We owe Tadge Juechter a Thank You!

[455SDguy]

Thank you Tadge Juechter. Let me say that again Thank You Tadge!

It has been a fun journey for most of us to watch on the sidelines as the C8 developed from a black mule truck years ago to a supercar on the stage at Tuskin last Thursday July 18, 2019. The person leading this effort, Tadge Juechter, deserves a lot more praise and thanks than I think he is getting. Yes Zora has been by many considered the father of the Corvette for years but they fail to mention that Harley Earl and Ed Cole were the real parents of the Corvette. Zora took their dream and made it come alive with the buyers.
Tadge has been with GM since 1977 and on the Corvette team since 1993. He is the reason you love your C5, C6 and C7. Tadge is very quick to say that the team did what Zora had always tried to do with the design of the C8 and put the engine in the middle of the car. Boy, what a job you and your team did sir.
As many of us read through our favorite sources of automobile news most of the writers ask Tadge why did you do the mid engine now? One of my favorite quotes that I have read so far comes from Automobile Magazine writer Todd Lassa who ask Tadge this question “Then why move the engine back?” Tadge responds with “We had gotten some feedback from people who are into sports cars but wouldn’t consider a Corvette. They’d say, “You haven’t changed it in 40 years. Every time I pull up behind one, I see four round taillights, the big rubber back end, and you guys never changed it.” And so we argue back and say, “What about a Porsche 911? It hasn’t changed at all.” They’re well, that’s a classic. They don’t need to change it. You do.”
That quote my friends states why I think we will never see round taillights on a Corvette again. I hope I am wrong because personally I love the round tail lights.
We owe a huge thank you to Mary and Mark and the board of GM for letting Tadge and crew make the dream of owning an affordable mid engine super car a reality. So the next time you see Tadge or any of the Corvette crew just say Thank You For A Job Well Done! I know you will make their day. Thanks, Earl Studdard

[John]

Tadge is a great leader, and he has one great team. The friendliness of Harlan at the reveal, his walking around and stopping to visit with everyone in the hanger, to answer all their questions (well, properly, not those about future product), was echoed by every Corvette team member I talked with that night. So helpful!!! And so accessible!!!

I talked with many on the team that night. Even talked twice briefly with both Mary Barra and Ed Welburn. Ed, you and your design team did a great job before you retired. As is obvious the fabulous job the engineers’ did!

What is amazingly positive about the entire Corvette team, is that those two groups, often “we versus they” for most brands, genuinely like each other and work inter-connectedly on a hour by hour basis. This was even mentioned in this video. If you have not yet seen it, worthy of your time IMO.

We are so fortunate to have the Corvette team, and as you properly noted all those above it right to GM’s great, progressive-thinking leader Mary Barra!

Great thread 455SDguy! Thanks for starting it.

[SheepDog]

He got it done. People have been wanting the Corvette ME for several generations. The leadership to get it "born and delivered alive" after so many failed pregnancies and abortions speaks for it self.

[Meldoon]

He will be thanked, when we all purchase new Corvettes!

[Frenzy36]

Suggestion to all of those who were involved with the reveal. It would have been nice to have different time slots for more people to experience seeing the vehicles. Especially those of us who have had deposits laid down for a long time . Since those people will be ordering their vehicles sooner than everyone else, it would give us enough time to make our final color, package , options decisions.
Big SHOUT OUT to John and all of the wonderful members of this forum who have entertained us through this process and given their time and efforts with all of the fantastic renders and speculation and will be here for following vehicles. THANK YOU ALL!

[John]

GM is going to start, just two days from now, two different traveling displays to 125+ dealers and to a yet unknown number of special sites, e.g. Corvettes At Carlisle, C7.R races, Pebble Beach (x3), and already official at NCM’s end of next month’s National Corvette Caravan/25th Anniversary celebration.

This is a far more widespread reveal program than the C7’s first year, let alone above being accomplished within the next five months we believe. As to what we will see for the C9’s reveal, perhaps it would include your exact suggestion.

[JB]

The entire staff at corvette engineering, marketing , production, Mark Reuss and Mary Barra...Ed Welburn...the list goes on and on..


the c8 is an amazing product...

a real passion to own one means they did their jobs well.....

big thank you.

[CCoMEditor]

The one key person you've forgotten to thank was sitting in the audience, Tom Peters. He is the design genius behind the looks and the form of the C8.
In my opinion Tom and Tadge are the current day incarnation of Harley and Zora. The C8 is one of those rare instances when genius unites form and function into something incredibly beautiful and incredibly functional.

[CCoMEditor]

Just so it's clear, Tom provided the beauty and Tadge provided the function.

[ZORA 69]

Santa Claus comes in many forms. In this case it is Tadge. I can not say enough about how appreciative and excited I am about this car. The affordability is fantastic. I got away from Corvettes for the most part and owned few since the C3s got into Mercedes , Porsche etc. But , in my retirement years with a smaller toy box budget this C8 is a real gift to me taking into consideration the value. A 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 second supercar starting at under 60K, What a gift to us all from GM. Thank You Tadge and Thank Ms. Barra and Mr. Reuss and all the team that made this happen.