of their comfort zone.

* On a historical note, Dave Hill, chief engineer of the C5 was not supportive of a race program, but went along with it after convincing by other members of the Corvette Team. Dave Hill later supported the program after seeing what a success it was.

* The Corvette Race Program is treated as a business in that it is measured for its affect on sales, and actually exceeds that of NASCAR for dollars spent per customer sale resulted. They track visitors to the Corvette tent for later sales."


This was posted over there, some interesting information so I figured I'd bring it over here.