April 2011 Car and Driver Mag Fuels C7 “Transformers” Corvette Speculation

Feb 28, 2011

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April 2011 Car and Driver Mag Fuels C7 Transformers Corvette Speculation

For the second month in a row, Car and Driver magazine has an update on the C7 Corvette, but this one landed on the cover. Titled “25 Cars Worth Waiting For”, the cover shot features a rendering of the 2013 Chevy Corvette C7 along with the 2012 Camaro ZL1 and the 2012 Porsche 911. But its the other picture in the article that has many a Corvette enthusiast commenting.

The second rendering in the article is the now-familiar mash up of the current C6 and the Transformer’s Sting Ray Concept. You’ll notice the widebody look of the Grand Sport/Z06/ZR1 is gone along with the rear brake-cooling air ducts. The twin round brake lights, another historical style cue from Vettes of years past, are missing in action, replaced with lights located in a recessed triangular grill. A thin feature strip creates the “Split Window” effect, but the article says that that may become an “option”.

Under the hood, we are hearing the same song and dance as the previous Car and Driver C7 update: a smaller displacement aluminum V8 that comes in around 5.5 liters. The new powerplant is speculated to feature direct port fuel-injection that will enable higher compression and active fuel management that can shut down cylinders for increased fuel efficiency.

I think its important to remind readers that this is all speculation. Several sites including our friends at CorvetteReport.com who posted these photos originally are running with this being a preproduction or mule. Car and Driver is in the business of selling magazines and if they had photos of the real thing, you wouldn’t be seeing a rendered Corvette on the cover.

For the record, I do like this “Transformers” Corvette as it adds a modern, jet-fighter look to the one part of the Corvette that most drivers on the road see (the rear!).

Source:
Car and Driver Magazine via CorvetteReport.com

20 COMMENTS

Dave Feb 28, 2011 At 12:13 pm

I understand it’s all speculation. I just hope that it’s wrong, because to me, that rear is just plain ugly.
JR Feb 28, 2011 At 12:27 pm

Ditto Dave’s comment. I honestly can’t see Ed Wilburn letting a vette with that rear-end hit the production line. Not to mention elimination of the quad rounded taillghts.

BLEEEEEECH!
Xanthophyll Feb 28, 2011 At 1:26 pm

I agree with Dave. Where are the round headlights????
Chip Feb 28, 2011 At 2:51 pm

I like it. we need a change.
I have a Grand Sport and do like the wide body look,
I just
Hope they do a Convertable.
Bob Bean Feb 28, 2011 At 7:58 pm

The rear-end on this C7 version is very radical. I know it takes time
for a new generation vette to gain popularity, but this take on the
new car won’t stick. Also the base price on the car that the article
mentioned is to low for a profitable margin. Right now I am sticking
with my 2009 GT1 edition.
Joseph Fodor Mar 1, 2011 At 10:19 am

The rear end of the car is a bad design, it disrupts the flow of the body and complicates the total design. I love corvettes and I hope that they don’t ruin things with this out of place design.
Jeff Mar 1, 2011 At 4:52 pm

I’ll be buying the Porsche..
brown Mar 11, 2011 At 10:12 am

ur all stupid, the rear end on this vette is so much better than having a flat a** end cuz now its got style unlike any of u punks
Mark Mar 11, 2011 At 4:22 pm

After all is said a done, it is still a bankrupt company making an ugly play pretty of a car. GM has dashed any respectabiltiy when someone buy’s its cars. Who wants a new car from Government Motors. Ugly car, tarnished image. Spend your money on a Ford or a Toyota.
Eric Mar 21, 2011 At 3:39 pm

Finally GM moving to something right. They need to keep the concept Stingray design. About time they move away from the 4 rounded tail lights.
Rusty Mar 22, 2011 At 12:11 am

Hold the phone just a second. Someone in a suit behind the design desk at Corvette decided some people were tired of the quad-taillights, designed a brilliantly modern rear-end, then decided that the illumination of the taillights would stay as quads to keep the purests happy. Look closely at the picture, you can see what I’ve just mentioned.
vetteguy Mar 23, 2011 At 11:38 am

Awesome. From that rear 3/4 angle it loks like a retro version of the 1980-1982 Vette, esp. in the fender and roof lines
Billy Joe Mar 28, 2011 At 8:12 am

Hey Vetteguy, Are you in Miami?
Keith Cornett Mar 28, 2011 At 8:29 am

Billy Joe:

Assuming you are talking to me. Nope – I’m in Tampa!

Keith
Joel Apr 26, 2011 At 12:38 pm

Too all Vette Lovers…I am too a vette lover…but I am from a younger generation but I do agree with the purest…the round/oval/square tail lights is very important to me…cause I can see a car a mile to half a mile away and know it is a Corvette. With this new radical design, I feel it is going away from its origins and the front end…look from the side…it appears it has big buck teeth…If it is suppose to mimic a “stingray” well…they have small mouthes. Less grin and more aggressive look would be nice. And back to the rear end…how the hell am I suppose to see the dam cops as I am being chased with that dam middle frame in my rear window???!!!
Joel Apr 26, 2011 At 12:42 pm

And you with the crappy Porsche…and small ding dong…go buy some enzyte…we all know the truth bud.
Joel Apr 26, 2011 At 12:50 pm

And Mark…

Ford or Toyota? lol…wow…I am still waiting for Ford to make something cool not a shitstang…more weight and less muscle is all I see. And a Toyota…wow…only thing their good at making is over priced recalls and toy cars. The closest thing you came to a muscle car was when you sat on your uncle’s lap.
Steve May 28, 2011 At 12:10 pm

Just my 2 cents but the more I look at the rear of the Vette the more I like it. Change is good and for some of the purists out there I feel your pain but many would never change anything and that is just plain stupid. I very confident that GM love em or hate em will do a cracking job on the C7, I can’t wait.
dylan Jun 17, 2011 At 8:27 pm

i really hate this vette it just dont look aggressive enough for american muscle at all and i am a big corvette follower and the this generation is the best and see being the best of all time in competition wise and if this is the next gen vette i bet the loose alot of fans and buyers just my thought!
Billy Bob Jun 18, 2011 At 1:06 am

@Mark do your research before you run your mouth, Ford got a Bailout about a year before GM did, Look it up you Un-American dumbass.