Did an Insider Just Reveal GM’s Bold Plan for the C8 Corvette Manta Ray?

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Did an Insider Just Reveal GM's Bold Plan for the C8 Corvette Manta Ray?


I’ve been a member of the Corvette Forum for over 15 years now and while I’m not a huge participant in forum conversations, I have learned a few things over the years about those that join the forum. There is something about a person’s first post that is noteworthy. Did you join because you have a question or problem you are trying to solve? Maybe you are an owner or future owner wanting to learn more. You could be a fan of another make/model and you want to troll some Corvette owners? Maybe you know something about the future Corvette and you just need to get it off your chest.

That last reason is what we are discussing tonight. A first-time poster on the Corvette Forum named unlimitedPower has posted a thread called “Corvette Manta Ray: GM’s Bold New Plan” and it has really raised a lot of eyebrows from those that have been following the development of the C8 mid-engine Corvette.

Could it be that we have another insider following in the steps of those like ZERV that have come and shared some of the Mid-Engine Corvette’s secrets? Or is this just a well-written diversion based on the many of the rumors surrounding the next generation Corvette? Like any first-time post on the forum, we have no history to judge any previous comments, but what unlimtedPower has to say does seem very believable.

We’ve decided to share the entire thread from unlimtedPower with the disclaimer that “Hey, it’s on the internet so it must be true.” Just joking but you know what I mean. Take it for what it is, and we’ll let history decide if he was correct.

Did an Insider Just Reveal GM's Bold Plan for the C8 Corvette Manta Ray?


Here’s the full post by unlimtedPower on the CorvetteForum.com:

I’m close enough to the inside to know the following about GM’s plans for the Corvette. I cannot reveal all I know without jeopardizing my business’s success, so please do not ask me to explain further, I will not answer. If you don’t believe me then that’s fine, I wouldn’t either if I was in your shoes, but I’m compelled to post now so there is less disappointment later when the Eagle has Landed.

The C8 Corvettes at Nürburgring are the real thing – the 2020 Corvette Manta Ray. This base Corvette will be powered by an updated LT1 V8 with about 520hp and 485 lb-ft torque. A DCT transaxle is used in all C8 Corvettes, no exceptions. The R&D investment in the DCT is said to be equivalent to that of both the manual and automatic in the C7 – they knew they had one chance to get the DCT right. The interior will be somewhat higher quality than the C7, and GM’s stylists have attempted a more “upscale” design. I have not seen it but those who have say it’s impressive, but still not at Porsche or Ferrari levels, which seems fair given the price.

In 2021 GM will revolutionize the Corvette lineup. In addition to the base Corvette two different high-end models will be introduced: Corvette Grand Tour and Corvette Grand Sport. The GT is as luxurious as if Cadillac designed it, because a Cadillac team is in fact responsible for the GT. It’s a true GT and in addition to standard MRC it will deploy a full gamut of NVH countermeasures like acoustic glass, heavy sound deadening, and special wheels/tires, all for a cross country tourer that with a twist of the mode dial will handle any road or even a race track. The GT will be propelled by a version of Cadillac’s 4.2L twin turbo V8 with the turbos moved to the sides, and this engine is said to be the quietest V8 GM has ever developed. Word is that GM benchmarked the Corvette GT’s NVH against German luxury tourers from Mercedes Benz and BMW. Not sports cars, tourers.

The Grand Sport moniker will be used for the insane sports version and it will feature additional escalating packages with more and more track orientation. GM found that buyers liked the name “Grand Sport” better than their alphanumeric gibberish “ZO6” so they ran with it. MRC is standard and in later years there will be a track package with DSSV and a higher output engine. What engine, you say? Hold on to your butts because the GS will be powered by a beastly 5.5L twin turbo V8 that is said to be frighteningly powerful and in private track sessions has dominated both “the Germans and Italians.” That’s just the first year GS, not the track-oriented version. My description isn’t hyperbole – those who have driven the GS tell me that it is literally frightening to floor it. GM even had a team of lawyers in to advise on the legal perils of selling such a potent vehicle for street use.

How the Corvette is sold will change as radically as the engine mounting position. Any GM dealer will be able to sell the Corvette brand, but on the flip side, it will be far more difficult for dealers to qualify to sell Corvettes. You won’t have to worry about Joey the Chevy Cruze expert wrenching on your Corvette since dealers will require a minimum count of certified Corvette techs and only those techs will be permitted to work on Corvettes. Since “Corvette” will be a brand unto itself it implies more than just the GT and GS sub-models, doesn’t it? Make of this what you will.

Interestingly, a mid engine Corvette makes space for the 7th gen Camaro to slip into the C7’s current segment in 2021, at current Camaro prices. The 2021 Camaro will be as revolutionary as the C8 but that’s for another forum at another time.

So there you have it, GM’s bold and brash sports car strategy. These will be the last of GM’s gasoline powered sports cars, a bright nuclear flash before the onset of an EV future. I’m familiar with one of the upcoming EV sports cars as well. Suffice to say, performance gearheads have absolutely nothing to worry about because every one of the sports cars (and sports CUVs) in development at GM are poised to vastly exceed expectations.


So what’s your thoughts on this post by unlimtedPower? Let us know in the comments below. Should more come from him, we’ll let you know!


Source:
CorvetteForum.com

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[VIDEO] Five Quick Videos to Learn More about the C8 Mid-Engine Corvette

 



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24 COMMENTS

  1. It sounds like he’s implying that the Corvette may no longer be under the Chevrolet moniker but a brand all of its own.

  2. It sounds like he’s implying that the Corvette may no longer be part of the Chevrolet brand but a brand of its own.

  3. Believable but I’m sure there will be more speculation to come. I can’t wait to see the real deal.

  4. I agree with Marc in that it sounds like a stand alone company or division of GM?
    I am wondering about the price, are they pricing them selves out of the American market, sounds like this new line is going to be out of the current new Corvette buyers price range and if that is the case they wont be selling many as they will be in the exotic can market were not many are sold.

  5. Wow, I don’t know of any business person, obviously this guy works for a supplier of GM/Chev/Corvette, that would seriously jeopardize his business and business relationship to post pretty much the executive summery of a customer’s business plan.

    It reads as if he has significant and reliable information, however.
    But then again, I take this as an amalgamation of every post, of every forum [Corvette Blogger included],
    of every article, in every magazine. Hell, if I had the initiative I could have penned this composition;
    Camaro takes over for FE Corvette, E-Corvette eventuality, etc, etc.
    I’d say save this post as a .doc somewhere in your Corvette folder for future reference.

    So a Mid-Engine Corvette is going to be a cross-country touring car; hope that front-trunk is sufficient.

    And if you happen to like to wrench on you own Corvette, fugetaboutit. Well, we all know that ended with the 1980 C3. You won’t be able to replaced a tail light blub.

    Mike Waal
    8TY4SPD
    http://www.corvettereport.com/winner-of-our-vette-of-the-month-photo-contest-mike-waals-1980-gt-corvette/

  6. Will “Corvette” become a spin off IPO from GM as Ferrari did from FCA?
    Mandated trained specialists working on the C8 only? C7 owners already demand this however now the smaller dealers will definitely be priced out of selling C8’s. Training techs will become cost prohibitive.

  7. Science fiction can be really fun. If even some of this is true, we’re in for a good time.

  8. That is a very interesting read and seems to follow previous speculation about the DCT drivetrain which I posted somewhere at some time, BUT I think he got it all wrong on the GS/GT.

    I believe the GS he is referring to is actually the the new Cadillac XLR, the revival of that marque on Caddy’s ME version, indeed with the Caddy trim and 4.2 TT, detuned compared to the Corvette which will offer the full HP version of that motor in the Z08, but does that come before or after the Corvette GS? I suggest after and just like today, the Corvette GS is slotted between the “Manta Ray” base model and the Z08.

    Where it gets really hard to figure out is how to slot the former Z06 (new Z08) and ZR1 into the future lineup. Does the ZR1 disappear after the current version as many rumors suggest, the last for now with the emblem relegated to moth balls and the Z08 becomes the halo car?

    As a former test driver for Corvette on the ZR-1, and Corvette Challenge racer, I too have opinions, but that’s all they are…looking forward to the eventual unraveling of the mystery .

  9. Kenneth, it’s sounds more like when Viper name was pulled away from Dodge, and became a separate entity.

    And they way he describes the GS model being frightening to push pedal to floor, makes me think of the Hennessey Venom.
    Should be interesting if this is all true.

  10. Well I hope the C 8 will not be delayed & the price of the Manta Ray will be be very affordable. I want one , but I’m 69 I don’t have a lot of time so keep me informed. The sooner it’s available the better 4 me

  11. And that spaceship really did crash in Roswell in 1947…….come on GM……just unveil the damn thing !

  12. It almost sounds too good to be true. Like the perfect story. Can GM be that smart? Still don’t like the rear. It’s too spacey. They should have went back to some form of fancy round tail lights or something.

  13. The writer states there will only be a DCT available. My wife works for a supplier working on a manual transmission for the C8. The new base engine will be called “LT2”. That’s what I know for now.

  14. William Eason, I’m with you.. Although have about twelve years over you… Whatever GM brings out, whether a Zora, GT, GS, Manta Ray or whatever, I think we’re in for a helluva sweet ride..
    Wish they’d hurry up! But yeh, hopefully they can do a nice rear end. I’m stoked!

  15. Karlos…did you see the rear end in the Sebring spy video…I LOVE IT!!! …and that FPC sound is wicked!!!

    There are always going to be haters but as an American 16 year old boy who first drooled over a ’69 Corvette Stingray, had my first driving experience in a ’72 Fly Yellow 350/350 convertible which I spun in front of college my first time driving in the rain, then later the pleasure of driving my Corvette Challenge race car from Detroit to California…full cage, window net, open exhaust and sponsor emblazoned on the side, then getting pulled over in Arizon after a happy 120MPH jaunt through the state…and ultimately owning the ZR-1, the car I test drove at 175 in the high banks of Talladega…I CAN’T WAIT!!!

  16. #1: A make does not need an IPO to claim independent branding; the RAM pickup separated from Dodge a few years ago.

    #2: In light of what Sparky wrote, there may be a manual transmission version to satisfy die-hard shifters such as myself, but the ultimate performance versions will be automatics only, as Corvette will not want to dampen their performance in racing competition by enabling the possibility of weak-link manual transmission entries. Ferrari took this step of obviating manuals long ago.

    #3: As a logophile, my fondest wish is that the Z-zero-6 will be replaced with a Z-oh-8, because my skin crawls every time I hear someone say, “Z-oh-6.”

  17. As I’ve heard, there is a Cadillac in the future for Bowling Green assembly, we’ll see, but the engine has 2 options. 1 is 500 hp, the other 550 hp. And the turbo’s are not to the side, but on top. This much is real. Change is coming! C8 may be delayed due to production difficulties. Oh, the dude named Zerv? That’s the code name for the C8.

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