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Interesting Perspective on the Corvette and XLR for European enthusiasts!

JBsC5

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Nov 28, 2001
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Does Europe need the Vette and XLR?


By MATT DAVIS



WATCHING THE TWO YELLOW—soon to be red, white and blue—C5-Rs of GM’s Corvette Racing team growl around the roads near Le Mans every June is a thing not to be missed. All the German powerhouses are smoothly vacuuming around the circuit winning their classes while the Corvettes really rip it up and make a helluva racket winning theirs. Just once, stand by the pit wall as they barrel down the grandstand stretch between the Ford Chicane and Dunlop Curve and you know that the 7.0-liter “small-block” American V8s are a crucial ingredient to the race experience. Makes one very proud to be an American.

Then why do the 5.7-liter civilian Corvettes always seem so awkward anywhere outside of the North American open road? Not just seeing them in Europe is odd. Driving them there is even odder. Come to think of it, Corvettes look and drive a little like caged whale sharks even in U.S. cities. They are for the expansive suburbs at least, and are at their deftest on straight, wide, expansion strip-free roads with healthy sections of long sweepers. Ideally you also should be allowed access to a drag strip every 100 miles or so just to get the lead out.

That may be the only reason to bring a Corvette to Europe: to be able, every now and again, to cruise at 130 mph for miles and miles without a legal care. The only other reason could be to stand out like a parrot with a cow’s head on. You get noticed in a way that doesn’t necessarily pigeonhole you as a midlife crisis denial case.

But overall, the C5 is a fish out of water in the old country. Leaving them to get brought in one by one by overly moneyed dukes, execs and pop stars seems so much nobler than actually trying super hard to establish respectable volume sales numbers through dealer networks. Now GM is touting the XLR as Cadillac’s big relaunch poster monkey in the EU and it makes me scratch my head. The XLR is a C6 Corvette through and through, and will absolutely do no better a job in Europe than the Corvette ever has or will. In 2002, 758 Corvettes were sold throughout the EU with starting prices that range from $67,000 for the coupe with automatic to $75,000 for a convertible with manual. A 50th anniversary convertible brings $81,000. Woof.

So why the pressure on Corvette or XLR (or CTS) to perform in a market that will never accept it and for which it was never intended? There was a Bitter Coupe prototype by Erich Bitter at this year’s Geneva show that is exactly the car GM should buy for Europe. All the right proportions and sensibilities for the European market were there on a Holden Monaro platform with a Corvette engine, and Bitter has a long history with Opel. Just slap a Caddy badge on it, count the money and call it a day.

Or do more to back Opel’s upper range of cars like the slick new Signum. Or fix all the things that are wrong with the potentially great Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 program. There are several terrific bits of engineering and design that are sputtering along and would seemingly cost a whole bunch less to steer to profit-able volumes than this eternal dream of getting more Europeans into Corvettes and Cadillacs. Ain’t gonna happen.

Europeans are getting much better product these days. Build quality is high throughout the range, usually better than on the average North American car, and Euro execs just plain know the Euro customer at every wage level far better than Cadillac or Chevy ever can. GM needs to drop this whole pipe dream in favor of a smarter plan.
 
The absolute FACTS!

Dimensions

Corvette:
Wheelbase: 104.5
Length: 179.7
Width: 73.6
Height: 47.7
Weight: 3115
HP-350-405

and ..the much heralded PorscheCarrera GT

Wheelbase: 107.5
Length: 181.5
Width: 75.6
Height: 45.7
Weight 3042
603hp which is sweet!

Price @ 430,000 dollars and the press and sports car enthusiasts around the world can't wait for this baby!

Ok..430 grand..maybe thats nuts..so lets look at the cutting edge Aston Martin AMV8 Vantage..the NEW Aston Martin..with its exciting new aluminum platform structure..truly cutting edge according to the automotive media!

Wheelbase: 102.3
Length 171.1
Width: 73.7
Height: 51.1
Weight 3300 lbs!

Hp..400

All great cars..I just fail to see how the 405 hp Z06 with its similiar dimensions and much less expensive pricing...is not at the very least "RElevant"!
 
Having a Corvette in Germany

When I am out driving my Vette here in Germany I certainly notice the looks. One of the reasons I think is that a Corvette IS so unusual in Europe, that whole parrot with a cow's head thing. Of course, you tend to see more around a US military installation than in other places, go figure.

I do certainly enjoy the speeds at which I can drive my Vette too. It can be enjoyed how it is supposed to be enjoyed. One fact I learned from the Opel dealer where I get mine serviced is that over half of all the Vettes sold in Europe have an automatic tranny. The only reason I can figure, since everyone knows how to drive a manual in Europe, is that Europeans associate an automatic transmission with a luxury car. Some high end German luxo-cruisers are available only WITH automatics.

The poor sales may have more to do with lack of a sales push in Europe than with the price. That same Opel dealer also sells some GM SUVs and Vettes and a couple of other US GM cars. However, I think his volume might be on the low side. US cars, with the exception of the vette, just aren't seen as prestige cars in Europe the same way as some European cars are seen as prestige in the US. Also, there are no stand alone US GM dealers in Europe. There is only Opel.

Chrysler, on the other hand, has stand alone dealerships in Europe. Chrysler PT cruisers seem to be quite popular as well as Dodge Caravans and Jeep Cherokees.

Maybe if US GM had stand alone dealerships, that might increase sales instead of having them sold at Opel dealers.

Just my 2c worth.
 

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