Speculation: The 2014 Corvette Revealed

It seems the folks over at Jalopnik have a pretty solid belief that they have their hands on an artist's rendering of the next generation Corvette from Chevrolet - complete with ZR1 trim on it.

Posting as an exclusive reveal, they contend the 2014 Corvette depicted in the drawings come from time spent deriving designs based on "completely uncamouflaged "sheetmetal" of two versions of the next-gen Corvette."

The story from Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/5858683/exclusive-this-is-the-2014-chevy-corvette):



http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/11/xlarge_925c5011df99c0d3662be43c7b33afa6.jpg
Photo Via Jalopnik.com

Exclusive: This is the 2014 Chevy Corvette

The exclusive images you see here, derived from hours spent secretly poring over the sheetmetal of two seventh-generation Corvettes, show the next step in the supercar's iconic evolution.

These aren't photos, but this is absolutely the next-generation Chevy Corvette in ZR1 trim. GM so doesn't want you to see these.

Love it or hate it, the Chevrolet Corvette is an American icon. For most of its 60 years, the 'Vette's shown that a commodity-focused U.S. automaker can confound expectations and compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. The seventh-generation Corvette — or C7 Corvette — as fan-boys and GM insiders call it — is designed to further confound those expectations.

These renderings were derived from hours this weekend I (and our designer) spent in secret, poring over the completely uncamouflaged "sheetmetal" of two versions of the next-gen Corvette. With limited time, we decided to, rather than show you the first one, a base level Corvette, we focused our rendering efforts instead on the high-performance ZR1 trim level.

None of our sources were willing to go on the record or allow me to run their name for fear they might lose their jobs. That's also why I'm showing renderings rather than actual photos — I don't care if it might cast doubt on the veracity of the styling — but I didn't want anyone losing their job over this.

That said, we showed these images to three different sources at General Motors — and all three confirmed that the images you see here accurately portray the ZR1 trim level for the seventh-generation Corvette. A fourth source — a non-GM employee — confirmed that the vehicle we show here is one of two Initial Vehicle Engineering Release (IVER) vehicles that's been making the rounds at the Milford Proving Grounds.

The ZR1 trim level is expected to come out later than the base model Corvette — which is slated for a 2014 model year and a reveal at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

At first glance, you think this is nothing more than an evolutionary change to America's supercar. But give it a second for that initial enormously deceiving glance to dissipate into a double-take. The changes — like the very Camaro-esque rear taillights, the over-exaggerated side vents, and a new window in the rear quarter — will be absolutely polarizing to any Corvette fan-boy. And other items — like a split-rear window, a la the Corvette Stingray, won't make it into production.

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If the speculation turns out to be true, I'll admit I think it's an interesting look for the ZR1 model. It certainly isn't lacking for aggressive detail.

I have to agree that the details themselves will be polarizing for fans of the Corvette - you'll either love this design or you'll hate it; there will be very little room for a "well, I don't know."

What do you think?

It certainly does poses aggressive styling. I had originally read this article on their site and found it to be a pretty good rendering of the final design for the C7. I think once we see actual photographs and different colors, we will be able to form a better opinion on whether or not we like it. For me, I hate that color for a rendering. It gives it a blah feeling. A rendering to get people excited about it should have bright colors for the paint scheme. Overall though, I do like the new body design. There will certainly be some out there who hate it, but you can only use the same body style for so many years before it gets old and boring. I certainly love the looks of my C5 still and always will, but only because each generation has given us a radical change to the overall styling. When I first saw the C6 I didn't like the idea of fixed headlights on the vette. Once I saw it in person though, WOW did my opinion change. I have a feeling this new generation will receive the same kind of response until we start seeing them rolling down the street.

I think its confirmation that the stylists at the Corvette desk are sleeping with those in Maranello........... :)






I think it looks very appealing.