The Corvette Manifesto
That's what we know. Here's what we think. GM is in danger of overanalyzing the C7, so let's start with a simple premise: The Corvette is GM's Porsche 911-an iconic sports car with a unique character, deep charisma, long history, and a solid fan base. If you accept that premise, the C7 solution is clear. All GM need do with the Corvette is what Porsche has done with the 911-improve, refine, update, reengineer, renew, reimagine. But it mustn't mess with the basic concept.
So trash the proposals for the overhead-cam mid-engine, radical new proportion, and premium pricing. Corvette has always been a dream car to which the average enthusiast can aspire. Forget the Kappa-based gas-miser versions, too. Focus on improving fuel economy and cutting weight, but keep the V-8, the long-hood, the short-deck, and the fastback styling. Keep what makes the Corvette a Corvette. Anything else would be just a sports car with a Chevy badge.
What would we like to see in an evolutionary Corvette? Better transmissions, for a start. The new six-speed auto that's just made its debut in the 2008s is a sweetheart, but the Tremec six-speed manual is still too slow, clunky, and klutzy. We'd like to see a DSG-type manual with paddle shifts. We know chief engineer Tom Wallace has driven a VW Golf GTI with DSG and loves it. But he says a DSG won't buy him a 0-to-60-mph time better than the Z06's 3.8 seconds-and he's probably right, because the rev-happy LS7 allows you to nail 60 in first gear.
The more important question to ask, however-and one the Europeans will focus on-is this: How much faster would the Corvette be around the Nrburgring Nordschliefe with a decent set of ratios and a faster-shifting transmission? The Z06 has nailed a seven-minute 42-second lap around the Green Hell. But a 911 GT3, Turbo, and GT2 are all as fast or faster, with less horsepower, on a track where sheer grunt buys you valuable seconds on sections like the long climb up from Bergwerk.
One transmission technology Wallace also should consider is the new eight-speed automatic with integrated electric motors ZF displayed at September's Frankfurt show. This gives potential for a hybrid Corvette that uses the electric motors for launch and traction, boosting efficiency and therefore saving gas. It would need super capacitors to supply the juice rather than batteries, though, to keep the weight down.
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