Andonis says: Corvette "C7"

Allright, let's talk about the C7. 

What do we have here? Once its a mid-engine layout, then it is not. We've been here before. Once SAAB is involved in the development of the dual-clutch transmission, then again, it is not. Count me surprised. But what do we know? Or what do we think we know.

“I’m quite confident that when we bring the car out you won’t say man I’m gonna keep my C6. You’re going to say I gotta have one of those C7's. I’m quite sure of that.”- Tadge Juechter

Ok, question number one. The Mid-engine layout.

People have been waiting for a mid engine Corvette since the first was due out in 1972!  And GM has quite some "part" in this. Think about all the spectacular supercars that rolled out in Corvette style.

"The mid-engine Corvette is simply too expensive. It would need costly new tooling and offers little weight savings because it requires an extra, metal-intensive firewall." says auto analyst Jim Hall

C7 Body Done

Motor Trend “MT CONFIDENTIAL” editor Mike Connor says: “The C7 Corvette body is done, after a two-design in-house competition at GM design. Like the C6 that launched as a 2005 model, the 2013 or 2014 Corvette will be an evolutionary update of the current car, say a C6.5.
One sticking point on the engineering side is whether Chevrolet can apply cylinder deactivation to the V8, though it’s coupled to the rear-mounted transmission.
Engineers are reluctant to try new solutions to the situation, because the solutions could result in problems with drivetrain quality or power.
Why all the interest in cylinder deactivation in a V8-powered sports car? Because post-2016 fuel economy standards are expected to dictate it…”

 

Breaking News 7/8/10

According to sources inside GM, the Corvette C7 will be one of the first cars fitted with the next-generation small-block V-8 GM has announced it is investing $890 million to develop and manufacture.

GM has confirmed the new small-block V-8s will feature aluminum blocks and heads, direct-injection, and a new combustion system. Our sources say the C7 engine will displace 5.5 liters, with a target output of about 440 horsepower.

The new small-block will retain a traditional overhead-valve layout, ensuring compact dimensions and lower manufacturing costs. Prototype engines reportedly are already running on test beds in Detroit.

Source: Motor Trend August 2010

5/30/10 Corvette C7 News

GM filed a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the name “Stingray”. They registered it for use on “motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles”. This could be leading to GM may registering the name in advanced of launching the C7 Corvette which is expected sometime between 2012-2014.  

Breaking News 4/28/10

In the May 2010 Road & Track on page 40 they report the new Corvette C7 is going to arrive in 2013. The big news was that the C7 was going to be a mid engine car. But it looks like that will be postponed until the C8 model. Its apparent that GM is under government influence to increase efficiency on the already most efficient sports car made. Road & Track is reporting that the 5.5 liter in the C6 GT2 Race car is a hint at the future Corvette engine displacement. Direct Injection is on the list as well as an increase in compression. The increase in compression is usually a benefit from running with direct fuel injection and will help increase performance. The new Vette will also go on a diet with the greater use of light metal alloys and composite materials. With the goal of about 3000lbs as a curb weight. Also on the efficiency wish list is a more aerodynamic car to reduce drag. This will increase performance across the board. The also interesting thing is the next generation Z06 will be supercharged like the ZR1. It will most likely be a smaller displacement then the ZR1. We might be mistaken but it seems like to some extent the past is repeating itself. Are the big bore cars like the C6 Z06 going to be a thing of the past? Hum small production numbers and a short few production years for the LS7 could be the car to have for the collectors out there! Just speculation but who knows! 

8/18/09

General Motors on Tuesday unveiled its 2-year product plan for its four core brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GM. Included in the Chevrolet news is that production of the C7 Corvette will start in April 2012 for the 2013 model year. GM also noted that the Corvette will maintain the front-engine layout and not the mid engine that has been rumored.

This is great news as earlier reports had pushed back the Corvette C7 through 2014. This also means that the Corvette Design Team will now have the resources to move full speed ahead on a new design. The changes coming to America's sports car could include a smaller, lighter body, with greater use of advanced weight-saving materials like carbon fiber, aluminum and magnesium and perhaps a smaller displacement engines. Performance should still provide the power-to-weight ratio that Corvette owners have become accustomed to. They may even have Superchargers!

Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter has stated: "The team is always thinking about the next generation Corvette and how to make it better." 

Now that the mid-engine layout has once again been tossed aside, Tadge's engineering team will have essentially just a couple of years to continue these engineering decisions and test them in mules which we could be seen as early as 2011.

GM has assigned their special internal codes for the new Corvette and they are as follows.

GMX721 = C7 Coupe
GMX711 = C7 Convertible
GMX731 = C7 Z06
GMX245-SSC = Corvette SS or ZR-1 

Sidenote

sources: GM; www.corvette-web-central.com; digitalcorvettes; motortrend; caranddriver; corvetteforums; popularmechanics; corvettereport; theautoindustrieblog; j-body.org; lsxtv.com