Before it came out, I saw pictures of the eight-generation Chevrolet Corvette in a news story. Of course, the car was heavily camouflaged, and it was being piloted through Manhattan by Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, with GM CEO and Chairwoman Mary Barra riding shotgun. Both of their faces positively beamed in a way that a genuine smile radiates from the inside out. These were not typical auto conglomerate upper-management press photo smiles. Barra and Juechter looked like they were having a ball, and their enthusiasm for GM’s new baby was apparent and inspiring. Bless them.
However, when I viewed a profile shot of this C8-in-disguise, I paused… long and hard. It has been out there for a while that the upcoming 2020 Corvette will have its engine mid-ship, breaking a 66-year tradition of front-engined cars. Mine is probably only one of a least a handful of CC articles that will reference the new ‘Vette, and as is my normal practice, I will defer writing about details of the technical specifics of the new car to other contributors who are better qualified to do so.
From a visual standpoint, however, I don’t know that I’m ready for mid-engine proportions on a car called “Corvette”. When the C7 was introduced for model year 2014, I thought it featured many daring visual cues that broke with tradition, not the least of which were the non-round twin taillamp clusters. The current design is creased and still looks menacing, even if I feel it has aged more quickly than some of the cleaner designs that preceded it. (The C5 still looks good to me, today.) The most important thing about the seventh-generation car, though, was that even with all of the changes in its visual identity from what came before it, it still looked like a Corvette.
Our featured ’81, from the C3’s penultimate year of production, was one of about 40,600 units – a sales figure that was flat over the prior year, and impressively so for a basic design that was thirteen years old at the time. To your author, a kid who came of age in the ’80s, this red car is quintessentially “Corvette”. Yeah, there’s that ubiquitous Prince song that many of us could sing while half-asleep, but this example’s Corvette-ness goes even deeper than that for me. It’s red. It’s hot. The t-tops are off. Corvettes just like this one were the epitome of cool to so many kids my age. I’ve written all of this before in a previous post on a different C3 that was parked in this very same spot seven years prior to when I took these photos.
This Corvette has a long hood, curved rear glass, and proportions traditionally associated with these cars. The C8 has none of these things. In my personal life, I’ve been trying to open up more to embracing the inevitabilities of change – at the office, in personal relationships, finances, and just in general. It may sound cliche, but it’s true that change really is the only constant, and in so many areas. So, why am I having such a hard time with the Corvette’s substantial reinvention for 2020? I am, as in current parlance, genuinely shook.
Gino’s North. Tuesday, October 26, 2010.
The pizzeria in the background of many of these photos, Gino’s North (as also seen directly above and which I had referenced in a previous piece), serves as a very good metaphor for what appears to be up next for Chevy’s iconic fiberglass sports car. In the decade-plus that I’ve lived in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, Gino’s North has been one of my favorite restaurants – for the delicious food and cocktails, ambiance, history, great prices, jukebox, and friendly service. I used to love the very old-school glass block facade and neon sign that proclaimed “OPEN ‘TIL 2 AM”. The wood paneling on the inside and jazz on the jukebox (yes, I played that Kenny Burrell you’re all bopping to) contributed to the throwback experience of enjoying a pie at an eatery that had been open since 1941.
Gino’s North. Sunday, June 10, 2012.
Then came the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA’s) semi-modernization project of the Granville station, under which Gino’s North is located. Upon completion of this project, the entire front of the restaurant had been opened up with floor-to-ceiling windows. The wood paneling in the main dining area had gone away. It suddenly felt like I was enjoying my “Gino’s Special” twelve-inch pizza and Maker’s Mark Manhattan inside of a giant fishbowl. People would now stop and gawk in from the outside. The slightly-seedy-but-not-really vibe was gone, and I missed it. This place lost much of its magic with me, at the time. I didn’t stop going, though.
Gino’s North. Friday, July 3, 2015.
Fast forward seven years to present day, and I’ve come to love the giant windows (which are lovely during a fluffy snowfall in winter) and wide-open ambiance. Some sort of shift in my tastes and/or acceptance had eventually occurred, and while I will always treasure my memories of my earlier experiences at Gino’s North, in 2019, I couldn’t imagine this place any other way than how it is today, post renovations.
As for the new Corvette, I know I will eventually come around. I also realize this isn’t the first time I’ve ever seen pictures of a mid-engined car with the “‘Vette” name attached to it, thinking specifically of the Aerovette concept of the mid-/late-1970s. The world continues to change, just as it always has. This former Billboard magazine junkie (who used to be able to rattle off the titles and artists of the songs in the weekly Top-10 on the Hot 100 chart with accuracy) probably couldn’t name ten artists in the entire top-40 right now. Both tastes and the substance of popular things evolve. It’s all good, though, and I do hope the radically redesigned Corvette is a success. Just give me time to genuinely love its proportions.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Thursday, August 2, 2018.
Note: A rerun of an older post.
I saw this red Vette and instantly had great memories. Back in about 1989, I picked up a low miles and perfect condition 1982 Vette exactly like this but with the red leather seats. It was such a nice car to drive, although not very powerful. It was best cruising along at about 70 MPH, yet the speedo only went to 85.
There’s something off with this car in the article. Something with the tires? They look strange and maybe the wrong size?
I always enjoy these articles Joseph (being English I struggle with using the first name of someone I don’t know) you have a real talent for reflective prose. Not in your league but I’m going to chance my arm with a COAL, thanks for the inspiration.
Dan; I think Springs are new, and sitting a tad high. A friend of a friend drove me in his very low miles ’80ish 15 years ago. It was the epitome of GM crappy construction. It creaked and groaned. As an owner of dozens of GM cars, ie: Corvairs, Cadillacs, 5.7 diesel Malaise, 6.2 diesel trucks, I know junk when I’m sitting in it. And last year I had 100k burning a hole in my pocket. I sat in a new mid engine. Bad surprise, my “only” 6″ long legged frame felt scrunched. I got back in my ’95 Z71 junker klunker, and forgot about my Corvette dreams
Wouldn’t it be something if Chevy came out with a “retro” C8 like were done with recent Camaros and Mustangs? Transform the sharp edges into graceful curves, and there you go. Round taillights too.
BTW: Cranking “Rose Room” while reading made the experience all the more enjoyable.
Joseph, you’re not the only one having to readjust their perceptions about the current Corvette. It really is very comparable to a Ferarri, you couldn’t say that about an early ’80’s model. As a Boomer I grew up in the ’60’s, and the Vette name was pure Magic. It and the Harley Davidson Sportster were the primo muscle machines of the era. Still, the best thing about vintage cars is that it exists right now, If I wanted to re-experience the ’70’s -’80’s I could buy a car from that period.
If you think that the Vette has changed, check out the new Sportster S. It is totally different and it is much more powerful. I don’t know that I will ever embrace it’s looks.
The C8 design has not grown on me and I don’t believe it will. There are some very good looking mid-engined cars out there (X1/9 comes immediately to mind) but this isn’t one of them. I remember reading when the C8 came out, the design team was tasked with a 2 golf bag trunk. IMHO that’s what ruins the design.
Consideration and rumors of an future mid-engine Corvette have been so pervasive for the last 50+ years that it didn’t shock me when it finally happened. The layout seems to be optimal for a sports car, performance-wise if not looks-wise.
New corvette = Transformer pretty pretty…ugly. And yeah I could buy one but I choose not to.
I have to say it surprised me recently learning the sales high of the C8 actually matched the previous Corvette all time high of 1979, but like the 79 it’s far from my favorite Vette personally. I’ve really never been into Vettes or sports cars all that much so it doesn’t really matter, but there’s a charm to older front engines Vettes in kind of defying international sports car ideals yet succeeding I always appreciated, be it its cheaper price tag, front engine layout, not particularly exotic 90° pushrod V8s or sometimes ostentatious styling. The C8 seems like a surrender to technological standardization, and I inherently admire stubbornness so it just falls flat for me. I’d probably like it better if it went back to round taillights though, I hated and still hate the C7 for that deviation.
The 80-82 is a conflicting car for me, I think this restyle fixed a lot of sore spots of the 73-79s and got it looking more on par with the 68-72s but the drivetrains were still terrible(if not worse than ever) and we’re positively ancient by this point. I love the design of the early C3s, possibly to the point of blasphemy sometimes preferring them to C2s, but where icons like the Mustang weathered the malaise era on an awkward rebody of the Pinto, the C3 started strong being an Uber C2 with stingray styling and much needed room for wider tires(a shortcoming of the C2 design), but year after year got chipped away into something more and more lame.
Joe, you likely remember this funky # 1 Billboard Dance chart hit from 1981. Would have been great long play overnight driving music, for this ‘Vette. Over seven minutes.
Does anyone else think that the track widths on this C3 are all off?