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Car & Driver C7

20K views 67 replies 25 participants last post by  Blast 
#1 ·
More renderings.




 
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#2 ·
Thanks for posting these....although it doesn't seem to show much new from what we've seen already. And those photos/renderings are a little light on rear end detail. Wonder why.
 
#3 ·
To me they seem to be entirely based on the original Jalopnik rendering and the newer digital model created by Trinity animation.

Nothing really new to them at all...
 
#5 ·
To me they seem to be entirely based on the original Jalopnik rendering and the newer digital model created by Trinity animation.
Maybe, but the Jalopnik rendering is based on the real thing, so it's impossible to say whether C&D used independent information, or just copied Jalopnik and added a few spy pic and CAD details.

Regardless, they have thoroughly embarassed Motor Trend, whose rendering looks more like a Pinto than the C7.

The resoution is poor here - not Chris's fault - but this appears to be the high performance model without the targa top but with a one piece windshield to hatch top cover.

The mysteries remaining:
  • Because the side looks to be just a big phony chrome thing with no real open vent, will the base vette (Sting Ray that is not shown here) have hood vents?
  • ...or does the Sting Ray get a chrome-surrounded fender vent that is open, but no hood vent and the Z?? has a blocked fender vent?
  • ...if so, are the Z?? hood vents bigger?
  • Will the Sting Ray have a slightly different taillight bezel? ...maybe no black, pointed teardrops.
  • Will the Sting Ray have a slightly different rear "defuser panel"?
  • Will those long, skinny, vertical "vents" at the outer edges be functional?
  • Will they be on the Sting Ray AND the Z?? rear fascias?
  • Will the Sting Ray have the those two "splitter-like" body protrusions on the front fascia? I think not because if you look at the Omega Tooling shots, you'll see one front fascia with them and one without them.
  • With that significantly larger front grill, can the C7 improve upon the C6 coefficient of drag?
That's about all I'm curious about. What are you curious about?

OH... and why the F does my C&D always arrive two days after everyone else in the country!! ...and is dog eared with fingerprints all over the inside?!!!?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for sharing Chris!

It's so hard for me to believe that they went with such an uninspired design for the rear window. It's just a flat rectangular pane. In any case the rest of the design does nothing for me. I know a lot of members and Corvette enthusiasts love it, but it continues to leave me cold.

The above rear shot reminds me alot of the Solstice coupe. The other shots remind me of the Datsun (lol) GTR....yes I know that comparison has been beaten to death, but it's what my eyes see. And the side vent looks cosmetic. Kick-ass engine though.

Thanks again Chris for the update :cheers:

An Aside: I'm sure all the main trade magazines have seen the real thing by now and already have space put aside for publication in January.
 
#12 ·
Like I said before, I've seen 'little more' than what normal car enthusiasts do, and I can't and shouldn't say anything about it. BUT, I want to say this - DON'T get disappointed or make your judgement until you see the actual thing. It's only a month and half away now... :thumbsup: :cheers:
If you saw it, you saw the real life rear end with lines of ugly surrounding the camaro-like taillights. How can one NOT be disappointed in that rear end design?!!?
 
#22 ·
So I guess I have to get permission from you on what I like or dislike... :lookinup: I'm not gonna say YOU will like it, judging by ALL the comments you made and the knowledge you have about C7, but I am just saying (my opinion as you are sharing your opinion on the open forum) many will do at Detroit auto show and dealer lot when it's available.

I agree the back end may not be everyone's favorite. But there are a lot more to one car than ugly ass (some may even like the look of the back. who knows?). Front look, side look, quarter look, interior quality, performance...

No matter what you say or I say, GM will build C7 as it is designed and as you were saying, IF it gets too much negative feedback (even after real thing is being driven on the road for some time), they MAY consider redesigning the back end slightly, but what everyone is complaining is on 2D picture of what 'it may' look like.

I guess you will not buy it, and I guess I will in about 2-3 years when C7Z becomes more 'reasonable'. Or maybe it will grow on you, and later you will decide to 'forgive' its bad ass (quite literally) and pick one up.
Only time will tell.

I never wanted to post anything on C7 forum, but it was just ridiculous that everyone HATED the car even before they see / drive / hear / feel it. :huh:
 
#11 ·
Many will agree. To me, this is the first vette ever that is so handicapped by its looks, that it requires all the other components to overshaddow its exterior design. Fortunately for its future, the rest of the components are looking pretty good, but not as good as the looks are bad.
 
#16 ·
i'm with longtimer... i still haven't gotten my C&D magazine yet and all this time i thought it was just happening to me...
Why is it that all the other cars future renditions look great and this corvette C7 is so disappointing ! Keeping my C6 much longer now... i don't have the burning passion to get one of these! A real disappointment !
 
#17 ·
BTW, did anyone notice what looks like a vent on the top of the rear quarter panel, just above the door handle? is it a vent or what ?
I hate that spoiler... reminds me of the 1975 Z-28. I recall seeing a spoiler that looked like that made from a piece of aluminum that the just bent upwards... fine for the track, un-inspiring on the street.
 
#20 ·
BTW, did anyone notice what looks like a vent on the top of the rear quarter panel, just above the door handle? is it a vent or what ?
C&D chose to illustrate the Z??, as Jalopnik did. Did they copy, or build from info they gathered - we can't tell.

Anyway, yes that's a mysterious vent on top of the rear fenders on both sides.

When the C6 Z06 was released, we were told that the bottom feeding vent on the base C6 does such a great job of cooling the rear brakes, that the side scoop was not needed for higher performance. However, they felt it was a model-defining component for the Z06, so it was included.

Now we see another vent on top of the rear fender, not far behind the door. IMO it's too far forward to be an outlet for brake heat. Perhaps it's there to vent heat from the trans and differential .... or part of a system that reduces the heat in the tunnel (another nit picky bitch from car rags).

Vents in the hood, chrome vent covers on the side, vents on the top of the fender, and vents out the back of that ass - plus venty-looking black tear drops at the outer edge of the taillight bezels. This is why one of my initial reactions was to call it a design inspired by a page from a JCWhitney catalog. I guess we should be glad Welburn, Peters and Bennion didn't fall in love with the page with the hood ornaments.
 
#21 ·
Rising Alarm on the way to Sheer Terror

I'm was growing increasingly alarmed at the C7 renderings that surface. And now I'm starting to get scared. It's not just the rear end that's bordering on genuine ugly, it's now the front too. These C/D images do not show an attractive, sexy,
forward-thinking automobile.

Sure, it's not the "real thing." But if the real thing is even close...

It boggles the mind. Truly.
 
#23 ·
I agree the back end may not be everyone's favorite. But there are a lot more to one car than ugly ass.
I never told you what you could and could not like. I asked how one could not be disappointed in that rear end. Sounds like you might be a bit disappointed in the "ugly ass" too.

To me, the front fender treatment and the rear are deal breakers. I agree that some will like it, some will get used to it or get so excited about its performance they'll "go over to the darkside and the dark back" :laughing:.

You are also right that I will not be one of them. I hope they fix it so I can enjoy a lighter vette with much better seats and interior, but I can wait for however long it takes in order to NOT see that design in my garage.
 
#24 ·
Who defines "attractive"

I concur that if nothing else, it's only fair to wait and see the real deal before making judgement. But these renderings are too detailed and come with too much provenance to allow me to be so objective. Like I said. It's getting scary.

The design is not attractive. Some of the details are even embarrassing (The "gangsta" teardrops--ouch! Painful!).

Compare these C/D renderings of a jumbled mess to the gorgeous hunk of clean curves posted by RattVette.

"Nuff said.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Compare these C/D renderings of a jumbled mess to the gorgeous hunk of clean curves posted by RattVette.
What RattVette posted looks like a cheap kit-car to me. It's the demon spawn of a C6 that was raped by an Aston Martin One-77.




[edit] I decided to create a "visual aid" :laughing: :

[edit 2] Apparently the image is actually based on a fake Ferrari 612 GTO concept, which was in turn based on the Aston... so it's actually a derivative of a derivative.

 
#28 ·
Some good things going on there:

- there appears to be alot of functional venting
- the stance looks great. I always thought the stance of the GS/Z06/ZR1 was awesome, but that the standard C6 was a little timid
- the profile looks mean and angry
- the wheels look awesome

And I'd offer that this appears to be a fixed roof, no targa, and awfully similar to the Jalopnik rendering, which they stated was a "ZR1", so some of those things might not show up in January.
 
#32 ·
guys, now seriously, did ANYONE notice that the taillights are ROUND? check out the LEDs. they look like afterburners.
even in the pc game pictures.
i see NO camaro influence there whatsoever. but of course unlike to many ppl here, I haven't seen the real deal, yet.:huh:
i just say, have a little patience and give a chance that the C7 is BETTER looking than ANY rendering so far.
:cheers:
 
#35 ·
Those are the same lights we've already seen in all the spy shots. They just look like generic $10 LED trailer lights to me... those would be pretty chintzy to put on an actual production vehicle.


[edit] I just noticed something in the video that I didn't notice the first time I watched it... pause it at 1:35... you'll notice only the bottom half of the LEDs are lit up.
 
#37 ·
you have very sharp eyes :thumbsup:
now i see it too. ok, then my bad, they are not round. :smack

from the letters i keep receiving at andoniscars, ppl actually like the C7. I was really surprised to see that those who were not a big fan of the new viper, liked the c7 so far. i dont know...im not sayin anything just...wanted to share with you
 
#39 ·
Surprised no one has commented on the headlights. Based on the Omega leak, the indent where the headlight meets the front bumper bears absolutely no resemblance to the C&D pictures.

I still have hope we will all (most) like the car when it's released on 1/13/13...
 
#40 ·
I like some of the looks. I can see the side vents looking GTRish onl in the chrome trim (I though chrome was on it's way out these days?).

But I think the rear tail light treatment is really just emo-ish! there are little black tears leaking from the corners! :laughing:
 

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#41 ·
But I think the rear tail light treatment is really just emo-ish! there are little black tears leaking from the corners! :laughing:
Symbolic of the reaction of many, many (probably most) Corvette lovers when they first see the side and the back in particular.

I agree about the chrome side vent. It's another reason this front fender treatment looks so GT-R me too-ish.

The C7, far more than any past new corvette design, is a compilation of copycat cues with the most original area being the ugliest (the rear surrounding the Camaro taillights).
 
#45 ·
Fair enough. We don't know the names for the model lineups, but we've seen the Z?? badge on the side and we've seen a Sting Ray that is not on the Z??.

I'm betting that we will be able to stop referring to any corvette as a "base model" and that the name Sting Ray will be applied to that C7 Equivalent.

My guess on release order:
  • Sting Ray Targa first
  • Sting Ray Vert 3-6 months later
  • Z06 one year after Targa sales start. However, expect to see Z06 testing earlier. I think the early buyers picking up their Z06s at the dealer will already have read car rag testing of the car.
  • Grand Sport offering will wait until Sting Ray sales drop and use lots of Z06 non-engine parts.
  • ZR1 ever??? Maybe when C7 sales are really low.
The above, of course, assumes there will REALLY be a wide body. The wide body hurts aero. They could have designed in, an ability to go to larger tires and wheels without changing body width, by allowing for inset wheel/tire clearance. I doubt this.

There was a rumor that a C8 would be produced contiguously with later C7 life. The assumption accompanying this rumor, was that the C8 would be a high end ONLY mid engine Corvette. This was prior to the bankruptcy and probably very speculative even then. However, if true, there would probably be no ZR1 C7, because that model would compete with the C8.

FWIW
 
#46 ·
I'm not buying the "mid" engine argument. The current car is technically mid engine as the engine is behind the front axle by a decent amount. I don't think there is any reason for it. Where would the engine go? It would have to be a rear mid setup compared to the current front mid setup.

Weight distribution would be worse, packaging would be worse, interior volume would be worse, maintenance would be worse. There just arn't many selling points other than people "think" it's better and "they" want it. They might as well make it AWD and TT while they are at it.

I guess the overall point I am getting at is what will it improve? Off the line performance? Possibly handling in some situations? They all come at the expense of something else.
 
#50 ·
Not really. Just responding to attempts to trivialize an unacceptable design. The catalyst of the the bitching is GM's lame choices. Place whatever adjectives you prefer on the ugly thing.

You think it looks like this? Really?? OK. Eye of the beholder:
 
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