Body talk

[sleepyhead]

I'd have to go with the C5's as the best looking corvette. I wasn't so sure about them when the new design was first introduced, but they sure did grow on me.

I'm hoping to own one myself. Maybe even as soon as 2010!

 

[twiget]

Personaly, I love all Corvette's. I have my personal favorates from each generation, but as long as it's got the Corvette Crossed Flags on it, it's ok in my book.

As for the C4, they may have started out as "ugly ducklings", but they climaxed with the Grand Sport in '96. Which most anyone has to agree is a very distinctive and attractive Corvette.

Jason

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Impartial observation, Jason?

Sil

 

[twiget]

Impartial observation, Jason?

Sil

Totaly, why do you ask?:Silly

Jason

 

[78SilvAnniv]

No special reason.

Sil

 

[CorvetteArchives]

Jason,
Dont forget the GS also started a styling trend.............the "rice crowd" started putting stripes on anything then ...that way people would know their cars were just as fast as the GS :Silly


The other thing somebody mentioned was "luxuries"........um...what luxuries does a C5 have that other generations dont? Soft ride? thats about it!!!! A real "necessary" feature in a sports car! :eyerole

 

[Patti]

The C-5 has alot of great luxuries...everything about it is terrific...and don't you forget it, Corvette1984! :bang

:W:
Patti

 

[VPRKLLR]

How about modern looksa more comfoatable ride, bigger cockpit, and a stronger engine, except for the GS and ZR-1 but my 02' ZO6 should take care of that

 

[Bullitt]

Design

I think that the designers of the C5 should get a big slap upside the head and be reminded of who's steps they follow in, before they work on the C6. Bill Mitchell would do it, if we find a way to raise the dead. Something good looking can be designed for an economical price. Dodge proved, that. But they didn't do it with out help; namely Carroll Shelby. Park the GTS next to a '63 Ferrari GTO and you see that the boys from Italy provided some inspriation, too. All the cars we remember, stand out because of the way they shout out to us. They scream of desire and passion. There is no question of their speed. In short, there are no compromises. American cars are known for their muscle, but I don't think that the C5 or the new Viper convey that message very well. The Vette is coming up on 50 years, already. Don't we all deserve a Corvette that redefines the next 50? That's my opinion.--Bullitt

 

[NassauBlue]

C6 Design

C6 design......Narrow and Sharpin' the front, Short'n up the front overhang, and get more Aggressive with the hood!!! As for the back lines........make the rear fenders a bit higher. I really like the current C5 rear......nice and wide, just accentuate it for the C6!!!
Maybe a ram air induction, hidden or not...... Car should stay long,
but needs broader fenders.... Scott

 

[danl72]

A Vete is a Vette no matter what generation it is. All Vettes are nice, it is just some people like certain ones more than others. it is just a matter of taste. I love the C5 because I have one, but if I had anyother one I'm sure I would love it too. No other car in the world can compare to the Vettes tradition and prestige

 

[Barbie]

Different strokes for different folks

As long as it's a Corvette you can't go wrong. I admire them all and believe the C5 is the best looking, handling, and the best in technology. And, it is a good thing I am not in a position to aquire one, because the decision between a Z06 and a Vert would be difficult.

My all time fav's:
1. '63 Split Window
2. '67 Coupe or Roadster
3. '70 T-Roof Rat 4 speed
4. Z06 - 02 Electron Blue

Barbie

 

[78SilvAnniv]

C3-lover went for a ride in a C4 and was IMPRESSED!

The local speed shop owner has one for sale and I happened to arrive at his shop at closing one afternoon and requested and was granted a ride in it. I think it was 84-86...(whatever year, it was several years older than what Sal was looking to trade his Caddy for)...Anyhow, it was a stick shift (6-speed?) and I was REALLY IMPRESSED with it's get-up-and-go! In ALL gears! And it 'stuck' those corners so close...ah, it was sweet. He offered to let me drive, but we all know how terrible I am with standard trannies, so I declined. I would hate to put a Corvette through that kind of torture.

While I certainly liked the power (who wouldn't!) I'm a simple girl, and was a little put off by so much computerized stuff to look at in the cockpit! It also got me to thinking you'd have to be a computer technician AND an automotive mechanic to work on one!

It was still very nice to have a ride in a C4 to see what all the hub-bub is about...and I DO see!...now I want to drive a C5. Just to see....
Silver

 

[Ken]

Re: Different strokes for different folks

...the decision between a Z06 and a Vert would be difficult.

I've often thought the same thing Barbie.

_Ken

 

[twiget]

Silver,

An 84-86 'Vette would have been equiped with a 4+3 tranny (I'm sure Ken could tell you all about them).

I'm sure you would love a C5. I would imagine that the improvements between an early C4 and an early C5 are comparible to the improvements of the early C4's over the C3's.

I took a '98 hardtop for a testdrive once, shortly before I bought my GS. The diffrence between my '78 and the '98 was as apparent as the 20 years Chevy had to improve on the breed.

Jason

 

[lady80]

c3

I am partial to the c3, but I was thinking that Chevy ought to put out a classic remake of the 53......

 

[montanabob]

Even though my two favorite vettes in the looks department would be the '69 and the '82, I wouldn't want to see chevy produce a retro vette for the c6.(leave the retro cars to chrysler) Each generation was uniquely a corvette for its time and obviously had to change with the times. It took years for the c4 look to grow on me and now its the first corvette that I've purchased. I can't attest to how the c1 and c2 looked in their day but to me as a kid there was nothing even close to the c3, you almost wouldn't want to classify it as a car in as different as it looked from anything else out there you would call a car. I think that GM has to style the c6 to reflect the new times and leave the looks of the c6's forefathers to those who love them enough to keep them looking and running the way they should.

 

[Eric]

...I wouldn't want to see chevy produce a retro vette for the c6.(leave the retro cars to chrysler

I agree, a Corvette should look like one thing only and that's a Corvette. Though there are some stylistic trademarks that flow from body style to body style, I think each body style should stand on it's own four tires as a new jewel in the Corvette crown. Retro is for cruisers - PT Cruisers that is:eyerole. IMHO, a retro sportscar is an oxymoron. If you go retro, where are you gonna get the aerodynamics and downforce to hold it on the ground? Certainly not from a solid axle body design. Where is the distinction that every other previous iteration has? Will we call the C6 Shark II? I think not. I have no problem with a styling cue being carried over here and there as it helps the public to know what the car is but total retro has been done to death. Yes, F#$d built an incredibly beautiful retro T-bird but we all know that aside from the seating limitations and drop top, nothing about that car is a 1955 T-bird sports car. That design was cutting edge when Yoda was a boy but it isn't now. Yes, it will sell a lot of cars, but not for the same reasons people buy a Corvette.

As for all of the wedge jabs for C4s, I loved the C4 the day I first saw artist renderings of them - JMHO. Maybe part of the visual shock some have with them can be attributed to the fact that when the C4 came out, the Shark had been around a long, long time (all of my life at the time). As well, almost all of the mechanics of the Shark were mid-year carryovers. Then comes
this totally new (except the L-83 for 1 year) car. It looked nothing like the old vette save for round tail lights and pop-up headlights. Suddenly this decrepit American dinosaur had ascended to the pinnacle of the automotive world. I still have the clipping from MT or R&T (can't remember which) that has a forward drawing of a C4 under the caption "The Best Handling Car In The World." For me, even at age 15, this was total shock - the press liked, dare I say loved, a Corvette. I remember hearing a lot of the same "hate it or love it" statement we now here about the C5 styling with regard to the C4 styling. People were seeing a style from the end of a golden age of styling (60's) replaced with a cutting edge (not wedge) wind splitter. I don't know that I have a point here:crazy other than telling you that I like the C4 but at least you all know where I'm coming from. I, personally, think the C4 is distinctive in it's own right. It's a Vette and that's what matters.

As for C5s, I'm slowly getting accustomed to the styling.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a Vette is a Vette is a Vette and I wave at 'em all!

 

[Black Ice]

Keep in mind Corvette will ALWAYS carry over some heritage from platform to platform. Styling is a reflection in time what was "in" the decade the car was penned. Who says a door stop is not beautiful? Remember beauty is really in the eye of the beholder. The new cars of today including C4 C5 and im sure C6 are design driven to be not just eye pleasing. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s design was what cars were all about. This is today the 21st century where cars MUST be aerodynamic, Must be fuel efficent, Must be light, Must be useable as a daily driver, oh yea it all needs to be wrapped in something pleasing to all tastes. Today style is not for style sake but for purpose. If you like the cars of yesterday buy them. If you want all of the above buy a C5 now or a C6 in two years. I for one like my C5 and think all Corvettes have unique beauty.

 

[Bullitt]

Form and function

I agree with Black Ice, partly. For years, the Germans, for example, have always believed that style should follow function. However, Posches still look reminiscent of those that came before them. Personally, I don't think the style of the C5 is the best design that GM could have developed. Yes, they have to meet effiency demands in the aerodynamic department, but they still have some freedom. This isn't Formula 1 racing. The Viper was perhaps the most destinguishable American car for quite some time. I think the Panoz cars, while low production, are even more still. The problem at GM is that they listen to everyone and want to please everyone. While it produces a car that will sell, it doesn't produce a beautiful car. The topic of lightness also came up. I don't believe that car manfacturers are willing to utilize (i.e. spend money/profits) forms of technology that would increase effiency and lower the weight of their cars. For years, we have been told that so-called "radical" changes would increase the cost of cars dramatically. I ask then, "why haven't cars gotten cheaper over the years, insted of more expensive?" Yes, the government (EPA and NHSTA) and it's departments require ever increasing demands, but each year these manufacturers make billions of dollars. Bob Lutz, obviously believes that the designers are not performing to the standard that must be reached in the design of the C6. I, however, believe that GM is not rising to the standard that should be reached for all of their divisions. --Bullitt