Earlier in December, a series of tornados hit several states in the South and Midwest, resulting in widespread destruction and an estimated 88 deaths. The storms also affected the GM Bowling Green assembly facility in Kentucky, the exclusive producer of the C8 Corvette Stingray. An estimated 115 vehicles were damaged by the storms, and now, new pictures of those damaged vehicles have emerged.
Recently posted online, the photos show several rows of C8 Corvette Stingray models lined up in a dirt lot, all of which are missing body components, with the structural components laid bare to the surrounding elements. The doors are also missing, giving us a peek at the plastic-wrapped interior bits.
Although visually these C8 Corvette Stingray units may look okay, it’s likely that moisture got into critical electronics and other components. As such, General Motors will send all of these vehicles to the crusher.
The news is likely irksome for those C8 Corvette customers still waiting for their vehicle as General Motors works through a backlog of orders to meet continuing high demand for the new mid-engine Corvette. Indeed, C8 production has been plagued with a number of setbacks ever since it was first introduced, including the 2019 UAW labor strike and shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the loss of these C8 Corvette Stingrays is definitely annoying, the most important thing to remember is that no GM employees were hurt at the Bowling Green facility during the devastating storms earlier this month. That said, the high winds did damage the roof of the facility and cause a small fire to break out.
As a reminder, the C8 Corvette Stingray is powered by the mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine, which is rated at 490 horsepower at 6,450 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque at 5,150 rpm. Output is fed to the rear axle through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, while under the skin, the C8 Corvette rides on the Y2 platform.
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Comments
Looks like A LOT of meat left on those bones…too much to send to the crusher. How about saving those wheels, tires, seats (wrapped in plastic) , rear hatches, windshield, etc. Seems pretty wasteful when theres certainly an aftermarket need for those items
When it comes to waste GM is second to none my friend. More money than intelligence
Your comment is very inaccurate. GM will save and sell whatever makes sense. Don’t you see that all the panels are already removed? They will sell them to dealerships as “take-offs” at a very good price. The dealer will then sell them to body shops at a reduced price over new. I’ve used them often and they are a pretty good deal.
Just like the first comment stated there’s a ton of stuff on there that isn’t affected by moisture and could be salvaged so hopefully they won’t send what we are seeing to the crusher and if they do then it just adds to the issue of excess waste of usable items often seen in our country. Hopefully they will get the meat off of those bones. 👍
4 Fck’s sake! There’s at minimum 3-4 grand worth of ” take-offs” in rims& rubber on each vehicle. Not to mention the interior and engine block and drive train. Colossal waste of $$$$. GMman99 is correct in his statement. It is you who is inaccurate eyexist.
Boy, with the exception of a few individuals, most of you really don’t have a clue on what GM does with these Corvettes damaged in the recent tornadoes that ravaged the Corvette facility. Some of you were correct about the in insurance side of the process. However there’s more to it than that. I worked for Chevrolet for 25 years and have had experience in this process. First GM has to abide by the rules set forth by NTSB on damaged units and protect you, the consumer from purchasing structural damage units resulting in deaths due to accidents by compromised structure resulting in lawsuits. Ask yourself, would you like to buy a car with fixed structural damage and put you family a risk even death, I don’t think so. Once these cars are listed as a total loss they are sold off to salvage yards and in turn disassembled down to the empty frame and then crushed. The parts are reviewed by the yard and they sell the useable parts over the counter. THEY are not crushed whole as a unit. All fluids are drained, all tanks are removed as per EPA laws and restrictions.
Come on America, think before you bash someone.
John, good points.
John I believe these people were talking about the radiators, Seats, tires that could easily be removed, conditioned and reused or sold as stand alone parts. As a GM shareholder I am angry that we chose to chunk profits out like that
You mean to tell me they can’t reuse the tires , windshields , seats ,calipers etc. they are not structural or electronic what a waste of money and parts
There are thousands of “salvage” vehicles sold every year, vehicles that had possible frame damage. What is the safety cutoff for which vehicles can be rebuilt and sold? I’ve seen plenty of before & after photos of vehicles that I thought would not be drivable again, yet they were repaired and sold as branded titles. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I’m not saying you’re right either.
Agree.
Well before we get informed before snide.
What will happen is these will go to a salvage company who will salvage 5he wheels as they are needed to get the cars on the trucks to get them there and unloaded.
Might note there are core charges on most all GM wheels as they are repaired and sold again or recycled if too damaged.
The seat will be sold as will most of the drive train parts.
Suspension parts will be sold too.
The main body and space frame will be crushed.
Some of these parts may be on a LKQ site in the future.
Often these deals are based on liability so electrical parts are not resold.
My local has done a lot of jobs like this for a number of automakers.
You mean to tell me they can’t reuse the tires , windshields , seats ,calipers etc. they are not structural or electronic what a waste of money and parts
Who would an individual like myself get into contact w about buying one of these… I really don’t care how much work has to be done I would love to buy one and build it myself…would u beable to point me in the right direction?
Generally they have a contract that requires them to be destroyed in the end. In many cases video of the final disassembled car and destruction has to be given.
That is why it is rare to find things like this.
One of those Domino cars escaped and that was a big deal as it was ordered destroyed. To this point it is the only one in private hands.
so why destroy all the parts,take the good parts put them back into production vehicles,wheels and tires interiors,engines ,from what i see there is a lot of usefull parts,gm is a company that is stupid recycle you stupid assholes ,but no they will crush them so they can fleece insurance company on loss ,because their lack of striping these cars out complete bs thats why i dont buy gm anymore
Pretty sure GM is self insured.
Once a part is installed on a Vehicle Information Numbered car, even if the car is still on the assembly line, it is considered, at that point, a used part,
Where could you get a extra set off rims ,would purchase a extra set for changing out summer and winter tires on my c8,2022
What a waste of money and material, someone save those wheels, etc…!
Due to liability/insurance, likely they will be shredded.
Many years ago, watched GM shred NEW Pontiacs, minus the wheels, battery & gas tank with GM officials onsite as they were dropped into the shredder.
Something else to consider here to those complaining about what is getting scrapped.
First not everything is scrapped as posted above. Second many items are not saved because to disassemble these cars to save the parts is labor intensive for GM so it would cost them more than it is worth to them to save.
Salvage yards can afford the time as they can recoup the cost in the sale of some items while parts not of value will be scrapped.
There like many things in building cars that have to be considered.
GM could care less about their absolutely ridiculous waste here. This is nothing but an insurance write-off to them! It just goes to show you that it’s business as usual. It is very sad indeed! There are so many things that could be done with them besides crush them! However, if any of those other things are done…they can’t claim a total loss to the insurance company. Therefore, they could care less how wasteful it is!
I suspect the reality of it all is that these cars belong to the insurance company now. So it’s more how the insurance company wants to salvage or scrap them – not GM.
Who is they’re insurance company and where are the wheels going for future reference
Like most medium to large companies, GM is self-insured unless the claim is gigantic. GM actually owns its own insurance company, called General International Ltd. An article about the ignition switch recalls said GM wouldn’t hit any outside insurance until the claim hit $835 million.
Does seem wasteful but I’m not familiar with everything that goes into this sort of scenario – future liability certainly being a consideration. Besides, I really wonder whether the “crusher” reference is factual. In any event, it’s an unfortunate and premature end to so many C8s
They collect insurance money on all these damaged vehicles. Therefore they are not legally allowed to use any of the parts. The vehicle were a total loss and insurance paid for each of them.
Plus, the UAW agreement is to build new cars not salvage parts and pieces. GM not going to stop or interrupt current production and send labor to salvage these cars….it would cost way to much money….
You mean that GM wouldn’t send their line workers out into the parking lot armed with a socket set, pry bar and hammer to start disassembling the damaged C8’s like its some kind of “Pick and Pull” salvage yard?
Correct!! Lol
My wife’s BMW was a “total loss” according to the insurance company, yet a month or two later, the car was for sale in an auction! I would certainly hope they would salvage as many usable parts as possible before destroying the shells!
The wife’s car was owned by her, or jointly by you and her, NOT BMW! Once the car was sold to a dealer, BMW (or any other manufacturer) relinquishes control over the vehicle. Once you wife’s car was considered “totaled,” by the insurance company, they pay you, the car owner, for the wholesale value of the car, and take ownership of it, and then turn around and sell it either to a recycling yard (junkyard) or to one of the various damaged car auction lots, like Copart, or Insurance Auto Auctions. The auto insurance company also sends the original title to the state department of motor vehicles, and requests that the title be branded as “salvage’ so that if the car is resold to a subsequent buyer, that buyer can see that the car was heavily damaged previously, or in a flood, or has sustained hail damage to a major portion of the body. A car with a “salvage” title is a red flag to anyone interested in buying, and usually results in a steep loss of value for the seller. A buyer of a “salvage” title car may attempt to rebuild the car to like-new condition, and then resell it, if the car’s value is substantially high enough, although there is likely no way a buyer may easily tell if the car was repaired to the manufacturer’s specifications. If the car goes to a junkyard, for recycling, the manufacturer of the car is off the hook for liabilities for safety issues or warranty work, and the part(s) are purchased “as-is” and at the owners risk.
Settle down, friends. There will be no “Who Killed the C8 Corvette?” movie coming out over this.
gm you need to do better
I don’t know why people are crying what was seen on the photo was a surprise and we are just judging based on one photo.
If I want a new C8 and expecting everything on the car is new from factory build but found out it was not with salvage parts, I would be extremely offended and upset by this and file for class action law suite. Anyone with enough sense on here would feel the same way so I don’t know why anyone would care so much of what is shown on the photo that does not tell everything.
Bad enough GM can’t seem to catch a break from publicity when it comes to recalls, questionable product marketing and etc but yet people are griping what appears to be waste and abuse when one photo does not tell everything. There are rules and laws that GM have to go by when it comes to situations like this and I bet that there is a law in there somewhere for this situation.
Before you cry waste please get more information. Ignorance of how this works is no way to comment.
Even if you total your car and the insurance company writes it off they still salvage as much as they can.
Little goes to waste when money can be made.
GM will turn over those cars to their insurance company, which will pay GM for the loss. The insurance company MAY, at its discretion, turn them over to an auto action company such as Copart or Insurance Auto Auctions, where dealers or brokers, or, in some instances, individuals can buy the remains of those cars. But those cars would be marked with a “Salvage” title, and would never qualify for warranty service from a GM dealer. But, it is likely that GM, as stated in the article will require those vehicles to be totally destroyed by the insurance company, to prevent lawsuits against GM. That is the same policy used for new test mule vehicles that the manufacturers use for pre-production development, as those cars are not certified for production, and likely do not have an official VIN, to use for registration.
Hello..I’m BRYAN from central ga..I would be interested in a good deal on one of those cars before they are crushed. I would drive up there and look them over..first tho.. text bk to this number what is possible..THANX.. B
Not for sale.
Typical GM. SHAMEFUL THEY WERE EVER IN THIS POSITION. HEADS NEED TO ROLE!!!!!!!
👍
When I worked at a Chevy Dealer you couldn’t take anything gm related out of the dumpster. All legal reasons.
Good God you guys, give General Motors some credit. GM knows exactly what they’re doing in this situation. Especially now…now that a woman is in charge!! Bankruptcy 2008… men running the show. Anyone remember? HELLO!!
TOO MANY FOOLS ON THIS SITE CONSTANTLY CRITICISING GM WITHOUT THINKING OR KNOWING THE FACTS.
THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE