How the Corvette Was Saved by Bankruptcy

Overcoming Decades of Mediocrity

Since its debut in 1953, the Corvette has been known as a performance stud. America's only true sports car has led the way for the Red, White, and Blue for 65 years and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon. While it wasn't exactly a sales dud, the Corvette never really hit the sales goals of its sports car competition. General Motors moved the Vette in the thousands annually, but they would've loved to have sold in the tens of thousands instead. This kind of mediocrity caused the Corvette to find its neck on the chopping block multiple times. With General Motors staring bankruptcy dead in the face, the C7 Vette was an easy project to target for the glue factory.  

Mid-Engined Dreams

Since its inception, the Corvette has been destined for a mid-engined design. Somehow, the Corvette moved through six generations without every making that dream into a reality. The hope had been the C7 generation could remedy the situation. Unfortunately, when the idea started to gather some traction in 2005, the US economy was tanking. Not only was General Motors hurting but so were the consumers. In a time when homes were being foreclosed on, a mid-engined American sports car was a tough sell. 

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Some Help Thanks to the Government

Moreso than just cutting a check to bail out General Motors, the government put the right people in place to allow GM to rise from the ashes. With regards to the C7, a consultant was brought in to determine which models would stay and which were destined for the butcher's block (we're looking at you Hummer). What the pencil pushers decided was that the Corvette was one of the few profitable models hanging around. With a little math, the C7 was back in business. 

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Swinging for the Fences

In order to make the C7 worth the time and money, the Corvette had to be better than ever. General Motors needed to make a statement that they were back like never before. One way to do that was to show off dramatic and otherworldly concepts. The C7 concepts were longer, lower, and more angular than ever before. The overall look drew comparisons to sharks and other sea life which was only helped by the return of the Stingray designation.

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Ditching the Past

One disputed departure from previous Corvette generations was the move from round taillights to a more square twin taillight setup. As far as I'm concerned, let bygones be bygones. While other Corvettes have had quad-tipped, center-mounted exhausts, the Stingray Corvette concept took things to another level by housing them in the rear bumper. General Motors was about to make a statement. The C7 Corvette was no longer just an American sports car, it was a world-beating international tour-de-force. 

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Breaking Out

The C7 Corvette debuted in 2013 as a 2014 model. Along with it came traditional offerings such as a Targa roof and convertible. Mechanically, even the base model C7 surpassed all but the most exclusive and track-oriented Corvettes that came before it. The Stingray name was accompanied by another blast from the past. Underhood, Chevrolet and their wizardly group of engineers revived the beloved LT1 nameplate. This time, the LT1 represented a pushrod, 6.2 liter V8 with all the latest bells and whistles. Base models debuted with 455 horsepower and 460 horsepower, moving the C7 to 60 miles per hour in under 4 seconds. Transmissions choices included a 7-speed Tremec manual or an 8-speed automatic unit. 

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Listening to the Complaints

A particular sore spot for reviewers and owners of C5 and C6 models were the less than competent seats. Chevrolet fixed this problem in the C7 (for the right price) with optional competition seats. The interior as a whole was leaps and bounds better than anything before it. Materials like leather, suede, and carbon fiber lined the C7's interior making it a more livable sports car. Neat features like the Performance Data Recorder, a windshield mounted camera system capable of recording video, gear selection, g-force telemetry, and other performance factors debuted in 2015. 

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Forecasting the Future

After seven generations Corvette enthusiasts still haven't forgotten the vision of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette's first project engineer. With each generation, the rumors seem more like a practical possibility. If automotive journalists and keen-eyed spy photographers are to be believed, the C8 Corvette which is right around the corner will finally realize that dream. It is imperative that GM and the Corvette team continue to push the boundaries of what their cash cow can do. Otherwise, we may be writing about how to save the Corvette from a potential third death sentence. 

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