{"id":57122,"date":"2013-01-13T19:00:48","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T00:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=57122"},"modified":"2013-01-14T11:11:16","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T16:11:16","slug":"how-the-c7-corvette-came-back-from-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2013\/01\/how-the-c7-corvette-came-back-from-the-brink\/","title":{"rendered":"How the C7 Corvette Came Back From the Brink"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
After a series of delays, Chevrolet is finally ready to roll out the seventh-generation Corvette.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Copyright 2013<\/em>. TheDetroitBureau.com<\/em><\/p>\n

They were the darkest of days, all the more so in the design studios at General Motors where a small team had been assembled and given the less than humble task of building the world\u2019s best sports car.<\/p>\n

True, the Chevrolet Corvette has always been an icon of American design, but this time, Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and design director Tom Peters had to take things the next step, producing a vehicle that could challenge and beat the best the Germans and Italians could throw at it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Your Source!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was only one problem: the U.S. economy was in meltdown, the automotive market facing its worst downturn in more than half a century and General Motors, rapidly running out of cash, seemed all but certain to declare bankruptcy.\u00a0 And when it did in June 1, 2009, the lights went out.\u00a0 Even with the likelihood of a federal bailout, it was anything but certain the long-awaited C7 Corvette would ever make it to market.<\/p>\n

But tonight, at a well-attended ceremony at an old warehouse in a run-down section of Detroit, Juechter and Peters will get the honor of pulling the wraps off a 2014 Chevy Corvette that is already being hailed as the best American sports car of the past half century, perhaps the best ever.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The C7 unveiled. The look is familiar but the 2014 is a decidedly different beast from any Corvette before.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And as the car that has always served as a showcase of GM\u2019s capabilities, the new \u2018Vette could put a much-needed halo around a company whose critics still tend to dismiss it as \u201cGovernment Motors.\u201d<\/p>\n

TheDetroitBureau.com has spent a significant amount of time in recent months talking to the various members of the Corvette development team \u2013 and getting a rare look at what is known to aficionados as the C7, shorthand for only the seventh-generation model since the first fiberglass-bodied \u2018Vette rolled off the assembly line in 1953.<\/p>\n

(Corvette by the numbers: <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for an inside look at the technology that could transform the C7 Corvette into a true, world<\/em>-class sports car.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The original C1 was a project of the legendary Harley Earl, the man usually credited with creating the very concept of automotive design.\u00a0 It debuted at GM\u2019s private annual auto show, Motorama, in 1953 and the response was so intense 300 hand-built convertibles, all in polo white, were produced for the 1953 model-year.<\/p>\n

The original car was primitive, with a solid rear axle and a grossly underpowered straight-6 engine.\u00a0 But there was nothing like it in the U.S. market, certainly nothing coming from Detroit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The original Corvette concept at GM's Motorama.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon, the Corvette was to become a symbol of American prowess.\u00a0 It was the real star of the TV series, Route 66.\u00a0 The Mercury 7 astronauts each drove one, Corvettes often appearing in official NASA photos alongside mockups of the Lunar Excursion Module or Lunar Rover \u2013 the latter also developed by GM.<\/p>\n

But over the decades, even as each successive generation was given more power and better performance, the Corvette continued to slip further behind competitors like Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini.\u00a0 By the time work began on the C7, there was no more room for excuses unless GM was ready to acknowledge it really couldn\u2019t create a truly world-class sports car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t going to be a Corvette if we couldn\u2019t do better,\u201d recalls Juechter.<\/p>\n

But, starting in late 2007, there didn\u2019t look like there was going to be a Corvette anyway.\u00a0 The project was halted for about six months that year because of GM\u2019s financial problems.\u00a0 \u201cThen we stopped again in (late) 2008 as we were going into bankruptcy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Apollo 12 astronauts with their identical '69 'Vettes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even when the project got going again, following GM\u2019s rescue, the maker had turned gunshy and it seemed to some that top management might back off on its promise to build the best sports car possible.<\/p>\n

For styling chief Peters, the frustration was tangible when he was told to go with an evolutionary design not much different than the outgoing C6 that had been around since 2005.\u00a0 It was the best Corvette ever in terms of pure performance and had roughly the same footprint as a Porsche 911. But it wasn\u2019t going to really change the game, the design director complained.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd was willing to listen,\u201d Peters says, referring to GM\u2019s corporate design czar Ed Welburn.\u00a0 \u201cHe told me to go back, keep working on the design I wanted and prove I was right.\u201d\u00a0 Given the chance \u2013 and actually benefiting from the project\u2019s delay during the GM bankruptcy, Peters finally found the right formula and got the go-ahead for the design he desperately wanted.<\/p>\n

Those familiar with the current Corvette will recognize the new model, whether spotting it front or back. There\u2019s the long nose, the steeply raked windshield that flows into a fast hatchback cabin.\u00a0 Quad taillamps and exhaust pipes anchor the rear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The C7 Corvette brings back the Stingray badge for the first time since 1967.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the distinctive new LED accent lights give the nose a more modern and refined look, with a mean-looking grille below the bumper split by a sleek chromed bar.\u00a0 The louvers on the hood are now functional, as are the ports behind the bulging front wheel wells.\u00a0 A crisp accent line darts rearward from the front wheels and leaves a spectator with the sense the car is constantly in motion.<\/p>\n

There are new rear quarter windows, something the Corvette hasn\u2019t featured in decades.\u00a0 And the tail is crisp and precise with a higher belt line and deck that seems poised to pounce on the nearest Ferrari.<\/p>\n

As striking as the body may be, team members agree that perhaps the most significant change comes inside.\u00a0 GM global design director Ed Welburn tells TheDetroitBureau.com that it was his personal mission to transform the traditionally clumsy and unrefined Corvette interior into a modern showpiece.<\/p>\n

The new design features an 8-inch reconfigurable display that can rapidly be shifted to read out critical data in the mode a driver wants.\u00a0 There\u2019s a second large screen for operating infotainment and other vehicle functions \u2013 though interior design team members point out they maintained a few buttons for commonly used features, such as tuning and volume control.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
For the first time, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will offer two different seat choices.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cFor the first time,\u201d says Juechter, \u201cwe decided to spend the money to design two different seats,\u201d so those who want to spend time on the track don\u2019t have to compromise with those who\u2019ll never drive much harder than they would when blasting off from a stoplight.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one thing the new Corvette does reach into the past for.\u00a0 A closer inspection will reveal the word, \u201cStingray\u201d on the fenders.\u00a0 That designation has been reserved for only the most powerful and exclusive Corvettes ever produced.\u00a0 And it\u2019s back for the first time since 1967.<\/p>\n

In some ways, team members will tell you, it may have worked out perfectly to have the C7 Corvette postponed until now.\u00a0 While it will bear a 2014 designation it actually will reach market almost precisely 60 years after Harley Earl\u2019s original debuted.<\/p>\n

And, adds Juechter, \u201cThere\u2019s some truth that the longer you wait the better technology you have available.\u201d\u00a0 The C7 is the showpiece \u201cgearheads\u201d long had to turn to foreign makers for.<\/p>\n

Ultra-light, super-strong carbon fiber accounts for a significant portion of the new model\u2019s body panels, though there\u2019s still plenty of fiberglass, as there has been since the original \u2018Vette debuted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A look inside the new C7 reveals the most refined interior ever to appear on a Corvette.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There had long been rumors that the new sports car would mimic its European rivals and migrate from the classic Corvette small-block V-8 to a turbo or super-charged V-6.\u00a0 In the end, GM stuck with a large eight-banger, though the newly designated LT1 features all the latest technologies, such as Direct Injection, variable valve timing and displacement on demand.<\/p>\n

By shutting off half of its cylinders when demand for power is light, the engine essentially becomes a 3.1-liter V-4 and, asserts Juechter, \u201cWe wind up getting better mileage than if we had gone for one of those smaller powerplants.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the 2014 C7 Corvette will deliver an estimated 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, which will make it the most powerful \u201cbase\u201d model ever \u2013 and the fastest, with 0 to 60 times expected to come in at or under 4.0 seconds.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just the beginning.\u00a0 There are other versions of the \u2018Vette quietly under development, likely to include the step-up Z06 and the next-generation ZR1, which likely will reach well beyond 600 horsepower.<\/p>\n

Chevrolet officials have kept an unusually tight lid on the 2014 Corvette and it\u2019s likely to be a while before they\u2019re ready to give out the first rides for reviewers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tonight's unveiling almost didn't happen. But the delay may have just resulted in a better car, insiders admit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pricing won’t be announced until close to launch, later this year but, hints Juechter, “Our business case was based on the idea if you can afford the current Corvette you can afford this one.”<\/p>\n

Production won\u2019t begin until mid-year, though a largely hand-built model is reportedly going to be featured during the upcoming Super Bowl \u2013 and then given to halftime superstar performer Beyonce.<\/p>\n

But if initial reactions are any indication, the C7 could be the vehicle Chevy and GM desperately have needed, a sports car that truly pushes the proverbial envelope and threatens to leave even the most vaunted European competitors worrying when they see one racing up in their rearview mirrors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chevrolet has finally pulled the wraps off the new C7 Corvette, a car already being hailed as the most beautiful American sports car in half a century. Yet the C7 almost didn’t make it into production. TheDetroitBureau.com has the exclusive inside story of how an icon was saved — and transformed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57122"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57122"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=57122"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=57122"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=57122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}