Autoline: Everything You Wanted To Know About the C8

[John]

That is the title of this Autoline After Hours video.

Most interesting comment of the show was Don Sherman talking about its pricing not much more than the C7 and between $60,000 and $70,000 to start.

[John]

Only one part carries over: A very interesting fact was that both Don Sherman and Peter D’Lorenzo noted that only one part carried over from the C7. But neither of them knew which one it was.

According to the majority of auto sources, when you consider each separate part that goes into a car (not counting sub-systems but individual components), a car has over 5,000 parts.

1/5,000=0.0002%

[Ssscooter66]

Im hoping that the "only one part carries over" is NOT the cup holders .....
P.S. My new cup holders arrived today, waiting to do a review .....

[Bikerjulio]

Engine block?
Windscreen?
General awesomeness?

[C8-wannabe]

At 17:00 is that a shout-out to the forum?!?

[Plasboy]

I don’t know why people keep discussing making Corvette a stand alone brand. That would just drive costs up for one thing and besides Corvette has always been a Chevrolet model.
I know the old whine about Chevrolet service. Where I go it’s good.

[Bikerjulio]

I don’t know why people keep discussing making Corvette a stand alone brand. That would just drive costs up for one thing and besides Corvette has always been a Chevrolet model.
I know the old whine about Chevrolet service. Where I go it’s good.

I agree.

Good discussion. but nothing new.

[JB]

I agree my chevy dealer is awesome. I find the entire staff excellent and the world class gm tech as well.

I usually call in but missed the 3 o clock show ...had to catch it later on in day.

i am not sure I agree with Don Shermans guesses but hey...it was still fun...

11 months from now delieries begin?

Thats a long way off ...I wouldnt think its that far off but he may be right ...you never know.

[John]

My Corvette Master Tech is outstanding. I have no worries that he will again do a fantastic job of maintaining, repairing if/as necessary our C8. Did it take “firing two Chevy dealerships” to get to the right one. Regrettably yes, but not my Corvette is taken care of very skillfully.

[dcbingaman]

Nice video. I hope that Don Sherman's prediction of the C8 introduction at the NCM in Bowling Green in August is true - that would be a great time at a great venue. Like I said before - I'll be there and buy the first round at The White Squirrel.

Interesting speculation about GM, Tesla, Ford, Chrysler business models and the demise of the sedan. There is no doubt that the auto business is a tough place to consistently make money. Only 50,000 Camaros a year is a big problem for GM. THAT car may be in a lot more trouble than the Corvette. (It disappeared once in the 1990's). The "Big 3" all seem to be making a lot of money on trucks and crossovers. I know Don Sherman doesn't like them, but crossovers really do seem to be the replacement for sedans for most Americans.

Tesla seems to be circling the drain and Elon Musk looks more desperate every day. Lutz has always predicted it would eventually go belly up and he may well be right. Still, lots of great technology has come out of that company. A buyer would benefit tremendously if they DON'T have to cover warrantees for all the Tesla's that have already been sold. The cars are reportedly pretty reliable, BUT getting them serviced is a nightmare. The problem is Musk has no capital left to build up a network of service centers, and your average shade-tree mechanic won't touch one with a 10 foot pole.

[Ripper]

At 17:00 is that a shout-out to the forum?!?

Other than his mutilation of the name, i'd say you were spot on. Good catch!

[Mobius]

Enjoyable video - I look forward to watching it at least one more time over the weekend.

I also definitely agree with the gradual transition to a hybrid drive train, perhaps over 2 or even 3 Generations, as the public gradually becomes accustomed to electric vehicles and the exceptionally high performance they are capable of.

For me, my first electric Corvette will also involve an expansion of my grid-tied rooftop solar array, so that I can produce all of my fuel at home.

[SheepDog]

THE EXTENSIVE TESTING IS A VERY GOOD THING: In the interview the question is discussed about the structural rigidity of the C8 space frame. Distortion involving 1000 HP.


NSX SPACE FRAME BELOW






Above is the 2017 Acura NSX space frame. It, to the lay eye, looks robust. Of course the it is what it is. The inexpert eye of a SheepDog what it is also.


The "leaked" and incomplete CAD images of the C8 space frame, again to the lay eye, appeared less robust than the NSX. The NSX looks like it has more additional angulated bracing at the front and rear and roof bracing. But an open roof for open top driving is a corvette DNA tradition and trade off. Its cool and traditional.


Kieth Cornett in a December 14, 2017 article in CorvetteBlogger.com expressed disappointment with, at least, the open roof as a missed opportunity for enhanced rigidity. But he concluded that ". . . if what we are seeing comes to fruition, then the C8 ME will be the class-beating sports car worthy of the Corvette name." The speakers, Don Sherman, in the interview, conclude that the rigidity issue has been resolved. So, the extensive testing and development is a very good thing ever how long it goes on.




__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______
[SPIED] CAD Images of the Mid-Engine C8 Corvette Leaked to the Web

By
Keith Cornett
-
Dec 14, 2017
1652

Oh boy!

Yesterday a new member of the Corvette Forum named ZERV uploaded several images reported to be Computer Aided Drawings (CAD) of the C8 Corvette. It’s the first time this user has ever posted on the forum and because they used the internal code name for the mid-engine C8 as their forum handle, people are believing this to be the real deal.



The images look to have been taken from a computer screen. Another forum user performed a reverse image search and found nothing else online that resembles these CAD images. Inexplicably, the photos that were originally posted just yesterday evening have been removed from imgur and no further posts by ZERV have been seen.

But as we know, “The Internet is Forever” and the C8’s CAD drawings have been preserved:



Here is an example of the side skirts from the CAD image and then the same area is highlighted on a C8 prototype that was spotted earlier this year:



I’m no expert when it comes to interpreting these drawings so I am leaning on several other forum members who seem to be in the know. Here is a bulleted list of what they see:

• Coil springs (FINALLY).
• Magshocks (or spool valve, either way, fancy shocks).
• Upper front arms look to be similar to C5/6/7 with trunions.
• Lower front arms look to be similar to C5/6/7 with camber eccentrics.
• Rear subframe is HUGE and is a very strange mix of cast parts and welded tube. Can’t tell if it’s welded or bolted together in the middle.
• Engine is an LT1.
• Looks like factory shorty headers instead of cast manifolds.
• Engine has alternator relocated.
• Not sure what the upper-right accessory pulley is for. Upper left is water pump, lower right is AC.
• il filter looks easy to get to.
• Oil cooler clearly shown above filter.
• Half-shafts look to be the “bolt on flange” style (no draining trans to remove shafts).
• That transaxle is BEEFY. Like, dear god. Can’t tell if it’s auto or manual. If I had to wager, that’s the automatic (guessing from shape of bottom of trans and what looks to be coolers hanging around it).
• Giant flat space above transaxle is more than likely for intake box/filter.
• No turbos shown.
• Frame looks to be similar to C5/6/7 with giant hydroformed rails (probably still aluminum). Disappointing. I was hoping for proper unibody. Hopefully with a fixed roof it’ll be stiffer.
• Brake rotors are 1 piece. Calipers are MASSIVE.
• Side skirts are mechanically fastened just like C5/6/7. Still going to be horrendously expensive to fix if damaged.
• Brake ducts clearly shown on front.

An earlier C8 Corvette leak showed panels of the mid-engine sportscar being painted at the Corvette assembly plant. We know the Corvette Team can’t be happy with this latest leak and it’s understandable. But if what we are seeing comes to fruition, then the C8 ME will be the class-beating sports car worthy of the Corvette name.

__________________________________________________ _________________________________

[John]

Outstanding informational post SheepDog. From us all, thank you very, very much!

[jsmatt]

Great interview! thanks for posting it John