The seventh generation of the American icon has
finally arrived.
“Iconic.” It’s
possibly the word most overused in the last decade. Randomly applied to
everything from ’70s television has-beens to retail establishments, and from
shoes to athletes, it’s been rendered practically meaningless. But in the case
of the Corvette, the word still carries the weight of a blacksmith’s anvil.
Love it or
hate it, for more than 50 years, the Vette has unapologetically stood as a
universal symbol for homegrown American performance. So when Chevrolet
announces it has a new one in the pipe, people get weird. Rumors of mid-mounted
engines, piles of carbon fiber, and turbocharging swirl. But now that the
drapes have finally sloughed off the 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray—yes, the famed
name returns on the base car—we have only truth.
As we
surmised weeks ago, the 2014 C7 Corvette takes more of an evolutionary
philosophy—although it shares just two parts with the outgoing car—while also
sprinkling in some revolutionary details. The C7’s body casts much the same
shadow as did the C6’s, but the new car is peppered with more-pronounced creases,
larger and more numerous vents, and an angrier front fascia and headlamp
treatment. In the front three-quarter view, the tiny hint of Maranello we
previously noticed in the C7’s nose is clearly evident.
Both the hood and roof
are constructed of carbon fiber. The profile is visceral; a stretching, sinewy
form emphasized by the subdued B-pillar and a rakish backlight. There's also a
rear quarter window. But the stylistic element likely to draw the most
commentary is the treatment of the taillamps; although the quad-lens
presentation follows Corvette tradition, the new lights' rhomboid shape and the
dogleg cutout in which they reside are certain to be polarizing. For their
part, Chevrolet says they wanted them “not only to say ‘Corvette, but new
Corvette.’ ” A quartet of trumpet-like exhaust pipes exit from the center of
the rear fascia, one of the few details made clear in the numerous spy photos
we published over the last year.
A naturally aspirated Gen V small-block 6.2-liter
pushrod V-8 sits under the hood; it spins a rear-mounted transaxle via an
aluminum torque tube. Dubbed the LT1, GM estimates the engine will make 450
horsepower and 450 lb-ft in base form, making it the most powerful standard
Corvette to date and our (and GM's) early estimate has 0–60 times clocking in
at less than four seconds. Cylinder deactivation is standard, even with the
manual transmission, and Chevy says the C7 will best the C6's 26-mpg EPA
highway estimate. Two active exhaust systems are available; the base setup uses
its active valves to tame noise during four-cylinder cruising. An optional
dual-mode system has extra valves that open a less-restricted path for airflow
to both increase performance and sound bad-ass.
Transmission options are a six-speed automatic or
seven-speed Tremec manual—yes, a seven-speed unit, with four shift gates. The
manual transmission also features active rev-matching on both down- and
upshifts courtesy of patented GM technology. We’re told that it’s fully
defeatable for when you’re in the mood to blip yourself. A Z51 performance
package will bring an electronically controlled limited-slip diff; closer gear
ratios for the manual gearbox; dry-sump lubrication to prevent oil starvation
in racetrack settings; additional cooling for the brakes, differential, and
gearbox; larger brakes; and aerodynamic bits to increase high-speed stability.
Z51s also get 19-by-8.5-inch front and 20-by-10-inch rear wheels and tires, up
from the standard 18-by-8.5- and 19-by-10-inch package. Michelin Pilot Super
Sport run-flats were developed specifically for the C7.
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