2020 Corvette Stingray C8: What We Know and Our First Impressions

The acquisition price is amazing... Thanks! And kudos to GM engineering and production processes. Truly first class.

As someone who experienced the sales  debut of the Mustang _ 240Z _ MX5, the over pricing(ADP) from sticker will be excessive, as I believe at the price of a short stack, people will be crushing down the doors to get one, and for a while. 

As for styling, as stated by the author, a bit of a hit & miss with clearly Corvette/Sting Ray/Stingray styling bits, but a touch of Boy Racer, plasticky 60's kit car? Will hold judgment on that until I see one in the flesh.

Overall it gave me an hour or so of car fever, but that has passed for now.

We will all stay tuned with enlivened interest to see how this plays out over the next year or so. So it could be a lot of fun.

My observation is that the rear end is too busy. May be the first thing GM re-designs.

Depending on how the C8 sells, you may see more price drops for the C6s and C7s.

JG, I believe you hit the nail on the head

"There's more to like than dislike". 

Strangely enough, that is what will keep the C8 relevant and mostly popular for many years to come.  Consider the preceding generations where "advancements" and "cutting edge design" translated into watered down final products.  Yet, even with lack luster performance and cheap interiors, the car sold and people rallied behind them.  Every generational change brought forth the same comments and dare I say negativity from the nay sayers.  In this time of hiding behind the curtain of the world wide web, it just that much louder and more aggressive.

JG is our trusted source on this because he was there.  However, we can all look at the pictures and draw our own conclusions as to what we like or dislike.  Regardless of your view, the interesting constant with very few exceptions is the move of the engine.  This was previously thought to be a key element which would drive away the hard core Corvette enthusiasts but instead it was greeted very warmly.  Styling aside, that is a huge win for Chevy.

Until I see one in person, sit in it or maybe if I'm lucky enough, drive one, I'll with hold full judgment but I will state the following;

I do like the exterior styling overall.  It's a bit edgy, continues the C7 lines and is generally well thought out.  Could some areas be refined?  Sure, but this is the first round of what will be many iterations over time to address issues based on our feedback.  The interior is where I need to really see it up close.  I have to believe the pictures do not do it justice and only when you are in the car can a better assessment be made.  However the 20 buttons in question are familiar to any one with a GM product but their placement still seems a bit odd.

For me, I like have always liked the 63 split window in red with knock-offs and fuel injection.  To my eye, it just looked right for the times however others will feel different.  I also like the C6 platform because it seemed to clean up the misgivings from previous generations.  The C7 seemed to improve on the things that mattered performance wise but the styling was hard for me to really like.  That's why I find it interesting I actually like the C8 design because it shares many of the sames lines with the C7.  I guess the stying from the C7 is growing on me.

I can only image what the performance possibilities of a Z06 or ZR1 version will hold.  Hopefully we will see said versions before the electric cars take over completely.

John Welsh said:

I can't believe that the 1982 Corvette buyer was the same as the 1984 Corvette buyer.  

They have been trough a radical departure before...

 

1982

 

1984

To my eye, the real radical departure took place between C1 and C2; the rest look evolutionary.

JG, you told me a few years ago the Vette needed a dual clutch tranny to be considered one of the better performance cars of the world;  job done!

I've been a NCCC member since 1974 and yes, the most outspoken people in our Club complain it doesn't look like like a Vette. Heard that with the C5, C6 and C7. Maybe it will grow on you, maybe not. 

Hopefully the new car will breath life into the National Council of Corvette Clubs but only if us old farts welcome and embrace those who are two generations younger than ourselves. We may have to move on from autocrossing to track days and time trials. 

JG, when you get one to test, let me know.

Locke,  North Florida Corvette Association 

JG Pasterjak said:

• Overall, I like the looks. From the back of the doors to the front of the car, the looks and proportions are really, really good. From the back edge of those doors to the tail of the car, things get a little, well, less good.

The proportions of the rear are long and heavy compared to the front. Shorten the distance between the rear edge of the doors and the rear wheel wells, somehow, and you have an epic package. Right now, it’s good, but not perfect.

One of the most common criticisms I’ve heard regarding the styling is that it’s a little “generic supercar.” Uh, okay. I mean, I guess you could be more cynical and jaded, but you might need a special permit or something. A generic supercar is still a supercar. I’m ultimately going to choose to judge it by lap times and not a few styling missteps.

 

You can't shorten the gap between rear of the door and the rear wheel wells...there is an engine between there. That length is necessary on a longitudinal setup. The only way that distance could be shortened is going to a transverse setup.

EVERY MID ENGINE CAR WITH A LONGITUDINAL SETUP HAS THIS "GAP".

DeTomaso Pantera, Lotus Esprit, Ferrari 348, F355, F360, F430, F458, F488, Pista, Tributo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Huracan, Audi R8, etc.

The only mid engine cars with a shorter "gap" are all transverse setups: Fiat X1/9, Lancia Beta Montecarlo, MR2 (all three gens), Fiero, etc.

Be glad that GM FINALLY kept their word and actually made the damned thing. And don't criticize what YOU can't improve. I'll be waiting for your styling designs...

Because I work for a GM supplier for the Corvette, I hope sells like gangbusters,

And price of the C6 Z06 I'm hunting for, comes down even further.  

C5Z is the next hot ticket.  Doug says so.  Gives it a higher Doug Score than an S2000.  Suck it fan-boyz.  

https://youtu.be/NcCszG4yNIU

Yes it looks like a Corvette. The committee that was responsible for this interpretation did ok balancing the Corporate and Race team goals. But it doesn't replace Ford's outgoing GT as America's best.

Now if there is a track spec version with itb's, 180 degree headers and capable abs.  you'd have a bargain that Ferrari couldn't match. And no one would care what it looked like once they are behind the wheel.

Jordan Rimpela said:

stanger_missle said:

JG Pasterjak said:
 

• You can say that changing the traditional Corvette layout to mid-engine is a flaw, but the reality is that this is what Zora Arkus-Duntov always wanted. He was pushing for a mid-engined Vette from the 1950s. So, you can say it’s a big change, but I don’t really think you can say, “It’s not what a Corvette should be,” when it’s literally what the guy who invented the Corvette always wanted.

This is a great counter argument to the "traditionalists".

I wish Zora Arkus-Duntov was around today to see his vision come to life .

I was so very happy to see them not only display CERV-I/II/III but to also discuss them at length. And given how many times Mark Reuss mentioned that CERV-II/III were AWD, I'm anticipating an AWD Z06 announcement. 

Now imagine that AWD system is actually a Hybrid system like in a current LMP1, that would really blow the traditional Corvette guys away

Adam

GM is clearly tired of people swapping LS motors into miatas to make a superior car. Thus they're killing the Camaro, making the Vette midengined and putting massive I4 turbo lumps into Silverados. 

Jordan Rimpela said:

So the real question:

Will we see a 2020 Corvette Stingray sell for sticker (under $60,000) in the next year?

In the next year it will be only markups!
In 2021 you will be able to get a z51 for $55k OTD and slaughter everyone else on the track. What a time to be alive!

Dave M said:

Jordan Rimpela said:

So the real question:

Will we see a 2020 Corvette Stingray sell for sticker (under $60,000) in the next year?

In the next year it will be only markups!
In 2021 you will be able to get a z51 for $55k OTD and slaughter everyone else on the track. What a time to be alive!

I really wish the manufacturer's would clamp down on these dealer markups. It does nothing but bolster ill will with the majority of people toward the dealership model.

Only the most die hard people are willing to pay 15/20/40% markups over MSRP which just slows sales. 

I've already seen a post about a Toyota dealer marketing a new "Zupra" at a $45k dollar markup.

z31maniac said:

Dave M said:

Jordan Rimpela said:

So the real question:

Will we see a 2020 Corvette Stingray sell for sticker (under $60,000) in the next year?

In the next year it will be only markups!
In 2021 you will be able to get a z51 for $55k OTD and slaughter everyone else on the track. What a time to be alive!

I really wish the manufacturer's would clamp down on these dealer markups. It does nothing but bolster ill will with the majority of people toward the dealership model.

Only the most die hard people are willing to pay 15/20/40% markups over MSRP which just slows sales. 

I've already seen a post about a Toyota dealer marketing a new "Zupra" at a $45k dollar markup.

If people would stop paying them, the dealers would stop doing it.  I know its a bit of a chicken-egg thing.

In reply to z31maniac :

The markups are crazy, but the manufacturers can counter them by building supply. That's why a Vette markup will be short lived, while Civic Type Rs, GT350s and their ilk have long lasting markups, and/or rapidly increasing MSRPs.

GM of late has combined overpricing with over estimating demand for their products at the MSRP. So you end up with a fire sale once inventory has built up to unreasonable levels. Hence, silly things happen, like a Vette Grand Sport costing less than a Camaro ZL1.

THis is exciting!  Much better value prop than the new Supra, not to mention significantly better looking.  

They've really upped the game with this car - 500hp, 0-60 under 3 seconds, 3,300lbs, video/data logger for track.  Amazing!

I will reliterate: ITBs, flat plane crank and snake bundles for exhaust

te72 said:

Jordan Rimpela said:

So the real question:

Will we see a 2020 Corvette Stingray sell for sticker (under $60,000) in the next year?

Doubt it. Pretty much any noteworthy enthusiast car tends to have significant dealer markup (and even more so in the secondary market in many cases) for a while. No worries though, if there's one thing I have, it's patience...

 

So, I'm gonna be the first to say it, the new Supra is screwed. I'm as big a Supra fan (and overall Toyota guy in general) but at this point, if you buy a Supra over the C8, well... that's on you. Personal taste aside, if you're after performance as a priority, you'd have to be downright foolish.

 

Now, that said? What a time to be an enthusiast. Mustangs are great, Corvettes are finally mid-engined, the Supra is as back as we're gonna get, Miatas are still awesome, Dodge sells any number of things with irresponsible power levels... new golden age? I think so.

I like dodges current ethos. We didn't redesign anything, because there's still room in the engine bay of this one for a larger motor. So- here's a larger motor. 

I haven't seen it mentioned here, but I think I  read somewhere that it gets supercruise? Because if so that's awesome. An amazing technology.

accordionfolder said:

I haven't seen it mentioned here, but I think I  read somewhere that it gets supercruise? Because if so that's awesome. An amazing technology.

Supercruise? 

The z06 and zr1 are gonna be awesome. 

In reply to Appleseed :

Close.

https://www.cadillac.com/world-of-cadillac/innovation/super-cruise

So I guess I should go see what a c7 is selling for tomorrow. They will either be trying to give them away or there will be a run on them by those wanting the last of the old style corvette. 

I just want to see them use the frunk for progress - like an electric 4wd system similar to the i8. Give me 30 miles of electric only travel and we have a deal. 
Business in the front and party in the back. I'd drive that every day.