C7 Corvette “Won’t Be An Old Guy’s Car Anymore”
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It’s time to stir the pot again with another dose of Corvette C7 rumors, this time with a report from Popular Mechanics. PM’s own Colin Mathews found himself conversing with several insiders at this past August’s Woodward Dream Cruise, where he was able to gather (or at least attempt to verify) several C7 rumors that have been circulating. Here’s the latest:
Internally known as “Y1XX,” Mathews reports that the C7 will find its way to market sometime in the middle of 2013 as a 2014 model, which might be slightly further off than some expected. When it does, PM tells us to expect the previously rumored 5.5-liter next generation small block V8 engine mated to either an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. To note, there was no word on the rumored long-stroke 3.0L V8 in development. Currently, Corvette Racing is using a 5.5-liter small block V8 (dubbed the LS5.5R) that pushes out 485 horsepower. That number seems in line with PM’s statement that the base model C7 will exhibit numbers similar to today’s Z06, while the next generation Z06 will be closer to what we currently see in the ZR1. Sounds delicious, but what about the interior?
Well, another insider chirped out that the C7 will shame the interior of the current model, displaying the latest and greatest navigation system and instrument panel, if anything else. The skin of the C7 is expected to be something special, with “Ferrari-style quarter windows for the first time since the C2,” coupled with angled tail lamps, rather than the more traditional rounded off ones. As one designer told Mathews: “the C7 will knock the current Vette out of the water. It won’t be an old guy’s car anymore.”
That last bit — if true — may be the most evolutionary feature of the entire car.
Source: Popular Mechanics
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the engine and quarter window info are correct, the drawing is not close to the c-7
Looks like a CHICK. The Vette (c-7) needs Eye Liner and a Bra. This car looks FEMALE.
Hence it’s not the “real” C7… which is, in fact, here:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/chevrolet/corvette/2014-corvette/
I’ll keep my Black C-6 L-3 COUPE until the C-8 comes out.
Meanwhile, I’ll be saving up for a 2016/2017 C7 Stingray.
Until the insurance companies decide to give younger drivers better rates on a Corvette (read “NEVER”) It will always be an old guy’s car. Imagine the response of your local insurance broker if you walked in at 17 and asked what the rates would be on a new Z06. That wouldn’t change much at 25, and by 35 are you really young still?
i hope 35 is still young i am much older than that and I am still young.
How many people under 35 are buying $60,000 cars of any type? I guess they are saying they want people under 60 because it is very rare to have a person under 35 buy a $60,000 two-seater of any brand. In any case the new Corvette looks to be great and I plan to be one of the first with a new C7!
//well over 35
///well under 60!
So what, your like 55? Well Under 60, yeah right
52 just turned. That’s YOUNG
Sheetmetal is for young guys. The old guys need more fiber ( glass )
I dig the c5 and C6 corvettes. THis is my third and I enjoy each one. I guess I could laugh about being suggested that I’m an old guy driving this vette..but think of it this way…I was young when I bought my first one..
The only problem with owning corvettes is that after you own one..its pretty tough to not buy another.. the dam things are so fast…handle so well….look so dam sharp…very few cars compete..
I’m sure the new C7 interior will be beautiful but quite honestly as a corvette buyer I’ve never been dissatisfied with the interior. Sure I had a DSVette D shaped Sport steering wheel covered in Alcantara installed and I love it…as well as a new Heads UP Display for kicks…but I really did it more for the gentlemen who drove from texas to Carlisle in 2 and a half days straight…
Now that i did the HUD..I dig it but its not that important to me compared to the thrill I get when I take the vette up and around the mountains for a fast run.
I also reprogramed the PCM recently so it offers better throttle response.. from corvettes of westchester tuner and its making me laugh even harder as I can more easily access the 436hp and 428 lb/ft of tq..and thats what vettes are all about..
Good looks….and awesome total performance..
JMO and I can’t wait to see the C7 release in 15 months..
If GM offers it up with a base interior and hot engine…(and MCT 8 speed) that be enough to get me drooling for a new vette. I’ve heard it’s a stunningly beautiful design that truly dates the very nice looking C6!
I couldn’t agree more. I’m allready planning my NEW one that’ll hang with the 06.
I’m glad someone is concerned that the current Corvette buyer is matching Buick for age. I hate to say it, but (almost) every time I see a Corvette, I see someone much older (easily 70+) who are reliving the glory days of America’s Sports Car. It also may be the first time they could afford one or their wife would let them buy one.
I love the C6 and think it’s hands down the best GM car on the road. The interior is serviceable, but not befitting the great mechanics. That said, couldn’t bring myself to buy one. At least not in L.A. where the Corvette doesn’t get much respect and the insurance would be insane.
Somehow, the current Corvette equation needs to be shaken up and it needs to become fresh and cool for a new generation. That’s a tall order, particularly when you have to satisfy the current Corvette enthusiast. I can’t wait to see the C7 and what GM does with it.
What is an “old” man? I hope it’s not me at 42. I love the Corvette and can’t wait to see the C7. From the (very) little information I can find online, it seems like the new Corvette is going to make some newer, younger fans without leaving the “old” fans of the car out in the cold. Can’t wait.
(By the way, I’m not fat, bald, poorly dressed or wearing gold chains. That stereotype is what’s getting “old”.)
Ah, my friend. Come with me to Palm Springs, California and I will show you why the stereotype still exists. You’re only 42 — I bet Chevy wishes you would buy a Corvette now, before you qualify for Medicare (assuming it still exists in 23 years). It will be a slick trick to bring in younger buyers while still satisfying the old guard.
Ford has a similar challenge with the upcoming next-gen Mustang, although, like the Camaro, the pony cars still speak to younger buyers. J Mays has promised a completely modern car, not a retromobile. Sure it will have Mustang styling cues, but Ford needs to get it right. Ditto for Corvette designers.
52 and hardly old…I’ve heard all the excuses over the years why people love the corvette but don’t buy one…and most of the time its nonsense..
One trip…one journey on this earth so you might as well make the most of it..(as long as its financially sensible etc)
Just for the record New jersey has among the highest insurance rates in the country and for the past dozen or so years..my new corvette to insure is less than you would think..
Under 800 bucks a year for insurance is chump change..
Corvette owners take succh good care of their cars….the insurance companies realize that and charge accordingly..
the C7 will rock…most kids want four doors for some crazy reason…..I think its what their mommies and daddies told them they would help them pay for.. (joking!)
If it looks anything at all like that rendering then I will forever stick with the C6. That thing above is hideous. Wouldn’t go near it. And I’m 34. Chevrolet should take a leaf from Porsche. Evolutionary styling, revolutionary performance.
Bought first vette at 24, now 52 and have always owned at least one. Porsche “evolutionary styling” please, same body for fifty years.
50 is the new 35! Can’t wait for the new C7 to release!
thanks for the laughs!
Old Man Brownie! @ 52 you bastards!!!!!! (Joking)
She’s 55!!!
Image: http://i51.tinypic.com/k0su3b.jpg
[img]Image: http://i51.tinypic.com/k0su3b.jpg%5B/img%5D
Nice JB! Nice!
PS: can we get some link love from that wonderful forum where your’e an Editor in Chief? 🙂
http://www.crossedflags.com is the site I’m having a blast on. We also do a cool automotive enthusiast web broadcast and we admire your efforts on GMauthority podcast!
“Old man” is simple. It’s priced out of reach for really young guys (teens and twenty-somethings) and the guys in their 30’s and 40’s are dads who need a SUV to haul around the kiddies. It’s only when you get into your mid fifties that you’ve got the cash and no longer have the need for a back seat full time that you’re able to buy something like a Corvette.
But have you ever noticed? Nobody ever says a Porsche is an “old man’s car”, but the guys driving them are the same age as Corvette owners.
Good point. Perhaps the same could be said of the Mercedes-Benz SL series roadster.
I wouldn’t go that far to say that the age demographic for a Porsche is directly in line with a Corvette, but that’s not really the point here. Kids pay more attention to the likes of Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, etc. than Corvettes because, well, they’re sexier.
Well, as a Corvette owner, I’ll be damned if I think a flipping Audi is sexier than my Vette, As for a Ferrari, sure. Add $100k to the price of a Corvette and it can get sexier too.
Personally, I think only Porsche is a reasonable comparison, It’s somewhat more expensive sure, but I think the demographics are very similar.
And finally, I don’t know that anyone really cares what kids think. Chevrolet isn’t trying to market a Corvette to the high school crowd. If they were, it would be cheaper than a Camaro.
Nobody said anything about high school kids. But look at Buick, they’re attracting younger buyers, but not because they’re targeting kids. They’re simply targeting younger, semi-successful young adults, rather than centenarians. That’s good the ‘Vette is hotter in your eyes over an Audi… but most would not agree.
According to Porsche spokesperson Gary Fong, the average age demographic for Porsche is 45-55 with an average annual income of $200,000. 45 years old isn’t exactly Baby Boomer territory, which is the main demographic of the Corvette.
I think that the Corvette demographic depends on where you live. Here in the heart of LA (Santa Monica, West LA, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Sunset Strip, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills, Hancock Park), people still have money to burn and they don’t burn it on a Corvette.
Just drive around or go to any entertainment industry haunt (or a Lakers game) and look around. You will see lots of Mercedes, particularly AMG models. The SL is a dime a dozen here. Expensive BMWs Ms and Audi S-variants (or the R8) are common. A Bentley CGT or CGTC is considered a “sports car” and is very common. So is any Aston Martin.
What’s interesting is that the demographics for the above models is all over the board. It’s not uncommon to have “kids” driving an M3 (you know, high school graduation gift or something to drive while attending USC). The “older” guys (30s – 60s) drive an SL or 6-series. The S5 tends to skew much younger. Bentleys tend to be 30s – 50s.
The Italians are well represented too. Speeding Lamborghinis or Ferraris are much more common than you’d think. The demographics are all over the place, and the vast majority own a stable of cars, not just one exotic. From young rap stars to the old money gentleman with a garage full of these things.
Porsche sports cars also are all over the place. You tend to see younger guys (30s-50s) and an occasional hot young woman (and they are always hot) drive the Boxster/Cayman. The 911 skews older, but that too will surprise. I see many younger executives (30s – 50s) working in the legal, financial or entertainment industries driving the 911 in addition to the older (60s – 70s) people who no longer have a brood of kids or who are on their 3rd wife. Any woman driving a 911 is young and very hot – don’t ask me why.
As far as American sports cars, the Mustang and Camaro are both popular. Mustang tends to skew younger, while Camaro is a bit older. The more expensive the version (Boss 302, Shelby GT, SS, etc) the older the driver.
Corvette? Well, you just don’t see that many. And the ones I do see are driven by an older demographic (60s – 80s).
None of this is scientific, it’s just my observations from living in the center of this for my entire life (and I’m 51).
Nice, Todd. Very well-written and an interesting perspective.
LA is one of the trend-setting locations of this country, one from which many trends (fashion, tech, etc.) originate and then spread across the country. As such, LA is a bit ahead of the “curve”. I just hope that the Vette will again become appealing to the trend-setting folks, which would — in turn — make it more appealing for the rest of the nation.
I disagree. A trend is the last thing the C7 should be. A trend by its definition is something that come and goes in a cyclical fashion. The Corvette has been around for almost sixty years because it isn’t trendy. It’s a solid car with a heritage and loyal fan base.It’s not for the kind of people who jump from one thing to the next like trying the newest flavor at Starbucks.Those people are the sheeps of the world.
Nothing would turn me off the Corvette more than to see some idiot like Paris Hilton thinking the Corvette was suddenly the new “it” car.
Very interesting, M. I agree with you — but do you think that a ‘Vette should be “cool” among the young kids? Obviously, they’re not the ones buying the cars. But have a look at a brand like Apple. Cool with the kids, cool with the adults, and useful all the while. What do you think?
It’s the same here in Detroit. Only elders buy a Corvette. If a younger person buys it, it’s not for the curb appeal, it’s for the underrated performance.
Well, the next-gen is supposed to cure whatever lack of curb appeal the current-gen may have. Although to me, it’s got plenty.
I just hope that we never lose sight of the Corvette as a “working man’s” sports car. Even in ZR1 trim it’s the most affordable 630hp car there is, and that’s a good thing. If I can spend half the money and eat a Ferrari, why not? Long live the Vette, it may have issues (I agree with Jeremy Clarkston on the rear bumper) but above all, you get real speed and handling to match or beat anything you encounter for a great deal less.
What is wrong with a plastic bumper? I think all cars should ahve plastic bumpers, it’d be insanely cheap to replace.
Most cars do! Plastic is light, easily pliable for manufacturing, and — when the time comes to replace the bumper after an accident (as it happens for 1/3 of ALL cars in the U.S), it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s also easier to install than carbon fiber or (gasp) metal!
I wonder what he’d say about the small panel gaps immediately under the Camaro’s headlamps.
Clarkston is becoming a rich, spoiled, and stuck-up brat with bad teeth. Not a car guy.
And I think you’re probably right Todd. In LA the cost of living is a lot higher so wages tend to be higher as well. That $50K corvette just isn’t that expensive in LA. I would say however that when you’re talking about AMG Mercedes, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Lamborghini’s or Ferrari’s you’re way outside the Corvette’s demographics financially. You can’t touch any of those for $40K; some of them you can’t touch for a hundred, forty thousand.
I find it interesting that people keep comparing Corvettes to much higher priced cars…and then saying that people don’t buy Vettes, they buy….Bugattis or whatever. No, I’ll happily concede that if you’re looking for a quarter million dollar car, you’re probably not looking at a Corvette.
I agree Rob, and I don’t even think you have to go to the ZR1. C’mon, what is anyone really going to do with the 505 hp of a Z06? If that’s not enough for you, you better be driving somewhere that all the cars go in the same direction and guys are waving checkered flags.
Agreed. Even the base LS3 is more than enough.
My favorite place doesn’t have any “lanes” or stop lights — salt flats 🙂
Hoping to make it out there in the next several months
Yep. That’s on my “bucket list” too Alex.
Interestingly enough…the area of NJ that I live in is relatively snooty so most aspire and own maserati’s, ferrari’s and porsche’s as sports cars…and yet the few guys up and down the block from me who enjoy those mentioned above always give me a thumbs up if they see me cruising in the vette especally with the roof off..
i’d suggest that the corvette is a very well respected sports car and its just a bit boldly styled that some feel its not a good match for themselves. its less expensive and yet often times it offers superior performance. Many chose the euro chic styling of the more traditional sports car because they feel the vettes too loud a styling statement even if they love the look..
I could be wrong…yet thats my interpetation… When your goal is to buy a sports car that says you’ve made it…the two or three times more expensive Maserati Grand Sport coupe thats been out a year or two now…or the Ferrari or the Porsche 911 turbo says it better ..
As well it should since its much more expensive. What I love about the corvette beyond its performance and styling…is that its maintaince routine and costs are so minimal.
Its really very nice to just have to change the oil ever 8k miles when the computer Driver Information center tells you to…Otherwise its wash, wax and check the oil from time to time.
That alone makes me smile just a little bit bigger every time I hammer this bitch down some mountain pass. Knowing that the car can take more than I can ever dish out and not even break a sweat.
I’ve autox’ed, drag raced down at englishtown and done driver events at pocono raceway and believe me guys…the cool part about a vette is that its more capable than the best of us.
Active handling set in competition mode and all of a sudden you Mario Andretti personified and you don’t have worry that the car will ever get away from you. The technology in all the various supercars today is amazing and as the euro set catches up with also lower maintaince intevals and mantaince costs.. more and more enthusiasts who have the coin …can make the choice to drive these cars everyday..
why have a third car when these cars can do it all. After years of having three cars..I’ve moved to just two so that I can enjoy driving the car of my dreams everyday..(I only stay home the first day of each of the snow storms we had last year and its no big deal)
The vette offers excellent versatility in that its inexpensive enough that if it needs to be replaced its not so heartbreaking.. and I park it with the roof off most anyplace I want for the same reason..If it disappears….its no big deal to buy a new one.
Can’t wait for the C7 to release. I expect it to be a tenth or two quicker in acceleration per model and be styled beautifully both inside and out. Should be a winner for sure.