Crashed C7 in Arizona

[YumaZ06]

Click on pic for larger version.

Someone is in big trouble!!!

 

[Hib Halverson]

Now THAT's a big f'ing oops.

 

[djsroknrol]

WOW!...the darn thing hasn't even hit the showroom and there's already a fatality :eyerole

 

[67vet]

Maybe I am wrong, but since there is only one photo - it may be photo shopped.
To convince me, I need to see more photos.

 

[2VettesMike]

Maybe I am wrong, but since there is only one photo - it may be photo shopped.
There is no white in the center of the tail lights.
Could be a photo of the car on an angle track photoshopped.

To convince me, I need to see more photos.

Not very likely, same mfgr tag # on the car as the Arizona in the wild photos of the Laguna Blue mule car.

I vote for the cylinder deactivation "accidentially" turning all the cylinders on....

Mike

 

[Huskerman]

Naa...he was fiddling with the new Infotainment GPS screen......No wait...push this here to make it work...oh sh*t.......

 

[i10fwy]

Well that didn't take long.
It's been less than a month since Chevrolet revealed the 2014 Corvette Stingray, and already one has turned up wrecked. Since the new Corvette isn't on sale yet, chances are someone at General Motors will have a sizable expense report to fill out.
Caught by a poster at Digital Corvettes, the photo was supposedly snapped recently in Arizona, with the original shooter's commentary: "Cop had just arrived. Car is in worse shape than looks. Hit guardrail on left and bounced back to rocks." Automakers often run hot-weather and handling tests in Arizona, and this copy wears the Michigan manufacturer license plates that a GM-owned prototype would carry on public roads.
While at first glance the Vette looks OK, a closer look reveals serious damage; the front wheel looks too far askew, and there's long scrapes on the side of the body and the wheels. There may have been a side air bag deployed as well, but it's hard to tell under the tinted rear glass.
It's rare but not unheard of for a factory pre-production test drive to end in a crash; at this stage of Corvette development, the engineers would be tweaking software settings or chasing down some final production issues before the launch later this year. We asked Chevy for comment, and until we hear back we're struck by what GM always warns media test drivers: "Keep it shiny side up."

:L

 

[redvett]

Those cars are either Pilots or Prototypes and have EXP VIN# they will all be crushed sooner or later. Start of production is about end of May as the line is filled, Lead Unit Build cars will be picked along with Captured Fleet cars to be evaluated before saleable vehicles are released.
That car is the result of a test going wrong and happens often.

 

[Rob]

General Motors released this statement yesterday:

"We can confirm that during routine testing, a Stingray was involved in a one-car accident. During evaluation, the car's inside tire caught the edge of the pavement during a tight corner, leading to the accident. Thankfully, no one was hurt, the car received only minor damage, and no citations were issued."

​

 

[Tuna]

I can see that happening.

Ever driven the "Tail of the Dragon"? The drop off from the tarmac to the shoulder on that road is pretty signifiant in many places. Means that you better keep all the tires on the pavement or you end up in the trees there. In Arizona, you end up against the rocks.

 

[YumaZ06]

The latest I have heard about this was that it happened in Prescott, Az. (south of Flagstaff, Az.) I also read the official GM statement as reported above and confirmed by another source to be true.

 

[Mac]

The important part is no-one got hurt!

-Mac

 

[catbert]

I used to see GM test cars on the road around Phoenix when the hot weather test, handling and development facility was in Mesa before they moved outside Yuma. They usually granny drive those things, and don't really do handling test on public roads. We will probably never know what happened, but I'm are sure there is a story there.

 

[HammerDown]

Thank goodness that wasn't a Lambo!

 

[ltmax]

Crash Test

It would be good for GM to do a thorough teardown to see how the structure of the car held up in this crash - the new aluminium frame, suspension parts and hard points, etc. Could be some good input to final design.

I wonder if this crash improved the looks - DOH :W

 

[i10fwy]

That car has been spotted several time's around the East Valley

 

[SnakeDr]

It's definitely the first C7 crash, and it ain't going to be the last!!