I recently saw pictures of the forthcoming, 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.
“sales figure that was flat over the prior year, and impressively so for a basic design that was thirteen years old at the time"
The C-3 was the definitive Corvette of my youth as well, and while I’ve never been tempted to own one, it speaks strongly to automotive enthusiasts, and is all about the visual impact.
Over the thirteen years the C3 was built, Chevy made several major mis-steps. For example, I really hated the rounded back bumper that come out in ’73. However, by 1980 they had fixed those issues, developed some knock out alloy wheels for the car, and smoothly integrated the 5 mph bumpers into the body lines.
While none of the post ’72 cars really offer “Corvette level” power, I’m not surprised by the solid sales- Visually, I think this car ranks in the top 5 of all the C-3s.
Just the other day I had a brief conversation about while death and taxes are constants, there is that third constant nipping at the heels of both – yeah, that’s change.
I agree with you and Dave Skinner about how this is definitive Corvette for me, just like a Fleetwood Talisman sized Cadillac is definitive Cadillac for the time I was born. Times have indeed changed.
So while any change is ripe for critique, meaning the new Corvette is also, I, too, will withhold judgement as I simply have heard so little about it as I’m distracted with other things these days. That is also a sign of how things change as once upon a time I would have been all over it…
Jason, it’s funny you should mention “other distractions” and why you perhaps haven’t kept up with what’s going on in Corvette-land. I understand that completely, and what you said kind of echoes my thoughts about when I stopped prioritizing top-40 radio and current chart placings.
You, Dave and I (and others) who really like the featured car, despite its absence from the very top of any “best of” Corvette lists, might all be of the same age demographic – I think that’s pretty cool.
Those are the Corvettes of my youth as well. Us kids thought they were so cool, with all of their 180 HP (or whatever it was rated at) 305s
Little did we know that its gold-chained, jumpsuit-wearing owner had probably just knocked out a couple of lines on his way to the club
These are some great songs – we are have been dusting off some classics lately. Thanks, Dan!
The C3 is the Corvette that took me awhile to come to terms with. The C2 was my idea of what a Vette was. The early C3 (up to 70-71) at least had power to force its way into my approval but the later ones were nothing more than midlife crisis-mobiles for balding overweight men.
I have since come to like the later C3 if only because of its inherent good looks and its V8 burble. I went through a similar acceptance process with the Ford panther cars through the 80s. I agree that if we give new things a chance we may see something to like.
So true regarding the demographic of Corvette owners starting in 1973 or so. Ironic that once I could afford a Vette, I didn’t want one anymore.
And it’s an automatic. Yuk, retch, bletch.
Just like it seems are the majority nowadays. At least the majority that are for sale.
I dare say if I ever lived in Chicago, Edgewater looks to be about the right spot for me. It would offer a convenient location from which to get to Wrigley Field. Also, I would get to sample Gino’s Pizza on occasion.
Great photos! I always thought of the 1973 Corvette as the prototypical Vette to me. I find many similarities from the profile view photo with the 73, at least to my eyes.
Yup, this is the Vette of my teen years. I hope the new C8 is a success, Ford seems to have done will with the renewed GT models.
Still I can’t help wishing that the engineering effort had gone into more compelling bread and butter vehicles.
One of my friends has a Corvette just like the subject car, red and all. He enjoys it for what it is, not particularly desireable but good fun.
I once read a comparison of the Corvette and it’s main competitor, the Porsche 911, was like the difference between a sledgehammer and a scalpel. A big part of that was the raw, visceral V8 horsepower of the Corvette. In the smog-choked seventies’, the C3 lost much of that muscle, putting a big dent in its appeal.
It’s also rather ironic that there was supposed to be a 4-rotor Wankel-powered, mid-engined Corvette around that time. It never happened back then but, now, aside from the rotary engine, it looks like it’s going to.
I never knew Gino’s North before the revision, so it’s hard for me to envision it as anything other than what I thought to be a fairly classy place. It would be an understatement to say their pizza is good. I loved starting a night on the town there with a pie and drink at the bar. I hope they still have it set up like this, though sadly I haven’t lived in Chicago for a couple years now:
Cjiguy, I’d say that Gino’s North has remained fairly consistent over the past several years, so (barring any unforeseen circumstances) your expectations shouldn’t be dashed should you happen to stop back in, in 2019.
Speaking of change, I remember when this generation of Corvette was berated because ” you can’t even see the front 3 feet of the hood.” On most cars today you can’t see the hood at all from the drivers seat.
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.
You realise that Corvette has been mid-engined with most of engine’s length located behind the front axle, for many years, don’t you?
While true, that’s a bit argumentative in that most people understand mid-engined to mean rear-mid-engined. If you asked someone to show you a mid-engined car maybe one out of a hundred would say a Corvette, and that would probably be me with the above caveat.
Got him good.
Next thing you know people will be calling Model-Ts front engined!
Unless that was a joke, I think it’s generally accepted that if the engine is located in front of the driver, regardless of relationship to the front suspension and wheels, it’s a front-engine design.
I’ll chime in as another who came of car geek age with this generation of Corvette. My favorite being the ’72, the last with chrome bumpers fore and aft.
Minor nit (possibly*) with David Skinner above: The rounded plastic bumper in the back came out for the ’74 model year… *which is why I say “possibly” as you may’ve meant “1973” as in the Fall of ’73 when these Corvettes came out.
I liked the ’73 when they went to the plastic nose cone in the front, but kept the chrome out back, but the ’74 and on forward rear end eventually grew on me. I do like the inset back-light of the ’77 and older versions, but even the ’78 to ’82 rounded back-light grew on my eventually too.
While I am a huge fan of the ubiquitous Corvette Rally Wheels that were used on everything from Monte Carlos to Impalas, these early eighties (maybe sooner?) wheels on the featured car are among my favorite Corvette wheels.
“as you may’ve meant “1973” as in the Fall of ’73 when these Corvettes came out.”
Neither- I meant ’73 as in the year that cars first got 5 MPH bumpers.
Since the regulations allowed some flexibility, GM used an interim solution on the ’73 and carried over the chrome rear bumpers.
My favorite C3 was the 78…First with the bubble rear window that looked great in Silver Anniversary guise. Two-tone silver and grey. The 78 with the L82 350 defied the malaise American cars had fallen into. It’s 225 hp was pretty potent compared to other V-8’s even 350s that were down to 170 hp or even lower. Road & Track even posted a 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds which was fast at the time.
It was a breath of fresh air amongst some very sorry American cars.
I agree that despite its faults this is the definitive Corvette for me as well, as far as styling goes.
I’m also skeptical of the new one. Regardless of how good it turns out to be it just isn’t a Corvette. But I also think that with the performance of electric cars that Corvettes as we know them aren’t long for this world anyway. So maybe it doesn’t matter.
My problem with the C8 isn’t change, it’s the ugly proportions (of all mid-engine cars.) Long hood, short deck is just right.
Important to note the new C8 fulfills dreams set in motion FIFTY years ago.
FIFTY.
That’s back when “Corvette” meant Bill Mitchell and Zora-Arkus Duntov. That’s when the idea for a mid-engine (as in, behind the seat) ‘Vette first became public.
Car magazines fed it, there were write-in contests where you’d decide how the possible next Corvette may look, and THE RESULTS WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE GENERAL!
I get the nostalgia over the later C3s. But I came of age before the rubber bumpers, before “155” meant horsepower instead of top speed. Look it up. Maybe they only had 145 circa 1975-76.
So C3’s after 1972? Sorry.
C4? I’ve actually thought of looking for one to scavenge the suspension and brakes to adapt to my ’57 Chevy.
C5, 6, 7? A progression from “cool, not bad” to “downright spectacular.” Besides, the LS/LT engines are themselves spectacular and the truck versions are easy to find to add LS Goodness to whatever suits ya.
And isn’t a Corvette supposed to be the pinnacle of Chevrolet performance? If so, and if you can only run one transmission, in 2019 it MUST be automatic.
This from a Chevy guy who at one time wouldn’t…WOULDN’T own a vehicle with a slushbox. But that was back when automatics cost horsepower, acceleration and fuel economy, the trifecta! Besides, bangin’ gears is fun!
Which it still is today. I can’t disagree.
But now that we have locking torque converters, overdrive and deep first gears, which really IS quicker in real-world driving? The automatic, hands down.
I wish it were still the stick. But it’s not and this isn’t 1953 when, for whatever reason, the PG was the only choice.
So even though I can neither afford it nor justify it if I could, I’m delighted for the C8 and that it’s happening on Mary Barra and Tadge Juechter’s watch.
And the questions 12 year-old me once asked are finally answered.
Based on what I’ve read, this new car couldn’t possibly be any more Corvette.
If the Corvette had the performance capabilities of the C7, hell, C5, in their tenures Bill Mitchell and Zora-Arkus Duntov would have said to each other in unison “screw that mid engined crap” and crumpled up all their papers and drawings. The Corvette almost went wankel powered under their watch too, is that what to expect with the C9?
Perhaps the C9 will be a ludicrous* EV like a Tesla, which will smoke just about anything on the road.
The times, they are a changin’
* Pun Intended regarding “Ludicrous Mode”
Honestly that would be the more logical way to go right now with th C8 than this mid-engined nonsense. If they go EV with the C9 will they go back to the long hood forumula of the C1/2/3/4/5/6/7 or keep the generic cab forward proportions of the C8 for no other reason than continuity?
The mid engined C8 seems like a very belated answer to the Ferrari 360, in typical GM fashion of following the leader generations removed. This isn’t progress.
The sad thing is everything you say about the current Corvette is true.
And the C7 Corvette really only appeals to a very small demographic. The demographic for the C8 will probably be smaller.
Those who can afford the expected $100K plus price will probably go for a Porsche or Ferrari and enjoy the performance AND status. The Corvette, regardless of how good it gets, will never carry the social status that the imports do.
They are making it too expensive for their target.As their $60K version buyers age out of the sports car market, there is nobody that is going to want to pay $100K for a Chevy. Ask Harley Davidson how appealing only to Boomers is working out for them. They rode the profit train as long as they could, but it looks like that train has left the station for good.
You can still have a traditional tail lights on your c7 vette if you want. And this one is hot as hell.
With 100k$ price tag you might be right being too much for its target customers. Similar to C4 ZR1 case in past.
c7 looks to my eyes as Ferrari of some kind. I guess it’s only Porsche 911 which can keep traditional evolution of design and being still loved by the crowd.
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EDIT: upload does not work, so please just follow this link https://geigercars.de/media/bildergalerien/earlier/corvette-zr1-geiger-gts/
I had a friend who bought a C5 for a bargain a few years out of high school(it had a rebuild title and a few backyard repairs). He‘s a millennial, was actually into imports as long as I knew him, but loved that Corvette. He got rid of it within a year, not because it was impractical, not because it had a social stigma for being a mid-life crisis car, not for any practical reasons(family, long commute etc.), but because the insurance premiums were such an unnecessary burden.
The cost of entry for a new one is obviously way up there too, but that’s not a barrier that keeps one from aspiring to own one(how many of us have dream cars that we absolutely know we’ll never touch?). Vettes are obtainable enough to realistically aspire to *someday*, be it new new or used, but because of that their drawbacks are clearly made visible in a way many aspirational vehicles don’t make apparent. Boomers aren’t the demographic buying Corvettes because they are the sole audience or can afford the new costs, but that it’s obvious to everyone that the boomers can afford them because it takes age and accumulated wealth to afford them. For a sports car to appeal to younger buyers there needs to be a certain delusion in the purchase, that it’s a cool car made for speed. Seeing them in parades with grey haired drivers waving behind the wheel shatters that idea quickly.
I don’t understand the push to make the Vette mid engined in the first place. Is this 1972? Even V12 Ferrari’s went back to front engine… 25 years ago. I always felt Corvettes going way back to the fuellys spiritually punched up to front engine V12 Ferrari’s, not the V8 junior models.
It’s not that I fear or dislike change mind you, I actually liked the C7 instantly because it broke many traditions I found stale about the previous few generations, particularly the new roofline and elimination of the bubble rear glass. I was way more upset when the C6 dropped pop-up headlamps than anything the C7 did. I feel this mid engined Corvette will never grow on me, because ultimately modern mid engined cars of and stripe haven’t grown on me, too cab forward, too low, too hard to service, and not one deserves to win any beauty contests. Only mid engined car that was ever truly pretty to my eyes was the Miura, which conspicuously lacked cab-forward mid-engined proportions thanks in part to it’s transverse drivetrain layout. Plus this is GM we’re talking about here, I do not have faith in their decisions or executions for very sound reasons, there’s a very real possibility the C8 will kill the Corvette if it flops.
I like the looks of these final C3s too, they ironed out a lot of awkward areas of the previous rubber bumper years and actually got them looking almost as good as they were in 1972 again.
As usual, great write-up Joe, and fantastic photos! I too grew up with these C3 Vette’s or as we called them as kids Corvette Stingrays (incorrectly of course, as not all C3’s were Stingrays). Even as a young child I have always been loved Corvettes, but I can’t say that I was ever a big fan of the C3 generation. I thought the C4 was much cleaner and better looking compared to these last over styled C3s. And of course reading the magazine tests, I was aware that the C4 was a far better performer.
A few points about the Corvette history I want to cover. The lowest powered C3 Vette was the 1975 Corvette rated at 165 SAE net HP. This number was boosted to 180 hp in 1977 and never dropped below that. In 1975 a L82 was still available, and it had a 205 hp rating (lowest for L82 engine). 1980 was the year the 305 Corvette was produced, but it was a CA only car. The 350 was not certified for CA that year they got a 180 hp 305, while 49 state cars for the 190 hp 350. The 230 hp L82 was also available.
The Vette’s still had good performance engines until 1974. The LT1 got a little more civilized in 1973 and became the L82. It was rated at a healthy 250 hp. Also let’s not forget that the big block 454 was still on the option list. The LS4 was still pumping out about 275 hp in 1973 and 1974. But even after the horrible low of 1975, the L82 Vettes were strong performers for the times. Not much came close for acceleration at that time, with most running solid 15 sec 1/4 mile times. The horrible aerodynamics meant they didn’t have an overly high top speed and the dated chassis was pretty crude, but these Vettes were still one of better performers you could by in North America at the time.
As for the C8, I am all for a mid-engine Vette. It’s been pretty well established that the current layout is pretty much maxed out performance-wise. The engineering team needs to move to the mid-rear engine layout to improve beyond the C7’s capabilities. FWIW, Zora Arkus-Duntov was pushing for a mid-engine Vette at least since the 1960’s. He was enamored by the 550 Porsches he drove at LeMans and knew that this layout was optimal for the best performance. He pushed hard for the C3 to be a mid-engine car, but was ultimately overruled. However, I think GM’s better strategy is to keep the C7 and the C8 at the same time. I think they could move to having two Corvette models. The C7 could be a lower priced entry level car, or for the traditionalist unwilling to yield to technology. The mid-engine car could then be priced higher, and be the ultimate performance Vette. Kind of like the Porsche Boxster and the 911 lines, I think this idea could work for Chevrolet too.
I like your idea of offering both the C7 & C8 for a bit, Vince, but I wonder about the practicality of doing both.
I imagine they’ll need to totally retool the Bowling Green assembly plant to do the new mid-engine Corvette, so keeping the old C7 line going doesn’t seem like it would work.
But then what do I know. These things are probably almost hand build anyway, so that might be possible.
Like you, I’m looking forward to the new mid-engine Corvette. Things do change. Like I replied to Matt above, the C9 is likely to be a ludicrously powered EV anyway. And I’d welcome that too (although I’d miss the V8 burble ;o).
Vince, thank you for this – all of it. I always really appreciate the insights and perspectives you provide not just in your own writings, but in your comments like the one above.
Having owned C2s and C5s (Z06 was one of my favorites), I like the early, clean C3s with their delicate chrome bumpers. The later cars, whilst integrating 5mph regs about as well as one could, are hurt by the increased overhangs….. Of course the real reason to go mid/rear engines is traction for 700hp plus…. btw, any one interested in a Chicago CCer’ meet up at Gino’s some time??
The meetup sounds like a great idea.
The C3 is likewise what I still first think of when I hear “Corvette”, as it was seemingly the current generation for my entire childhood and teens. Unlike later Vettes, it was more about striking a pose than driving dynamics, but teenaged me wasn’t bothered by that.
As for the ubiquitous Prince song, I recall listening to my radio as a kid, the DJ announcing he was about to play a new song called “Little Red Corvette”, and how disappointed I was that the song didn’t seem to have much to do with Corvettes. Now I listen to the same song and realize how brilliant it is. It vies with the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” for being the greatest song ever that’s about cars, and yet so totally not about cars.
I owed a C3 (1979) that I bought for myself when I graduated college. It was the light blue that looked white in certain light and at night. Still remember what I paid – $11488.00. Sold it for $8500 in 1987 to buy my wife’s engagment ring.
I thought it was beautiful but it was much more show than go, and it had serious quality issues that eventually got ironed out, but not before my initial ardor had cooled. I thought it was going to change my life – it didn’t.
Now I think the C-2’s are the definitive Corvettes of all time.
Ironically, now the only people I see driving Vette’s are up in my age group. It’s not a young person’s car anymore; they don’t even seem to want them.
Change, as they say…
Thanks, everyone. I was late to check back in to this post today, as I just got home this afternoon after a great visit with the aunt, uncle and cousins I referenced in my Monte Carlo piece a couple of weeks ago. (The visit was fantastic.)
As always, I appreciate your taking the time to read what I’ve written and chime in with facts and your own personal experiences. These things add greatly to my own CC experience. Tomorrow’s my Monday, so I’m going to peace-out for now.
Joe, we are similar in age and I am also a fan of the C3. I have a memory from childhood, probably about 1980 when I would have been seven years old. There is an elementary school near my parents’ house that I ventured to on my bike, and in the parking lot was an orange 1974-77 Corvette (I can recall the shape clear enough to narrow it to those years, but as you can imagine, the nearly 40 year old memory is not clear enough to define it further). The owner was sitting inside, rhythmically honking the horn to what I can only assume was some song on the radio. The car looked like a spaceship and I was immediately taken with it. All these years later I am still a fan of the rubber bumper C3 ‘Vettes. Maybe some day I will own one, and maybe not, but seeing one always makes me happy.
And for what it’s worth, this was just down the road from you in Ann Arbor.
This is the Corvette of my youth, but it lost its way after 1974. I always called these “Disco ‘Vettes”, and imagined them driven by guys with bad toupees, Tom Selleck moustaches and open shirts with at least a dozen gold chains wrapped in the chest hair.
I think recent Peak Corvette was the C6. The C5 was bloated looking and the C7 looks like am1980s Transformers toy; too angular.
It’s funny, when I hear “Corvette”, my immediate mental picture is of a ’68-’72 car. When I hear ‘new Corvette’ I think of one of these.
Then I realise I’m not 20 any more!
The first thing I thought of when I saw the Corvette was a video I came across a few years ago from about 1984 in Staten Island. A lot of C3 Corvettes in the crowd. I’m not from the Island, but I’ve been there a number of times. My favorite borough by far in NYC.
https://youtu.be/IGzVBbf1tqs