As vehicles continue to evolve to meet stricter crash safety regulations and offer even more technology, they inevitably gain weight. While this added heft improves passenger protection and onboard amenities, it can be a challenge for performance-focused models like the C8 Corvette, where every pound is felt in the acceleration, braking, and cornering. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that General Motors offered a direct incentive for engineers working on the C8 Corvette’s development to keep the weight in check, with financial rewards going to those who successfully cut out the pounds.
GM Authority has learned that throughout the C8 Corvette’s development, engineers who devised a way to shave weight while staying within the project’s cost parameters were eligible for a bonus once the part in question successfully passed testing.
We reached out to GM for further clarification, and received the following response from a Chevy spokesperson:
“At Chevy, we’re always looking for ways to encourage our team to find solutions that make our vehicles better and more capable of meeting the needs of our customers. For example, when we target mass reduction on Corvette, the highest priorities are in areas that improve balance and reduce unsprung mass,” Chevy told GM Authority.
Reducing weight in a sports car comes with significant advantages. A lighter vehicle generally accelerates faster, handles better, and brakes more effectively. Reducing unsprung mass (or components that are not supported by the suspension, such as the wheels and brakes) can also have a major effect on overall responsiveness and road feel.
Despite these efforts, the C8 Corvette is generally heavier than its predecessor, the C7 Corvette, though some variants do show slight weight savings. For example, the C8 Stingray Coupe weighs 3,366 pounds (1,527 kg), an increase of 68 pounds (31 kg) compared to the C7 Stingray Coupe. The C8 Stingray Convertible is 3,467 pounds (1,573 kg), making it 105 pounds (48 kg) heavier than its predecessor.
Interestingly, the C8 Z06 Coupe is 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg), making it 24 pounds (10 kg) lighter than the C7 Z06 Coupe. However, the C8 ZR1 Coupe weighs in at 3,670 pounds (1,665 kg), making it 110 pounds (50 kg) heavier than the C7 ZR1. The E-Ray Coupe and Convertible are also quite heavy, weighing in at 3,774 pounds (1,712 kg) and 3,856 pounds (1,749 kg), respectively, due to their hybrid powertrain.
| C8 Corvette | C7 Corvette | Difference C8 vs. C7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stingray Coupe | 3,366 / 1,527 | 3298 / 1,496 | +68 / +31 |
| Stingray Convertible | 3,467 / 1,573 | 3,362 / 1,525 | +105 / +48 |
| Grand Sport Coupe | - | 3,428 / 1,555 | - |
| Grand Sport Convertible | - | 3,487 / 1,582 | - |
| Z06 Coupe | 3,500 / 1,588 | 3,524 / 1,598 | -24 / -10 |
| Z06 Convertible | 3,599 / 1,632 | 3,582 / 1,625 | +17 / +7 |
| E-Ray Coupe | 3,774 / 1,712 | - | - |
| E-Ray Convertible | 3,856 / 1,749 | - | - |
| ZR1 Coupe | 3,670 / 1,665 | 3,560 / 1,615 | +110 / +50 |
| ZR1 Convertible | 3,758 / 1,705 | 3,618 / 1,641 | +140 / +64 |
Comments
Get rid of all the electronic crap and the wiring that comes with it.
Gee. Sure would have been nice to read here a few of the actual ways they saved weight during design, huh?
Oh. And maybe even the amount of the typical bonus received.
And 2 of the senior corvette engineers just got let go – lol
Mary needs to be shown the door .
From increasing engine failures to mis- calculations from Mary and her band of losers – shareholders need to make them more accountable for mistakes
Harlan Charles was a product mamager, Bennion was a designer. Neither were engineers.
Harlan Charles started at GM as an advanced concept engineer. Kirk Brennion was a design engineer.
Both men held engineering degrees.
One of my dream designs would be a 2001 Z06 with an aluminum frame, carbon fiber fenders ,roof, hood and trunk lid. Install the factory cammed LS3 485 hp motor. And there you have it 2900 pound smile making sports car. Still have my 2001 Z06 purchased new with 15000 miles on it now. Yeah I am an old guy.
If they’re talking about gross weight with passengers, they have already lightened your wallet and taken the shirt off your back.
hmmm..bonus time and they let 3 key folks go??? Seems like Mary didn’t want to pay the bonus. And totally agree–SHE AND THE BOARD MUST GO
For DECADES, starting in the 1970’s, automakers worked on reducing the weight of their vehicles to give us better gas mileage. GM first reduced the size/weight of the full-size cars in 1977, then the mid-size cars in 1978, and so on. Weight reduction was a key to higher mpg. And environmentalists loved it. Now, GM is paying bonuses to reduce weight in the Corvette (yes, I know, for better handling & speed).
But yet, no one seems to give a darn about weight when it comes to EV’s! For example, a large 4-door RWD 1996 Chevrolet Caprice Classic V8 had a curb weight of 4357 lbs. Today’s new 4-door Cadillac Lyriq EV (closest equivalent?) weighs in at a hefty 5642 lbs! (Corvette praises a reduction of a mere 140lbs, and yet an “equivalent” EV weighs in at 1300 lbs MORE!) AND NO ONE CARES! In fact, the climate change alarmists PRAISE the heavy EV’s! Meantime, the consumers will be stuck with expensive tire replacements (due to weight), the roads will deteriorate faster due to heavier loads (and yet those vehicles most responsible pay ZERO gasoline taxes to maintain the roads!), and getting hit by an EV will cause more damage and injury (like getting hit by a truck), just when roads were getting safer with smaller, lighter vehicles.
(By the way, one of the reasons I didn’t like the last generation Camaro is that I thought it was larger and heavier than it should have been. The 2005-06 Pontiac GTO was a better-proportioned size. Holden got it right.)