The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette: What We Know So Far And What It Needs to Succeed

 

To say Chevrolet Corvette fans are eagerly awaiting the Detroit auto show would be an understatement. With the all-new 2014 model making its debut there, they are counting the seconds.

I am one of them. My chest wells up like a child visiting Disney World for the first time at the mere thought of seeing the covers come off the next generation of this iconic American sports car and, better yet, hearing its sweet engine sing.

This is a hugely important car, not just for General Motors, but for the domestic auto industry. The Chevy Corvette is the original and only true American sports car, built in the United States. It is a showcase for the best of Detroit’s technology, which might at times seem crude, but ultimately kicks butt. A racing version of the current Corvette has been annihilating most of the competition in the GT1 category of the American LeMans Racing Series for years.

The eight years since the debut of the current model—called the C6 by insiders and auto geeks—seems more like an eon. Now the debut of the new version, dubbed the C7, is tantalizingly close. The 2014 Chevy Corvette is scheduled to be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13.

Chevrolet has been tight-lipped about the details so far. But there are a few things we do know, and others things we can expect, given the pedigree of this 60-year-old sports car. Here are five crucial elements to look for on the new Corvette, without which it couldn’t rightfully carry its famous name.

1. A V8 engine

It’s fine for Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and others to work on hybrid and electric powertrains for their sports cars and—who knows—maybe a future Corvette will have that technology too. But for now, a Corvette is not a Corvette without a burly V8. Period. It is the heart and soul of a ’Vette, an inextricable part of the car’s history since 1955.

Chevrolet has already announced that the C7 Corvette will be powered by the first version of an entirely new generation of V8 engines codenamed LT1. It will have 6.2 liters of displacement and Chevy pegs preliminary output at 450 horsepower and 450 pounds-feet of torque. It should be good for 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, Chevy says. Just as important, it will be the most fuel-efficient engine ever offered in a Corvette, beating the current model’s 26 miles per gallon on the highway.

2. Front engine and rear-wheel drive

Every Corvette since the original launched in 1953 has had the engine in the front and the drive wheels in the back. It’s a balanced setup and is just the way a Corvette should be built. Based on spy photos, the new version will follow that tradition. They show a long hood and stubby rear end—the same proportions as the current Corvette.

But even though the overall shape looks very similar to the current version, the C7 will have superior aerodynamics. “For example, the front grill and radiator flow paths reduce lift, improving vehicle stability at high speeds by keeping the car pressed to the pavement,” says Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer, in a press release about the new Corvette. Much of the technology being applied to improve the Corvette’s aerodynamics comes directly from Corvette Racing.

 

Courtesy of Forbes