Thursday, May 26, 2011

Smaller, High-Revving Turbo V8 in the New Corvette C7?

If there's one thing I hate doing, it's jumping on the "rumor" bandwagon - but with the current C6 generation Corvette coming to an end soon, I'm finding it difficult not to partake in the speculation that GM may be substituting its large V8's for something smaller.
It's no news that basically all manufacturers are going the "forced induction" route when it comes to pushing their vehicles to their limits, but the Corvette is an icon of American muscle! Will it really be the same without a massive traditional V8? Well, as I was reading on The Detroit Bureau,  the new C7 will be targeted towards a completely different demographic. Corvette owners have typically been older American males, so GM wants to cater to a younger crowd with a European-styled V8 that could be as small as three liters, but still deliver around 400 horsepower! Some aesthetic rumors have implied that the C7 may bring back some historic features, such as the split window of the 1963 model - but that rumor is of course unconfirmed.

What I can confirm, however, is that GM’s global design chief Ed Welburn admits that the current interior of the C6 is a massive disappointment, and he is personally overseeing the design of the C7's interior. Since he considers himself a long-time fan of the Corvette, he promises the new design to be "world class," but I'll have to see it to believe it.
Back to the engine, is this a good change? I'm asking myself this very question right now. Since the Corvette's debut in 1953, it has always been stuck to the philosophy of "there's no replacement for displacement," indicating that this is a HUGE overhaul for this sports car. I really can't predict how the C7 will do on the market, but GM really has to make this a work of art in order for it to succeed. There's no word on price yet obviously (which should answer the majority of the comments on this post), but price is really irrelevant at this point anyways.

25 comments:

  1. Awesome, and even sweeter picture :D

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  2. I think GM is making a business mistake with this one.

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  3. I loves Vettes, but I just can't see this as good

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  4. People like their V8s, might be a mistake.

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  5. That looks hot. Both the girl and the car. Haha.

    Following and supporting. :) Cool blog.

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  6. does that girl come with the car :O

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  7. a "world class design" yeah right !

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  8. i need that emblem to stick on my jeep grill. yeee

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  9. Does the gal come with the car? lol.

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  10. Sounds like a great things to do

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  11. I hope it does well and the girl does come with the car hehe

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  12. Cool blog man! keep up the great work!

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  13. Hm. Well, that'll be quite something.

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  14. Yeah, that sounds like a bad marketing decision to me.

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  15. I don't know if this is the right way to go. I think Ford has the right idea with their current Mustang... big Coyote V8 for the GT, and Ecoboost V6 for the regular model. I mean, yeah, the Ecoboost is a great engine and can easily make 400 hp, but is a muscle car a muscle car without that big V8? I think not.

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  16. oh yeaah! I love corvettes! :D thank you for sharing!

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  17. Lovely blog and post! keep up the great work!

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  18. v8 or not, if she's in the trunk i'd be fine :D

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