2014 C7 Corvette: Evolutionary, not revolutionary

Photo credit: Autoblog.com

Let me begin this post by making my opinion on the C7 readily apparent, so that there is no chance for confusion.
 I think the C7 Corvette is a thing of beauty. Even as a hardcore Porschephile, I wouldn’t think twice about plunking down my hard-earned hypothetical money for a bright red C7 in lieu of a 991 Carrera. Simply put, the C7’s performance-per-dollar ratio eclipses absolutely every contender on the market, even without any official pricing information. GM has out done itself; rising from the ashes, it produced a through-and-through performance world-beater.

 There is one thing that seriously bothers me about the C7, however. The fanfare that accompanies the unveiling of perennial icons in the automotive industry, like a new 911, Mustang, or SL Class, is always laden with automotive superlatives and hype that finds the general fan base screaming praises and irrelevant buzzwords at whoever is around to listen. The release of the C7 was no different.

The C7 buzzword du jour is ‘revolutionary’. To truly speak of a car as ‘revolutionary’, it must be a jarring departure from the established norm. The C7, at face value, is not revolutionary. I am being slightly unfair at this point, as much of the technology is indeed groundbreaking, if only at the Corvette’s price point. Perhaps a closer look into the history of the Corvette will provide better examples.

The primary point of praise (or lack thereof) is the C7’s aesthetic design. It incorporates functional ducts, aero effects, and a heavily revised rear-end, all while retaining the classic Corvette silhouette.

This is where the issue resides.

The last “revolutionary” Corvette, in terms of design, was the C4. Take a look at the Corvette generations. The eternal Corvette shape was “found” in the C4 (hint: the gold one). The C2 was a massive departure from the C1, and the C3 slimmed the design down, appearing sleek and svelte in its profile. The C4 eliminated the curves, and added a pinch of ‘80s boxy-ness that has become a mainstay of Corvette design up to the current C7. The C4 is undeniably the genesis of the modern Corvette, the influence of the design riding through the decades, all the way up into the 2014. The C7 is not a revolution, but an evolution. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. In fact, this is the trademark of heritage. Is there another car, besides the Corvette, that is successful in design, racing, sales, and pedigree, that has stood the test of time despite having the same basic layout and visual profile? I can think of one. 

 Has the Porsche 911 suffered for its stubborn design? No. The timeless design became the defining feature of the 911, allowing Porsche to cement itself onto the automotive landscape. With this in mind, what is the issue with approaching the Corvette with the same outlook?

From a technological standpoint, the formula of progression has not changed much at all. Each new Corvette model is heralded for its bargain performance, a true supercar killer. The C7 is not exempt from this, many people calling it the performance bargain of the decade. I am inclined to agree, but the C6 and its variants were labeled as such in their time as well. I cannot remember any other supercar, post-2000, that caused as much of an uproar than the C6 ZR1. Backed into a corner in 2009, GM flexed their muscles and created a sports car that is nothing short of a masterpiece. A world beater, indeed.

So what makes this new Corvette ‘revolutionary’?

Nothing. It brings nothing new that Ferrari and Porsche hasn’t already achieved (Think 7-speed manual transmission) to the game. Sure, if you squint real hard, you can say the C7 is “revolutionary” within the constraints of the Corvette universe. The interior is one hell of a leap forward from previous iterations, and the all-new LT1 engine is (evidently) superior to the LS series of V8s that it replaces. Power is up by about 20 horsepower, and the 0-60 time drops by about .2 seconds. Impressive? Nothing I would call world changing. Sure, a car is more than a list of stats, but if you listen to the journalists who covered the reveal, one would think it’s the only thing that matters.

I look to sports car evolution with an eye to tradition and a certain respect for the past. The C7 is already one of the all time great sports cars, but its fans have been too quick to run from its heritage, eschewing past ancestry for the “All new, better, different” Corvette.

That makes me a bit sad.