Review: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray First Drive

[Rob]

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray First Drive

Automobile Magazine

Corvette is one of the longest running automotive nameplates with one of the most robust lineages of any car, and the newest addition—the 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray—balances an equation that Chevy has been tooling with for decades.

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[catbert]

That was pretty much a rave review from a publication that never gave much time or credit to the Vette, or anything domestic for that matter. Automobile magazine was started by old school car people who thought every sports car worth owning came from Europe. They have mellowed over the years, but this review is totally revolutionary in its' approach to the Vette. I'm shocked.

 

[Huskerman]

I agree....and the drivers age group is what GM is wanting to attract......so high praise indeed.....

 

[killain]

Corvette and 'Automobile' Magazine ?

That was pretty much a rave review from a publication that never gave much time or credit to the Vette, or anything domestic for that matter. Automobile magazine was started by old school car people who thought every sports car worth owning came from Europe. They have mellowed over the years, but this review is totally revolutionary in its' approach to the Vette. I'm shocked.

Oh contraire Catbert my friend.

I've been reading "Automobile" magazine for the last 6 years. And once a year, they would have a shootout between a ZO6 Corvette, a Porsche 911T and a Ferrari 430 and put them to the test. Track street and anything in between. and every year they voted the Corvette ZO6 as the best sports car for the buck. Over and over they stressed that the Porsche and Ferrari overall performance was so close to the Corvettes, that is simply wasn't a real factor. for 1. both the Porsche and the Ferrari cost 2 to 3 times what you would pay for a real world class sports car the Corvette. and 2. the performance of the Corvette was such a strong foundation it had to be a leader and then if you compare prices, the Corvette was heads and shoulders above the other two cars. Every year they said the seats were junk, but one small area like that, couldn't be a deciding factor as the performance of the ZO6 was so far from anything sold on mainland USA.

Personally I'm sort of on the fence about the looks of the C7. but I have to wonder what companies like Lingenfelter of Callaway are going to be able to boost performance in the new LT1 engine. The valve timing and sophisticated electronics are going to pose a real challenge for engine builders and tuners alike. And we haven't even heard anything about another LT1 in the "Blue Devil" mega supercar directly from Chevrolet yet ? I'm excited to see what this car does at Daytona early next year. I want to once and for all, push Ferrari so far into their pits they are afraid to come out. but I'm selfish too. I will get a better feeling about this car when I go to Corvettes@Carlisle this year. I think I'm going to like this Corvette.

 

[catbert]

Oh contraire Catbert my friend.

I've been reading "Automobile" magazine for the last 6 years. And once a year, they would have a shootout between a ZO6 Corvette, a Porsche 911T and a Ferrari 430 and put them to the test. Track street and anything in between. and every year they voted the Corvette ZO6 as the best sports car for the buck. Over and over they stressed that the Porsche and Ferrari overall performance was so close to the Corvettes, that is simply wasn't a real factor. for 1. both the Porsche and the Ferrari cost 2 to 3 times what you would pay for a real world class sports car the Corvette. and 2. the performance of the Corvette was such a strong foundation it had to be a leader and then if you compare prices, the Corvette was heads and shoulders above the other two cars. Every year they said the seats were junk, but one small area like that, couldn't be a deciding factor as the performance of the ZO6 was so far from anything sold on mainland USA.

Personally I'm sort of on the fence about the looks of the C7. but I have to wonder what companies like Lingenfelter of Callaway are going to be able to boost performance in the new LT1 engine. The valve timing and sophisticated electronics are going to pose a real challenge for engine builders and tuners alike. And we haven't even heard anything about another LT1 in the "Blue Devil" mega supercar directly from Chevrolet yet ? I'm excited to see what this car does at Daytona early next year. I want to once and for all, push Ferrari so far into their pits they are afraid to come out. but I'm selfish too. I will get a better feeling about this car when I go to Corvettes@Carlisle this year. I think I'm going to like this Corvette.

Automobile, and Car & Driver, for that matter, could never deny the performance of the Vette, whether it was bang for the buck or car vs. car. That said, at the end of the day, they didn't choose the Vette over the competition, citing the interior or vague dodgy handling at the limit. When it came time to choose a sports car to buy, it rarely the Vette. That's what infuriated me, the Vette won the objective performance criteria, but was passed over because of subjective issues, i.e. it wasn't a Porsche or Ferarri.

As far as racing, as long as the cars have mandated horsepower allowable, I'm not too involved.