[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom…And The Winner Is?

By
Jeremy Welborn
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[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

Photo Credits: Jeremy Welborn


Discussions regarding the 2020 C8 Corvette’s legroom and headroom have been ongoing since the 7.18.19 Next Generation Corvette Reveal in Tustin, California. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the Reveal by Mike Furman, and was able to be among the first in the public to actually sit in both the driver and passenger seats that night.

One thing I could immediately tell was that photographs don’t do a very good job conveying the space afforded to the driver and the passenger. Both felt more spacious to me when actually sitting inside the car. As the interior space discussions commenced, many also wondered how well a taller individual would fit inside the cockpit. We’ve since seen and heard from many who are over six feet tall and the headroom is actually quite impressive due to the high degree of seat adjustability.

During my C8 Owners School in June, there were two owners who were over six feet tall. While they both said they normally had plenty of headroom in the C8, they also both indicated that the headroom while wearing a helmet was quite restrictive at their height. It was around the same time that I heard Spring Mountain’s Ron Fellows Performance Driving School might be adding convertible C8s for use in the C8 Owners School for the purpose of improved headroom for taller drivers. During my second C8 Owners School with Mike Furman and 16 of his customers in early October, I again heard that HTCs were being ordered by Spring Mountain for the benefit of additional headroom.

After hearing another report on a YouTube video stating that the HTC actually provides less headroom than the coupe, I decided to take matters into my own hands and measure the headroom in both the C8 Coupe and HTC. The following photographs reveal the truth…and the winner is?

COUPE – Seat Fully Forward, Fully Reclined

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

HTC – Seat Fully Forward, Fully Reclined

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

COUPE – Seat Maximum Rearward, Maximum Recline

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

HTC – Seat Maximum Rearward, Maximum Recline

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

COUPE – Headroom View

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

HTC – Headroom View

[PICS] C8 Corvette Coupe vs Convertible Headroom...And The Winner Is?

HTC FTW! And for those in need of interpretation, that’s Hard Top Convertible For The Win!

You can clearly see that the design of the coupe limits the headroom due to the required hardware for securing the Targa top. The practical outcome is an additional two inches of headroom in the HTC. The HTC’s additional headroom is a huge win for taller drivers, especially so during track use when helmets are required.

HTC FTW!


Source:
Photos by Jeremy Welborn

Related:
2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible Ranks 2nd on List of Best Convertibles for 2020
[PICS] The C8 Corvette’s Coupe and Convertible Trunks Are Not The Same
[VIDEO] 2020 Corvette Convertible Review Plus Differences Between the Z51 and Base Packages

 



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6 COMMENTS

  1. I was going to get a convertible but after seeing that with the hatch up the only way to see the engine is to take out 18 screws. Then there’s the problem with the hump on the back deck were you have to scotch up to see over it.

  2. I was going to get a convertible but after seeing that with the hatch up the only way to see the engine is to take out 18 screws. Then there’s the problem with the hump on the back deck were you have set up to see over it.

  3. FYI – I’m 6-2 and just spent 3 days driving the c8 coupe at Spring Mountain and did not have a problem with wearing a helmet.

  4. I appreciate DuanebPhillips input. Like anecdotal reports versus the scientific method and without controls, this information doesn’t necessarily help a tall person to decide if there is enough room for him or her. When I solicited a ten mile ride from my friend to pick up my C8 after its wrap was done, he asked if he could sit in the driver’s seat after our arrival. He sat in it and his head was hitting the bar, while he sat there, requiring him to tilt his head to stop the contact. I know my friend is not 6′-4″, but I think he’s somewhat over 6′-2″. He told me that even if the seat were adjusted for clearance in the couple, he wouldn’t feel comfortable in the driver’s seat (too close to bumping his head). This must have made quite an impression on him. He hasn’t asked about the car since. He drives a late model Cadillac. This anecdote doesn’t help anyone either. It does serve to warn potential buyers to actually sit in one before buying. My friend would be limited to the Convertible if ownership were to be in his future. That two inches would just be enough. AF

  5. Wow, I guess tall people got no reason to live. The opposite of a song I remembered.☺️

  6. That’s good to know. My son is 6’9″ and had to have a special seat made for his C7. Maybe not so for the C8. But I doubt it. Thanks.

Comments are closed.