Why the Corvette is so Beloved? Every country has its iconic sports car that represents the country as a whole. Ferraris are very frantic, flawed and full of passion, a perfect encapsulation of Italy. Porsches are very sensible, very well engineered and generally soulless, Germany Summed up. And for 72 years, the Chevrolet Corvette has always been an ambitious, vulgar and courageous performance bargain, America in other words. In 65 of its 72-year run, much like the Porsche 911, the recipe for the Corvette remained the same. A transaxle chassis, drive to the rear, a thumbing great V8 upfront, a manual or automatic in the middle, a price tag half as much as most European rivals and availability solely in the United States. Yet over the years, it's transformed from a California Cruiser to a serious Performance Player. Read More Chevrolet Corvette sticks to tradition – Why America’s oldest sports car isn’t rushing to go EV Particularly in its C8 generation, which shifted the engine to the middle, introduced an 8-speed Tremac Dual Clutch and had its V8 varied across its line up with a flat-plane crank, in the Z06, twin-turbocharging in the new ZR1, assistance by an Electric Motor in the E-Ray or a mixture of turbocharging and hybridisation in the new Zora. Despite appearing more European, the C8 is still thoroughly an all-American bruiser. It lacks the delicacy of a Ferrari, nor the poignancy of a Porsche, but makes up for it with brute force and big V8 guts. Honestly, this is how it should be, America learning from Europe’s advancements but still keeping tradition with a V8, an outlandish body and a bargain price tag. It’s still, an all-American legend. The “Vegan” Vette: Why this is a disgrace Nothing in the world is worse than a country attempting to remake something bespoke to another country. Because the remake lacks the authenticity, the spirit, the soul that made the original so special. Look at all those American remakes of British comedies, other than The Office, none of them work at all. And clearly, the UK has got its revenge with this all-electric Corvette concept. There’s no denying that it’s a looker, with its sleek aerodynamic lines, wide stance and muscular arches. However, it lacks that vulgarity, that somewhat fake larger-than-life stance of a true Corvette, it almost looks too sensible. But even more of a disgrace is that this “Vegan Vette” is powered by Electricity instead of a good old-fashioned “V8 motor.” And I’m sorry but a Vette without a V8 is a bit like a burger without the beef, it just doesn’t work. Yes, they can brag about the instant torque and efficiency, but where’s the guts, where’s the soundtrack, where’s that all-American charm? Why the UK? Of course, the reason why this concept “Vegan Vette” looks so normal is because it wasn’t designed in Kentucky. It was designed at General Motors’ new Advanced Design Studio at Royal Leamington Spa in the UK. Now don’t get me wrong, this area is rich in automotive history with brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Lotus having hubs here. Vice President of GM, Stuart Norris even acknowledges this, stating, “Bringing an Advanced Design Studio to the UK allows us to tap into a deep well of creative talent. It’s not just about cars. It’s about imagining what mobility looks like five, ten, even twenty years from now.” And GM have hubs globally in countries like Shanghai. It’s also worth noting this new design studio will also be responsible for other future GM products from electric family SUVs to autonomous urban transport pods. Designers and engineers here will also have the option to play with materials, UX concepts, aerodynamics, and packaging ideas. GM want this new hub to develop innovative design concepts that reflect GM’s vision of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.” The trouble is this all seems too far-fetched for the Corvette. Even if GM want to create all these dull EVs for the future, they should recognise, that the Corvette is sacred and its all-American charm should remain untouched. A worrying future for the Vette GM plans to launch 30 new EVs globally by 2035, backed by a multi-billion-dollar investment into significant R&D and manufacturing efforts in China and the USA. Fingers crossed that they achieve their goals but I think if there’s one tip I could give them, “Leave the Corvette be”. Hopefully, this all-electric concept doesn’t turn into the C9, because if it does, then the Corvette is officially dead. Source: GM Motors
