This Nostalgic Taillight Kit Promises To Give The C7 The Rear Of The C6
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We expect those who aren’t in love with dislike detest the back-end of the 2014 Corvette Stingray to be all over this “Nostalgic Taillight Kit”, which promises to mess up improve bring back the four circular tail lights from the C6, for the sake of heritage.
For a paltry $2,800, which we expect to be the price of the optional Z51 package, the kit promises:
- Fiberglass rear end C6 taillights
- Wirings and bulbs
- Tools and diagrams
- $2,800 free shipping
The irony here is twofold: not only would the kit completely interrupt the function of the C7’s rear intakes, which cool the differential and transmission, by closing off the air exit points located on the outside of both tail lamps, but the kit is also not a real product at all; rather, it seems to be a design concept drawn up by someone at corvetteitalia.it.
The GM Authority Take
We’re sure a pop-up headlamp and airbag delete kit are going to follow. For the sake of nostalgia… of course.
Hat tip to Mike R.
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Sad part is they would sell to all the loud mouth haters. I think the new design is good looking and shows that GM is ready to step out of the closet with design.
For the cry babies that are afraid of change and embracing it…
Stupid! Change is a fact of life people, embrace it and move on.
Actually, that rear facsia makes it look worse.
I think I see why GM dropped the round taillights for the hexagonal; theres hardly any curves on the rest of the body anyway.
This is just a way to make a cheap buck and make the C7 look worse.
This looks too much like a Ferrari back end
Congratulations knucklehead. You now are the owner of a brand new 2014 C-6.
Wow that was quicker than I expected……Now to replace the metal band across the front grill…..
Absolutely awful. The dinosaurs cant embrace change and i guess someone is gonna make a fortune catering to the small minded that cant appreciate world class design. Ed welburn and crew made a flawless car. I want a c7 in the worst
@Bryan…. HAHAHA!
Who said GM’s design team was IN THE CLOSET – ANYWAY? LOL! Isn’t that
just like the gay community to assume everyone is gay? – Wow!
Sorry Bryan, I just had take a shot at your wordage – I think we all know what
you meant, but “in the closet” has a certain meaning today, and
having backward thinking or being nostalgic in design theory isn’t
it —-
On the plus side – I like the new/old look but agree it’s too plain, and
not forward enough. There isn’t enough information out there re: the
aero-cooling efficacy of those tiny slots next to the C7’s taillgihts, but
it seems the lower pathway of air would cover the transaxle and
exhaust – wherein the top vents may be more for downforce? Not
sure. There are so many variations one could take on the twin round
‘Vette namesake lights – look how Ferrari has played with the shapes
such as revealing a long side portion of the lens as part of the
side indicators,etc.. Ovals are out, as the C5 was butt-ugly IMO,
but vents or sculpted forms could’ve provided an interesting look
for the Stingray’s rear than the robo oddness they selected.
But enough talking about rears —- I’m not IN ANY CLOSET, and
I’m certainly not looking to get out of one – that’s for sure! LOL.
James — regarding the vents on the C7, have a look at this:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/01/deep-dive-the-exterior-design-of-the-2014-chevy-corvette-stingray/
I do like te smooth simple purity of the fake bodykit though. It
highlights how complicated and way-too-busy the C7’s existing
design is. Way too many lines, off-angles, dents and creases
to be sure.
Perhaps one horizontal crease, lose te “Corvette” nameplate
and add some widened vents around the outer lights and
voila, it’d be an improvement. I do like how the gray lower
area splits up what used to be the humongous flat rump other
‘Vettes have had in the name of downforce and perhaps
designer laziness.
One more C7 observation: This excercise points out what is my biggest
complaint about the C7’s appearance – too many lines and
unnecessary details. The hood, for example: I really like the sharp
edges that just slightly reminisce of the Stingray haunches over the
wheels, but there’s a couple added character lines that I don’t feel were
necessary and junk up the appearance. Also, the side exit vent behind
the front wheels is really cool, but did’t need the black or accent coloring,
just keep it body color. That vent also has those little character lines
which I think cheapen the effect. Likewise with the rear vents being
black and being very busy instead of Ferrari, or Porsche smooth.
Think of a NACA duct – they are functional and cool looking, not
jiggered-up with lines and angles.
Lastly, I think the Corvette’s design team got too “TRANSFORMERS”
on us, as they want new designs to be “young” or “youthful” to
last another decade or so until C8. In doing this – they lost their
sense of good design and cluttered up Corvette with too much
needless detail. I like how you can see the latest Ferrari, and whilst
you can tell it’s a Ferrari from a block away, when you get closer
your eyes don’t get caught into following a bunch of busy lines
that don’t have a place in the car’s ultimate function of sleekness.
Ask me what new cars on the scene have used a better approach
at design and I would point you towards brand new cars which
have to be fast, yet capture a simple design language that speaks
class as well as speed. Look no further than the Aston Martin
Virage, and you’ll see where GM got that nice lower-sill blade
that protrudes from Corvette’s side – very nice, and it works on
the Corvette as well. Look at Virage and other Astons and you’ll
see some of the sexiest, sleekest ICE sports car designs out there.
I also like Lotus, and what they’ve done with the Evora, and Tesla’s
Model S, which evokes classic rounded theme’s which translate
into speed and a feelilng of class and expensiveness ( or specialness )
if you will.
I’m a cartoonist and I’ve always liked to draw. I inherited my talent from my
grandmother who always used to tell me, “it takes two people to draw a
picture”, one to draw it, and the other to shoot him when he’s finished!”
Corvette’s designers look like they obsessed with it and just fiddled with
it for too long. They wanted to add features that would evoke past designs
and they wanted to attract a younger audience. In doing so, we get too
many lines and flourishes that just could’ve been left in the dustbin.
Maybe some of you remember the mid-engined Corvette concept
that was made famous at carshows in the late seventies, early eighties.
These designs were a cabover design with smooth aero flowing shapes.
This is the elusive mid-engined ‘Vette that many GM engineers
dreamt about but budgets just could never make a reality. Even C7
was imagines as a mid-engined design at it’s beginning before having
that idea put out to pasture ( ONCE AGAIN! ) for practical reasons.
C7’s forgot that golden rule my dear late grandma taught: K.I.S.S. It
turned out pretty nice, but just a bit too gimmicky IMHO.
I would like Alex or Manoli to ask Ed Wellburn, director of GM design –
what is the history of the GM crease?
The “GM crease” is that strange center crease that appears on every
single GM product produced. It seems to be a GM design bylaw
etched in granite somewhere deep in the bowels of GM headquarters
that every single car, truck and sportscar produced from this
fabled brand MUST have this envelope fold in the center of the hood
and grille. On the C-7 it’s just too much – as with Malibu or ELR, or
ANY GM PRODUCT, the line often gets in the way of the true
language of the car – but again and again and again it shows up
as if it’s even added to a design as some sort of signature move.
I always puzzle at the cars it shows up on, in fact, there is not one
GM product that does not have it – I think Pontiac Solstice didn’t
have it and it might have gotten somebody FIRED! — LOL! – I
do know Saturn Sky, Solstice’s sister car DID have the crease.
I just want to know WHAT’S UP WITH THE CREASE?!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sky
I have two GM vehicles that have no crease on the hoods. You are just barking with no bite!
I have three in my garage right now and I checked, none of them have this illusive “crease” of which you speak.
If I had never seen a C6, I would like the proposed rear design better. Why are the four lights frenched so deeply? I’ve never liked the dust catcher tunnels. If the tail lights were flush, it could give the car a 2013 1/2 look. I’m sure the ducting could be incorporated. BTW, WAY overpriced! Knock it down to $999 and they might sell a few. Future Corvette lore; They had a lot of left over C6 tail light lenses and they had to use them up! LOL!
James, The last generation before the end the Grand Prix, The Camaro and Firebirds also had the flat hoods no crease. The last gen GTO, The 95 Impala SS, Chevy Luminas, Chevy Cobalts. I could go on. There out there. There are a few reasons why there is a lot of hood creases in the cars..but to say ALL GM cars..not really.
The ’14 factory taillights look pretty good and fit the design well. It’s the rest of the rear end that’s a mess and needs massaging, IMO. Still, if someone wants to customize their car, I think they could do a lot worse–I’ve got no problems with this, except of course that it’s nothing more than a Photoshop artist’s dream at this point.
I just got back from my first ever Detroit auto show and I have to say to all those naysayers, you need to see this car in person before you start making judgements. I agree with some of the critical observations but only to a degree. The car is stunning, and the reports of the attention it was receiving were not exaggerated. There was never a time when there wasn’t a mob of people clamoring to get a better view. You can nitpick any design and find things you don’t like. But overall I feel the design is a great success for GM. And finally for all the people saying the new stingray looks like a viper, with the exception of the one angle shown here which is basically on the ground, the two will never be mistaken for one another.
I just read the fine print
“Wirings and BULBS”
Yeah, because the advantages of LED’s aren’t good enough for them; it hasn’t hurt Cadillac since the 2000 Deville, and I don’t think it’ll hurt the C7.
I bet these are the same people who offered pop-up headlight kits for the C6.
Come on guys its not that bad, I actually like how it kind of simplifies the overly busy C7 rear end.
That said, I would get the Z51 package over this any day.
Call the C7’s rear overly busy, excessive, or too aggressive… I am in enamored with it.