May 2004: C6 Corvette Design: Reality or Restraint?

[barkingowl]

I sat in a black C6 that rolled off the assembly line last Thursday. I really wasn't impressed.

 

[like2drive]

Deacon of Gm, Roger Smith, while in command, virtually stopped any growth. He pleased the stockholders with cutbacks in R &D and primarily, "milked the cow" . While dividends and profits were good, market share was declining, especially to the rice burners. A good example of this strategy, is the C-4s. Not only is it the same old, same old year after year, but it doesn't appear much different than the Camaros the that era. The C2s & C3s usually sell for more and are distinctively "Corvette". I really like the C5s too but setting on the laurels is unwise while the competition is hacking away, like the Viper, Ford, even the Miatias!
"new improved"....Reformulated.....from the few pictures I've see, this C6 is a another C5. The only reason I responded is I really appreciate the work Scott does ,...didn't want you to think no one is interested. thanks
By the way, I was in the Caravan last year, and visited the Bowling Green Mueseum. As you probably know, they have a cut-away of the C5 which shows, to me anyway, "space age design". I didn't particularily like leaning back against the fuel tank when driving...but its a real thrill to just look at. I remember my first Vette drive in 1963, a friend let me take a spin with my ladyfriend....I'll never forget.

 

[JBsC5]

Refinement is the key word with regards to comparing the C6 to the C5..

That along with Z06 performance for both the standard coupe and convertible...

Since the Z06 C5 was world class..

That makes the coupe and convertible all the more impressive.....especially withthe added refinement included in the package..

Second year C6 models with the six speed automatic should make quite a few sports luxury car makers quake in their boots..

JMO

 

[BruceBed]

I agree with you about having the Corvette as a separate division , outside of Chevrolet. Although the C6 hasn't grown on me , I feel that it will evolve into a class car. The one thing I could never understand when I took my vette to a Bowtie dealer was the level of service. The just couldn't get it right and they never treated you the way you should be treated. I'm no snob , but when I take my wife's Lexus for service, it always comes back right, clean and a phone call follows to make sure your happy. Every new generation has a familiarity to the past so that no one is alienated. They are taking a tried and true product and "homoginzing " it.

 

[rsub92]

About paddle shifted manuals, I can attest to driving what amounts to a clutchless manual shift vehicle, and that it made a noticeable seat-of-the-pants difference in acceleration. Ok, it wasn't an automobile but a KTM 125MX motorcycle. The bottom end/drivetrain was shared with the 250 cc displacement version of the same machine, and was therefore overbuilt for the 125. Clutchless full-throttle high-RPM upshifts in a race were routine, and the gearbox took it in stride. There was no noticeable hesitation in acceleration, just an instantaneous change in the pitch of the motor. (Almost eerie, and never quite got used to the sensation). This was good for a bike length or more on a long straightaway against a zook or yammie, insuring a pass if exiting the previous corner on the other guy's tail. (Plus being able to focus more on the race, and not having to release the grip on the handlebars, even if only two fingers, for squeezing the clutch lever). The same could be said about being able to keep both hands on the steering wheel under high performance conditions.

 

[Ken]

By the way, who wrote that article?

See the May 2005 issue of Corvette Fever magazine.

Congratulations Rob! The entire article is there.

 

[Rob]

See the May 2005 issue of Corvette Fever magazine.

Congratulations Rob! The entire article is there.

Thanks. Yeah, I wrote that article a while ago.

 

[Rollnfast]

Rob, good article and good history lesson for a "newbie" Corvette "hope to be owner". While I'm nothing of a authoritarian on the histroy of the car, in relation to other sports cars, I can say there are many of us out hear in the market place who really aren't being given the chance to "establish a relationship with the Corvette" like many of the current posters, simply because we can't get our hands on the car! Design, style, evolution versus revolution.....it's neither here nor there for those of us who have been standing in line for "months" after putting down hard cold cash to own a corvette. It's ashame for Cheverolet to have a market for the car and it seems that they can't deliver.....at least in a reasonable time. You would think after decades of getting their pants beat off by the Japanese, they would have gotten it right by now. Again, being a newbie, I hope someone can convince me that it'll be worth the wait. I continue to be patient after five months!

 

[capkarl]

It's ashame for Cheverolet to have a market for the car and it seems that they can't deliver.....at least in a reasonable time. You would think after decades of getting their pants beat off by the Japanese, they would have gotten it right by now. Again, being a newbie, I hope someone can convince me that it'll be worth the wait. I continue to be patient after five months!

I think part of the "Corvette experience" is the fact that you own a car that is somewhat limited. It's something like owning a boat. You start off with a small one (earlier model Corvette) discover that you love boating and then go for the yacht (new Corvette).
BTW boaters usually wave to each other, much like Corvette owners.

 

[Edmond]

In my opinion, another part of the Corvette experience is a product that people can afford. I always thought it's a world class sports car that a blue collar person could obtain. But with the unknown MSRP of the C6 Z06 and the inevitable price gouging by dealers, I think they're going away from that principle.

 

[capkarl]

In my opinion, another part of the Corvette experience is a product that people can afford. I always thought it's a world class sports car that a blue collar person could obtain. But with the unknown MSRP of the C6 Z06 and the inevitable price gouging by dealers, I think they're going away from that principle.

That I will agree on. The price of the C6 is OK in my opinion, a new (first on your block) Corvette was always overpriced, but the ZO6 is way out of line. I think the General made a miscalculation there, but who knows?