Illustrated: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette C7

[2648562]

Originally Posted by jckjds

The current XLR is an ugly POS. I'd like to see a lot less chiseled art and science and a lot more Italian influence in that car. For some reason, the art and science look just doesn't seem to translate well to a car with the XLR's proportions, IMO.

Oh boy, you're going to hear it from a certain XLR owner before too long. Don't worry though, he puts his responses very nicely.

I know the XLR could be better in every respect, and GM's only made it worse with their recent **** sandwich of a refresh, but I really feel like it's still a gorgeous car in person and that there's nothing else like it. I'll give you one thing though, the whole "art & science" thing just gets older everytime GM unveils a nearly identical new Cadillac. If they want to beat the Germans they're going to have to be different--no lookalike FLEET of cars... IMO.

[johnstarnes]

Originally Posted by footney

I like it. I appears to be shorter, and I hope its lighter.

I agree...the Corvette has gone from its nimble beginnings, which continued well into the 70's, to a car that to my eyes is bloated and heavy looking. For my tastes, the current gen and preceding one both have fat asses and a sense of sheer bulk vs. the slim sleekness of the 1963 Stingray, both displaying cumbersome profiles. I need to check, but at a nearby pizzaria are parked daily two Vettes that I THINK are 73 models, with curvaceous bodies and balanced proportions. I think it would be fun to learn their co-efficient of drag and that of the C 5 and C 6 in case there is an advantage to the "fat butt syndrome" that I feel both display. Perhaps revisiting the "Coke bottle waist" could offer some visual slimming. Plus I agree that, even without the new CAFE rules, the C 7 could benefit from being smaller and LIGHTER, with the price tag affording greater use of aluminum and composites.

[LucheySchoe]

They cant be serious. Even if they make the door windows "flow" with the roof line vice being straight across, and dump the nose within a nose theory it still wont be okay.

After trying visualize some flow into the car I realize that it looks a little like a Ferrari meets Lambo colliding with an Audi R8.

A halo car needs to grab the buying public with that "Gotta Have It" factor. Not a design that grows on you. GM needs to go back to the drawing board.

[mgescuro]

It is quite ugly. More fitting for XLR... but XLR will be dead well before then....

back to the drawing board please....

[Exploder]

It's nice, but not for a Corvette. It would make a better Firebird/Trans Am.

[ARCANGEL]

this looks aloooooooot like that silver car in TRANSFORMERS 2!!!!! SWEEEEET!!

[johnstarnes]

I did some research a few days ago...it seems that those two Vettes at the pizzaria I like are 78 models, not 73. Plus I got a real wake up call as someone long into good aerodynamics....those two 78s I like have a coefficient of drag of an abysmal .50 !!! And the current fat-butt Corvette I don't much like is just .28 !! But here is the kicker....the current Camry hybrid has a CD of just .27, and the Prius is .26 ! That said, even though I love the looks (so far) of the silver Transformers thing, I bet the "nose within a nose" and those flaring fenders might have its CD back in 1978 numbers. Bummer! Nevertheless, I hope the next Vette is RADICAL, a new equivalent to how the 63 Stingray blew people away....no more "evolutions" but a real visual revolution is my hope.

[Sal Collaziano]

I didn't think I was going to like it..... But I do.....

[PAULSTS1]

The design is too lumpy and bumpy. Definitely not Corvette Design. I will classify it as something done for the movie, but not production ready.

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by Exploder

It's nice, but not for a Corvette. It would make a better Firebird/Trans Am.

I could agree with that. That car should be very ostentatious in it's styling, not the Corvette.

[johnstarnes]

Originally Posted by Uzzy

I could agree with that. That car should be very ostentatious in it's styling, not the Corvette.

Wow that is a very fine idea....as someone who grieved the loss of the Firebird and who longs for its return, I wonder if you are onto something with that? Give it a split grille, horizontal bar tail lights, and some design elements of the last Banshee (late 80's) and we might have the Firebird rise up like a phoenix from the ashes of bad decisions aplenty at GM!

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by johnstarnes

Wow that is a very fine idea....as someone who grieved the loss of the Firebird and who longs for its return, I wonder if you are onto something with that? Give it a split grille, horizontal bar tail lights, and some design elements of the last Banshee (late 80's) and we might have the Firebird rise up like a phoenix from the ashes of bad decisions aplenty at GM!

And pop-up headlights! Does any car on the road have them, or hidden headlights anymore?

[DRTY]

Yuck. Looks like an old Avanti.

[LeSabre]

Originally Posted by 2648562

Oh boy, you're going to hear it from a certain XLR owner before too long. Don't worry though, he puts his responses very nicely.

I know the XLR could be better in every respect, and GM's only made it worse with their recent **** sandwich of a refresh, but I really feel like it's still a gorgeous car in person and that there's nothing else like it. I'll give you one thing though, the whole "art & science" thing just gets older everytime GM unveils a nearly identical new Cadillac. If they want to beat the Germans they're going to have to be different--no lookalike FLEET of cars... IMO.

Cadillac's Art & Science thing is a design philosophy/language, nothing more. Each brand of automobiles should have a design philosophy/language of its own. But that is not the case w/many car brands...Esp. within GM & esp. Pontiac. Pontiac is by far the one in all of GM's brands w/out a design language of its own. IMO, the styling of the Solstice should have spawn other cars w/the same basic design cues(being curvy & sexy) along w/the aggressive looks. But the brainless leaders of Pontiac/GM failed to see this vision along w/others. In addition some of their other "brilliant" ideas were bad ones, such as the alphanumeric(G#) naming theme of their replacement models of cars that have had REAL names before & ones that even had ALOT of equity(Bonneville, Grand Am, Grand Prix) in them along w/brand recognition from the model name of the car alone.

[red_rider]

Well if they can figure out how to properly graft the mako shark grill on the front end, I think there's a lot of potential.