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The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray arrives with edges
sharpened
By Justin Hyde



In a rational world, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray wouldn’t exist. The very idea of
launching a two-seat sports car named after a World War II ship powered by a truck-sized V-8
goes against every trend line on every chart in every automaker’s boardroom. Yet here it is, the
seventh generation of America’s most venerated sports car, sharpened in all dimensions by
racing experience toward out-hustling the best sports cars in the world. The question will be
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2. whether it can outrun history.
After 60 years of production, General Motors could have found ample reasons for waving the
checkered flag at the Vette. Thanks to GM’s bankruptcy, the Vette has soldiered on longer than
it should have without a major update; GM sold 14,132 last year, well off the 30,000 a year it
sustained for much of the past decade. New U.S. fuel economy rules hit sports cars head-on,
demanding the same measure of efficiency improvements in hot rods as in compact family
sedans.
More importantly, the Corvette has lost much of its cultural currency from the heyday of NASA
astronauts drag-racing their free Corvettes on the beach, falling into the tar pit of an old man’s
car competing for young people’s attention. From “Transformers” to the “Fast and Furious”
movies, Hollywood prefers the new Chevy Camaro and those Vettes the astronauts drove. A
survey from the popular Forza racing video game of the most-driven models found the modern
Vette didn’t crack the top 40. And while you can still buy Barbie her classic pink Vette, it’s a far
less popular choice than sending her off with Ken in a Mini Cooper.
On first view, the makeover wrought by Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter and team
appears evolutionary. Yet every piece of the Vette has either been re-engineered or updated,
from the new all-aluminum frame to the sharper, “shrink-wrapped” exterior to the 6.2-liter,
450-hp, 450 lb.-ft. V-8. That engine can now be paired to an optional Tremec 7-speed manual, a
GM first, that will automatically match the engine’s RPMs to the anticipated gear in all shifts.
The biggest improvements come from applying modern electronic controls throughout the car
for the first time. The Vette will have five driving modes that alter 12 different systems, from the
optional electronic limited-slip differential that’s part of the Z51 track package to launch control.
In “eco” mode, the all-new V-8 will shut off four cylinders for maximum fuel economy, while in
“track” mode, Chevy engineers say the new Vette will pull more than 1 g of cornering force and
run to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. (Chevy vows to release exact figures, including prices,
closer to the car’s launch this fall.)
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3. The
The interior, long the weakest part of the car, has been renovated to modern sports car
standards. In place of Barbie-quality plastic, the dash comes wrapped in leather and carbon
fiber; the heated and cooled seats have bolstering built for track use. The Vette also finally gets
the requisite HD LED screens for the center console, but Chevy wisely keeps separate radio
and air control switches instead of touch screen controls.
Much of the Vette’s improvements began as lessons learned from the Le Mans-winning Vette
C6.R endurance racing team, such as the new fender intakes by the rear window that cool the
transmission and differential. Purists have already begun to exclaim over the loss of the Vette’s
trademark round taillamps; the new squarish units take that shape because their frames double
as a cooling vents.
While Corvette enthusiasts often dream of more radical changes, the Corvette engineering team
has six decades of experience arguing against such moves. Moving to a smaller V-8 or
turbocharged V-6 as in the Nissan GT-R would have added more weight while doing little for
fuel economy; Chevy expects the new model to easily surpass the previous generation’s 26
mpg highway rating. A mid-engine super Vette would lose the sizable hatchback space that
makes it more livable as an everyday car or grand tourer than a Porsche 911. And the unique
suspension, with its transverse leaf spring rear axle, sacrifices little on the track while weighing
less than the alternatives.
Some compromises were inevitable. Even with a new carbon-fiber roof and hood, and a frame
that’s 99 lbs. lighter, the new Vette will weigh about as much as the old one, due to added
pounds from the engine, interior bits and crash safety — although it keeps its perfect 50/50
front-rear weight balance and sports a lower center of gravity. The new 7-speed manual will still
have a skip shift that forces higher gears for better city mileage, and a revised six-speed
automatic remains standard.
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4. But the greatest challenge for the new Stingray won’t come from rivals like the new SRT Viper,
the GT-R or the 911. As Zora Arkus-Duntov, the famed “father of the Corvette” wrote in 1954:
“If the value of a car consists of practical values and emotional appeal, the sports car has very
little of the first and consequently has to have an exaggerated amount of the second.” The
engineers behind the new Vette hope the revival of the Stingray name for the first time in 46
years and years of knowledge gained from the track will spark that emotional connection with a
new generation. The most apt answer for why the 2014 Vette exists already exists in an Internet
meme: Because racecar.


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