[VIDEO] Corvette Exterior Design Manager Kirk Bennion Breaks Down the Key C8 Design Features

While the new mid-engine layout for the 2020 Corvette has done wonders for performance, it’s also made life better for the designers.

That’s the word from exterior design manager Kirk Bennion/A> in this interview with A.J. Waters< of Business Insider.

In the interview, Bennion breaks down the design of the all-new eighth-generation Corvette, beginning with the fact that it all started out as a “wheel oriented” design.

“That means that when you look at the profile of the fenders,” he explains, “we’re basically, we’re drawing them right over the wheels. It’s almost like you’ve taken the wheels and pushed them up into the body.”

That results in muscular fenders and quarter panel, he says, and also allows the car to remain agile at high speeds by creating a low center of gravity.

After placing the wheels, the designers moved on to the rake of the car, or basically making the side of the car slope upwards at an angle from front to rear.

“You’ll notice that the rear fascia has kind of gotten taller as the years progress,” Bennion says. “And that’s because within our aerodynamic package, the car wants to have a bit of a wedge to it.”

The resulting high deck lid helps alleviate turbulence or drag at the back of the car, but it also makes the rear end look tall and thick, not thin and sleek as Corvettes of earlier generations were.

“So, when we got into the back of the car, we created this lower rear fascia that’s always black,” Bennion says. “And that’s real important to make the car look lighter.”

That black strip along the bottom makes the rear end look thinner than reality and also draws most of the attention to the double-digit tail lamps on each side.

“Double-digit means that you’ll have two on either side,” Bennion says. “These are more impactful. You know, they’re just not a shape, but they’re, they have a lot of gesture, a lot of direction to them.”

That means, when you’re half a block away from the car, you immediately know this is the new 2020 Corvette, “just by the footprint of those tail lamps,” Bennion says.

As A.J. points out, the new mid-engine layout and aggressive detailing help the new Stingray look like an exotic supercar, but it still remains true to its long-time mission, he says, “guided by the same principles as every generation before it: an affordable sports car that refuses to compromise on performance and driving experience.”

Source:
Business Insider

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