C7: My Experience at Barrett-Jackson

[Chris Draper]

Wow, what a day. VIN# 001 sold for $1,050,000 to Rich Hendrick.

Now on to the good stuff. This car is an attention magnet. They moved the car around to several locations throughout the day and everywhere it went there were mobs of people all over it.

At one point i just stood there and listened to what people were saying about it, and here are some conclusions I have come to:

• -Teenage boys think this car is better then sex. (Congrats GM, you made your mark on the younger demographic)
• -Men of all other ages are in 1 of 2 groups....they either think the car is INCREDIBLE or they HATE the car based on the taillights alone.
• -Women all think it looks like a Ferrari (I kid you not I lost count how many women said this out load)

I spoke to Ed Welburn and asked him what the thought behind getting rid of the B-pillar and replacing it with a window was. He straight up said "Change". I didn't ask about the "Camaro" taillights out of respect.

Here are all of the pictures I took today of the car out in public, under the Arizona sunshine.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...8241323&type=1

As everyone who has seen the car in person has said, and i agree, the car looks incredible in person. Photos don't do it justice.

[WISKY (LS7)]

Change!!

From F22 fighter pilot visibility to major blind spot!! Driving something everyday with no visibility is not fun. Cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo with that little window allow for no visibility at all, I hope the vettes are functional.

The taillight situation is ok. However, they should have been spaced apart just a tad bit more. They did not have to be circular. I wonder if people really mean spacing, not shape.

Nice Pics dude

[MR BRNS C6]

Well done Chris, thank you.

[Rick 2000]

After have seen the two C7 at Detroit auto show ( press days ) ,
I have too agree it looks to much like a Ferrari , Nissan GTR
wanne be . No Corvette in the past have to me looked like a
Ferrari .

[WISKY (LS7)]

I think it screams corvette from most angles but the roof line needs some getting used to. That is the biggest mess up I think. The tail lights could have been better but not as bad as predicted.

The side vents need much more depth.

What do you think specifically is ferrari like or gtr like?

[Aleem 1983]

I had a feeling Rick Hendrick would've won the bid anyhow. I watch Nascar a lot so you always here is name and the 5 race teams he owns but that man has one sick ass Chevrolet collection in general...not just Corvettes. He's one of if not the largest Chevy dealer in the country and sells more Corvettes than anyone. Jeff Gordon was even beside him when he won.

[KennyGS]

In comparison, the first SRT Viper sold for $300K last year.

[AlexY]

Originally Posted by Chris Draper

As everyone who has seen the car in person has said, and i agree, the car looks incredible in person. Photos don't do it justice.

And the pictures look pretty good too!

Regarding any resemblance to Ferraris, I really don't think this is a bad thing. Corvettes and Ferraris have always had similar styling, with even Ferrari "copying" Corvette styling cues at some times. But I don't really see how some similar styling is bad, it's definitely NOT a Ferrari and shouts Corvette. But to criticize it for looking too much like a Ferrari is like criticizing Natalie Portman for looking too much like Keira Knightley

[bkuper]

Originally Posted by AlexY

And the pictures look pretty good too!

Regarding any resemblance to Ferraris, I really don't think this is a bad thing. Corvettes and Ferraris have always had similar styling, with even Ferrari "copying" Corvette styling cues at some times:

This has occurred in varying degrees since the 60's. All one has to do is take the time to look for it.

[bkuper]

Originally Posted by Chris Draper

I spoke to Ed Welburn and asked him what the thought behind getting rid of the B-pillar and replacing it with a window was. He straight up said "Change"....

Hopefully there was more to it than that, and he was giving you a quick answer. Otherwise, this isn't really a well thought out reason.

[BLK 1]

Thanks for sharing all the pics with us Chris

BLK 1

[XQIZT]

Chris...nice write up and great pictures. I am glad to hear that the car is making a positive on the general public. Taking out of the "old man car" genre is refreshing.

And every time I hear the "blind spot" remark...I'm going to say this: Learn how to PROPERLY adjust your sideview mirrors.

[MR BRNS C6]

Originally Posted by KennyGS

In comparison, the first SRT Viper sold for $300K last year.

And the Batmobile sold for 4.2 million.

[sixpeedreams]

Originally Posted by bkuper

Hopefully there was more to it than that, and he was giving you a quick answer. Otherwise, this isn't really a well thought out reason.

Another way to say "change" is "new" or "fresh". And both of those are very good for car sales. The C7 is striking partly because its a radical change. Change is often uncomfortable but this car will grow on people IMO -- and FAST. Wait for the performance numbers and magazine reviews to come out. I predict the C7 is a major hit.

[PNHNDLE96CE]

Great Pics and again thanks for giving us the lastest and greatest.

Just noticed that the rear black portion has a gloss finish, did that look good or would you have rather seen matte finish there? Are all the vents gloss too?