We’re now just ten days away from the official debut of the mid-engine Corvette, which is set for July 18th. Having brought you the inside scoop about the base engine in the Corvette C8, we just got our hands on a photo showing the upcoming sports car’s rear end without any camo.
What we see is very much in line with previous Corvette C8 spy shots, and represents an evolution of the design seen on the current Corvette C7. It all starts with the spoiler, which features two larger cutouts at each end, along with a thinner cutout in the middle.
The tail lights, meanwhile, are very reminiscent of the units on the C7. They also happen to be more aggressive and have a significantly more three-dimensional treatment.
Below each tail light is a vent with intricate surface development; the vents likely integrate with the upcoming sports car’s aerodynamics and powertrain cooling systems. A license plate cutout capable of accommodating any format of license plate is positioned between both of the vents.
Below all that goodness sits a diffuser and quad exhaust pipes at each side, representing a significant departure from the current Corvette’s centered quad-pipe exhaust treatment. The rear valance, meanwhile, seems to be feature a shiny piano black finish.
The entire design of the leaked Corvette C8 rear end exudes athleticism and is rather aggressive, qualities that are right at home on a modern Corvette. We’re liking what we’re seeing thus far… are you? Talk to us in the comments.
Be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Corvette news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Not bad, kind of a variation of the Camaro. Sure looks like a lot of shiny plastic.
save that comment for the interior.
Well you will have that when the car in question is practically made out of plastic.
Kind of a no-brainer.
You mean Tesla’s are cheap and hideous because they are 40% plastic?
When the first comment is “not bad” you know its a letdown and quite bad. Clean sheet of paper and this is it????
It’s an affordably priced mid-engine sport car. Sure you can get a German mid-engine car with a nicer interior but it costs at least two to three times as much to purchase and maintenance/repairs also cost significantly more.
I love it, looks exotic but at the same time still screams corvette with the design cues.
Ugly over done Acura more like. Low HP and torque and lots of plastic will it out run a Z06, msrp ? Buy the Hennessy 1000 hp. For the money and it’s proven it self !!!!
No Hennessy is worth any money.
Also if you look closely at the taillights you can notice the amount of 3D detailon them
so gm took the rear from the slow selling camaro and thought it would be a great idea to paste it on to the corvette?
that is brilliant.
It’s about what I expected: evolutionary, conservative, and far too familial. The vents are very prominent and stick out… the tail lights will excite no one… and the spoiler looks aftermarket, as I figured it would.
Keep in mind, even though the details are what they are, it could still look bad ass from the rear when we see more of it.
Clearly not a Porsche fan.
Hmm. Not sure how I feel. On one hand I like it. On the other hand I’m angry because I see too much Camaro in it.
Where do you see Camaro in it? I’m looking at pictures of the C7 the C8 and the 2019 Camaro and I don’t see any similarities. In fact the C7 and C8 share more similarities between each other than anything Camaro.
Flip the license plate section and drop it lower, take out the vents, and you have a Camaro rear section.
You can say that about any car…. modify this or that and you have this.
At no point do they currently have any similarities.
Be as oblivious as you like. I have my opinion, you have yours.
Until I see the clay, I’m going to have a lingering feeling GM has been designing in CAD for the last 10-15 years.
The problem lies not with the designers but who their bosses are. At the end of the day is the boss or committee that picks the winner – and GM has proven they have the worst possible taste as they fall behind in the design world. Keep the camo back on the corvette.
A partially out of focus picture of the C8 rear…
I know it is par for the course (these days) to rush to judgement and label something prior to facts being presented, but I’ll reserve all judgement until the official unveil. I’m excited!
Totally agree!!! This could be a Escalade for all we know!
The C7 looks more aggressive. This looks bland in comparison. And where are they going to place the Corvette badge?
Not feeling it. And very disappointed if this shot is legit.
I love the back of the new Malibu in the pic….
Oh boy.
Someone might be getting fired. I will withhold my judgement until the reveal next week but looks cool I guess.
Reminds me of a Trans Am rear!!
Not going to lie, I was hopeful GM would finally place an Active Rear Wing on the Vette to catch up to the times but whatever.
You will have to wait for the Z06 or later models for anything active.
That’s fine. I just hope they offer it.
Oh the drama.
I wish the Forum would post the names and comments of those from the C7 when it was first shown. I bet we would find some of the same names complain about it that defended it later on.
Best to let the car happen and see it in person in full context to pass judgment.
Why is it that a new C model ends up being like a big estrogen level test for some?
Usually GM rear ends don’t leak until the warranty expires.
Haha
Looks alright, but I’m really going to miss the four center-mounted exhaust tips from the old corvettes
I love it! I loved the C7 too. I was completely burnt out on the two round taillights thing. It became like square wheelwells on a Silverado, just old looking and bored of it. This is a nice welcomed change and looks classy yet aggressive… Perfect!
So far from spy shots, this looks to be the new Chevrolet that they didn’t drop the ball on at all but instead nailed it.
Looks like they are doing a very good job of hiding the profile and angles of the car with the camo.
Doesn’t look bad. It probably fits the proportions of the rest of the car very nicely. People just love finding things to complain about. Same deal with the C7 when it came out.
there were the same complaints about the C-5
One has to imagine that what appears to be vents at the rear bumper are functional to pump out engine heat and not just decoration.
Here is my comment. No matter what someone will complain.
If it was front engine again, people would complain that once again they did not make a mid-engine model. Or active aero, or whatever… like this is the only trim level of Corvette to be coming from the factory in the next 10 years.. Hey I don’t like the “boy racer” wing on the back of a current ZR-1 either.. I don’t care about downforce on it.. to me it looks like some teenager saw the fast and furious and bolted a spoiler from JC Whitney catalog on the back I don’t care what it cost.
People keep talking about the Camaro tail lights.. or that it is not traditional and they said that about the C-7.. Did the Camaro have round tail lights also back in the day? Yep it sure did.. where were those complaints? So no.., even the Camaro does not look like a Camaro.. Well the C-2 does not look like a C-1, and a C-3 does not look like a C-4… oh they don’t have “round lights”.. well the C-5 had oval lights and half of C-4 production had squared off round lights. Or it doesn’t have hidden headlights… well neither did the C-1..
In fact if they were truly to make a vette traditional.. it would have round headlights, a six cylinder engine with a two speed transmission. Two tail lights and a exhaust pipe that comes out of a chrome bumper and only come as a convertible. Please enough with this “tradition” stuff.
I think a C-7 is a gorgeous car PERIOD. And I am sure the C-8 will be worthy of more than a second look. I remember when the C-7 first came out in 2013 and the complaints… then I saw it in person. and it burnt my eyeballs as it was so attractive to me and I would say most people. I still look at them and how nice they look… for some reason the round tail lights is not an issue. And people are complaining how ‘ugly’’ they are with no round lights… gee.. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for sure… to me a 911 is not so great looking, but some think it’s the best thing on the road.. Some think a Bugatti is beautiful… I think the grill looks like a toilet lid.. And for you screaming for round taillights: a new Ferrari does not have a 308gts round tail lights and pop up headlights either
There’s a lot going on back there, specifically on the flanks. I am a Corvette fan and past owner of a C5 model, but I don’t live in the past or get upset over things like round taillights and such. That being said I really do think if ever there was a Corvette screaming for a center mount exhaust, it would have been this one. Obviously that is a purely design statement, without knowledge of the engine and its packaging, perhaps there is an engineering issue with space to make a center mount work.
My first glances at the photo immediately reminded me of the 2002 Firebird and Camaro. Probably due to the spoiler, the first glance at the taillights, which at first appeared to oblong and one piece. The vent section is functional, but it gives the impression of being part 2 of 3, stacked one on top of another. But I don’t believe the photo gives the same impression that will be generated when seeing it in different photos or seeing the vehicle in person.
I am so glad Marry Barra is in charge. Her SJW attitude, and great style in clothes has suited her for the job of okaying all the great, life changing, market changing designs she has green lit. Witness the back end of the corvette – ground breaking – !!!!
This is what happens when you try to reinvent the wheel. I really have no opinion either way. To me the older ones are always better.
If the old ones are better then why are they so much slower then the new models?
The photo is taken from the assembly pit. Very low angle. Rear fenders look like they bulge out quite a bit.
Very busy design and would have liked to see more innovation and better exhaust outlet design. This is really bland. McLaren does it so much better with higher more modern placement of the tips.
Let’s see the rest
i’m not buying this. i think this is fake.
what happened to the roof? looks like an elephant sat on it.
the license plate cutout looks ridiculous.
that wing would make any custom 90’s japanese sports car proud.
i have a feeling someone somewhere is laughing his/her ass off right now.
I really like it!! I want to buy one…I am just hoping that that top can come off like all prior Corvettes!
Perhaps it’s the color but having owned a C 7 since 2013 I find that rear end UGLY
Love it! Looks like its going to be a badass car.
I hope the vents are really vents and not fake like Civic Type R waffle griddles .
Comparing this photo to my 2019 Admiral Blue C7, it strikes me that there is a good chance that additional trim has not yet been applied that would improve the appearance as well as providing the location for the emblems to be attached. In any event, premature to make a judgement now.
Was hoping for a return to classic round tail lights… Takes away from the Corvette heritage IMHO… But, if you liked the C7 rear end, you’ll like this one too…
I made this comment months ago and it rings true today.
The worst part of GM offering a C8 mid engine Corvette is having to hear all of the people’s negative comments about the C8 once it get revealed.
This picture of the rear just confirms my theory that people are never satisfied. And will find something to complain about no matter what the final product is.
And people wonder why GM doesn’t listen to the customer. Its pointless to listen to the customer if they are going to find fault in every design.
How about just being happy about the fact that HM produced a new C8 mid engine Corvette that will run circles around the competition.
But people would rather inspect every square inch of the car to find that one thing they dont like so they can call the C8 a failure.
Just pathetic.
as someone who owned 11 new corvettes in my life time i wish i was not 85 years old or I would have my dealer putting me on the list now. the wife and i raced our corvettes and some of my best friends were made thru corvettes.
You guys haven’t even seen the damn car. Give me a freaking break. Always a bunch of complainers and whiners think they know more than the company designing and making a vehicle like this. Geez guys.
When you have to think about a design – you have already lost. A design is emotional, you like it at first glance or dislike it – its very gut instinct – beauty needs not be described. Once you start attempting to describe how the lines should be okay – game over. Corvette failed on the back end – then again – GM has been failing everywhere with their design – Cadillac anyone? Any car that GM designs makes you say I love that! Nope. Not with Mary Frumpy Bara at the helm.
I see no evidence from the photo provided that the rear end was leaking?
No I think they ment that the photo was leaked out. I was confused when I read it also. They need a better editor
A lot of Corvette haters on a Corvette site. Let’s let consumers pick whether the C8 is a success.
I like it. Looks kind of Camaro-ish to me, which works just fine. Certainly a huge step up from the C7, which I always thought looked completely uncharacteristic.
why not wait until it rolls out before anybody picks it apart
You think this is bad wait until GM shows the entire C8
It looks better disguised. This looks too much like a Camaro, and by that I mean, it looks dumb.
Looks cheap.
Anyone else remember what Arnold said when the predator took off its mask?
That.
The back end of this car is beautiful to me……I really don’t understand some of the criticism? I think there are just some people that want to down the car no matter what…..I wonder what they are driving.