- This is the first time a prototype of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette has been caught on camera.
- The final production version is expected to debut at the Detroit auto show in 2013.
- The Corvette will retain its traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and feature a small-block V8.
KAPUSKASING, Ontario — Spy photographers have caught a glimpse of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette undergoing cold-weather testing in Canada. It's the first time that the seventh-generation Corvette has been spotted in public.
The heavily camouflaged prototype reveals a few minor details about the upcoming sports car. It will clearly retain the classic long-nose, short-deck configuration of its predecessors, but the profile of the car will feature a more distinct wedge shape. There are two different prototypes seen here, each with its own wheel design. Not sure if this is indicative of two different models or simply an easy way to try different tires in the snow.
Shooters on the scene described an exhaust note that was most definitely of the V8 variety. Although our earlier Corvette Intelligence report suggested that a small-displacement turbocharged V8 might be used, the sound of this prototype was more in line with a more typical normally aspirated, large-displacement V8. Most speculation suggests that this Corvette with get a roughly 5.5-liter V8 that uses direct injection and variable valve timing to develop around 500 horsepower. Sources have told Inside Line that the C7 Corvette will also feature a seven-speed manual transmission.
The official unveil of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is expected at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show early next year.
Inside Line says: This is yet another chance for GM to show that it's serious about building world-beating cars. The Corvette has always had the performance; hopefully the C7 will have the refinement, too.
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kenno2 says:
09:13 AM, 02/16/2012
AND TO THINK THE REPUBS WANTED TO KILL THIS CAR WITH GM. I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR THEM
rogerthat says:
09:57 PM, 01/31/2012
I owned a c5 for almost 6 years. The seats do suck, you can feel the springs like grandma's old couch, the fit and finish is poor too. I had to disassemble and reassemble the doors and dash to get proper fits. The ESC computer would always reboot in extreme manuevers, such as autocross, causing the the stability to shut down and then come back on in a minute. Scary stuff, I had no confidence in its handling. Dealer couldn't fix it. Computer finally failed and had to replace it myself. Computer started to fail again after a month. Handling was unpredictable. Afraid to push the car. Another guy in a c5 saw me accelerate hard from a light and then to an onramp. He tried to follow and I saw him spin out behind me and hit the curb hard. I sold it and got a mini. OMG. so much better. I can drive that car at the limits, because I know where the limits are. Easily outhandles the vette and does exactly what i want it too.
car_lover_87 says:
10:44 AM, 01/29/2012
The exhaust is crazy!!!
justgreat47 says:
08:06 PM, 01/27/2012
gm had bsically two paths to pursue with the c7: design the vehicle for the people who have been buying vettes in the past or go after the "euro" crowd with a smaller displacement engine and a more advanced suspension.
either path poses a problem for the vette: go after the old crowd and butt heads with the v8 camaro; or price themselves out of the old crowd's market by building something with a totally new v6 engine and better interior components and more advanced suspension...though the suspension curently available with the magnetic ride control is about the most cutting edge system you could ask for....maybe the leaf spring in the rear is out of date, but the mrc is right out of the defense budget.
when gm came out with the killer ss camaros at such a great price...that was the death call for the vette following the same path for the future...
jackg
2006 sts6
jmm_101r says:
01:18 PM, 01/23/2012
A NEW VETTE.. HOPEFULLY THEY IMPROVE ON THE HANDLING,SPACE,CHEAP MATERIALS,COMFORT ON THOSE SEATS! C6 INTERIOR SPACE REALLY SUX'D.. IM 6'2. & MY FD RX7 THAT IS SMALLER.. HAD BETTER SEATING SPACE!. BUT THE NUMBER 1 IMPROVEMENT HAS TO BE THE REAR-SUSPENSION GEOMETRY.. THEY HAVE TO REALLY STOP THE DUMP "LEAF SPRING" SUSPENSION CRAP!!.. TELL ME.. WHO DESIGNS A SPORTS CAR WIT LEAF - SPRINGS?? THEY SHOULD DESING A TRADITIONAL DOUBLE WISHBONE OR MULTILINK.. THAT BEING SAID IT WILL PUT THE POWER TO THE TARMAC MORE EFFICIENT.LOOKZ.. THE VETTE HAS ALWAYZ LOOKED GREAT. THATS SOMETHING THAT IS PERFECT ON THE CAR.
THE VETTE IS A RESPECTFUL CAR IN MY BOOK! BUT DETAILS LIKE THESE JUST CATCHES MY ATTENTION & ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. THE WAR BETWEEN GT-R VS.911 VS. VETTE WILL CONTINUE BEING MY FAVORITE IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY..
z06mac says:
12:40 PM, 01/23/2012
I'm wondering if putting the front wheels futher forward, increasing the dash-to-axle ratio and likely the wheelbase means "All wheel Drive" will be added???
drive571 says:
03:20 AM, 01/23/2012
Hopefully this one will have the three things the 'Vette has been crying out for since the C4: good steering feel, good shifter feel, and a good-quality pair of sport seats. Add an interior built to GM's recent standards (I figure this one's a given) and it'd be a screaming bargain at $50-60K.
Oh, and get rid of the fiberglass stink on hot days.
wafnorth says:
06:56 PM, 01/22/2012
Saw what appeared to be a 2013-14 Buick Lucerne or Park Avenue up in Kap yesterday,same size as new Cad XTS ,same C pillar and a distinctive crease in the front doors identical to the Regals' doors. Saw the grille and badges looked like Buick, also the rear end side view shows like the new Sonatas and the Regals. So perhaps there will be a new Impala and a new full size Buick .
ryan_g says:
11:22 AM, 01/21/2012
The exhaust tips differ slightly as the wheels do. I'm thinking these are two different models.
bankerdanny says:
07:25 AM, 01/20/2012
@stingray, I wish I shared your confidence in GM's ability to remove its head from the corporate rectum when it comes to Corvette interior design.
Since the big redesign in 1982 the Vette interior has improved somewhat, but it still lags behind its competitors.
I have always been a Corvette fan and would love to own a C5 or C6. The Corvette remains one of the great performance bargains, but the GT-R changed the game. The Vette could get away with a lower quality interior than say the 911 because it cost tens of thousands less. However, now there's the GT-R, which offers every bit of the performance of the ZR-1 and far more technological sophistication for the same money. And I have never once read a complaint about the seats or the interior materials.
GM should have fixed this during the VERY lengthy model run of the C6, and by fixed I mean things like good quality sports seats in the base $50K coupe, not as an expensive option on the already more expensive higher performance models.