New Corvette undergoes major redesign
in bid to raise performance
by
Richard Morgan
Original Article
Posted By: Pluperfect,
7/20/2019 4:41:30 AM
Chevrolet isn’t just shifting the new Corvette Stingray into a higher gear. It’s getting rid of the stick shift altogether.
A dramatic redesign of the iconic sports car includes eliminating its manual transmission — and replacing it with an eight-speed, dual-clutch configuration that’s akin to what high-end racers like Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren use.
The new transmission performs “lightning-fast shifts and excellent power transfer,” General Motors’ Chevrolet division said as it unveiled the 2020 Corvette at a splashy event Thursday night in Orange County, Calif.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
JunkYardDog 7/20/2019 5:49:22 AM (No. 128698)
Wow. Wow. WOW! What a beautiful car-now if they'd only soften up the rear end styling to make it a bit less boxy, but otherwise the lines of the car are awesome in every angle of view. And this is the 495hp base model! Wait till the next couple of years for an 800hp beast :-))))
3 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Strike3 7/20/2019 6:04:59 AM (No. 128700)
Base price 60K but just try to find one under 90K when it hits the showroom. It's a beautiful car but about as practical on the highway as a 737 as it will draw tickets like flies on a cinnamon roll. When I build my personal racetrack I will buy one.
2 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
WhamDBambam 7/20/2019 6:29:26 AM (No. 128710)
Wish they had kept the standard transmission option.
3 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
F15 Gork 7/20/2019 6:59:31 AM (No. 128745)
Glad I kept my ‘64........
4 people like this.
Corvette fan since 1966. This design blows chunks! It looks like a Ferrari and I’m sure we will be looking way north of 100k! GM screws the pooch again!
3 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
franq 7/20/2019 7:30:52 AM (No. 128771)
I hope it's better than the Ford dual clutch. That was a disaster.
1 person likes this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Daisymay 7/20/2019 7:46:07 AM (No. 128791)
Oh to be young again! I always wanted a Corvette, finally got one for my 60th Birthday! 2001 Yellow Convertible. I loved that car, drove the wheels off it. Lived in TN at the time which meant lots of great curvy roads to whiz around on. Retired to FL, kept it for another couple more years, then sold it. I never cared for the "new improved" Vetts, didn't look cool without the long impressive hood! Now, I'm 78 and probably wouldn't be able to get in and out of that New Vette, but I would still love a ride in one! A gal can dream!
6 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
StormCnter 7/20/2019 8:08:34 AM (No. 128811)
What is it about a male and his Corvette. In my garage is a mint condition '86, bright red. Our son bought it new and drove it until marriage, kids and obligations made the Corvette impractical. So, my husband bought it from him. Shortly, however, it became too difficult for my husband to climb in and out of it. I have no desire to drive it. As far as I'm concerned, driving or riding in a Corvette is similar to what I suspect riding on a roller skate would be. So, there it sits, covered up, but unloved. Neither of the men want to sell it, but both of them are unable to get in and out of it now.
Bah!
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
mobyclik 7/20/2019 8:34:13 AM (No. 128839)
It's a man thing, #8, like a woman that has 50 pairs of shoes. I've has three Vettes, loved them all.
1 person likes this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
AGGW 7/20/2019 9:15:37 AM (No. 128861)
I learned to drive stick shift on a Corvette back in ‘65. Too bad it won’t still have that feature.
0 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
jacksin5 7/20/2019 9:43:24 AM (No. 128896)
A collector's car, to be sure.
0 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
DVC 7/20/2019 9:51:40 AM (No. 128903)
Quite a step up in performance. It will be interesting to see if it is what Corvette owners want. It is best for racing cars to have the mid engine, but few street cars have it. The Porsche Cayman/Boxster is about the only semi-affordable mid engine design out there. All the others are WAY up market.
Not a huge fan of current car design approaches. The angular, slashing lines are not my cup of tea, I prefer the flowing, smoother lines of an earlier era. 275GTB4 Ferrari, Jaguar XKE, Porsche 911, Lambo Miura, even some of the 90s Chrysler sedans are more pleasing to me than any of the modern supercars.
I think the Cayman is beautiful, but not the Corvette, McClaren, or any of the current Lambos.
1 person likes this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
F16 guy 7/20/2019 10:05:49 AM (No. 128920)
I had a '77 orange vette. Then years later bought a 1995 yellow VIPER, then a 2002 yellow Viper. I liked the Vipers because only around 25,000 were made. Chevy makes 25,000 Corvettes yearly!
But this 'Vette is something to behold !
0 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
red1066 7/20/2019 10:09:40 AM (No. 128924)
You'll find most expensive cars like these with auto trans simply because the trans can shift faster than a manual transmission. Even multi million dollar cars such as the McClaren P1 have auto transmissions for that reason.
0 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
planetgeo 7/20/2019 10:20:38 AM (No. 128937)
Yeah, it's definitely a guy thing, and the performance is awesome, buttttt...a Corvette without a stickshift? Is. Just. Not. A. Corvette.
I should know. I've had three of them, starting with my all-time favorite, the '66 Sting Ray. The all-time chick magnet, especially on Friday nights at the A&W drive-ins. Makes me want to put on my best white T-shirt and rolled up jeans just thinking about it.
0 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 7/20/2019 10:23:20 AM (No. 128939)
WOW! AT $60G's it's quite affordable. Gorgeous ride and I like everything they have done to it. It's the nextgen 'Vette of the future.
0 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
ROLFNader 7/20/2019 10:55:47 AM (No. 128982)
Zero to 60 in under three seconds! If the good lord wanted me to get somewhere that quick, he would have started me out closer.
1 person likes this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
GO3 7/20/2019 11:29:43 AM (No. 129016)
Agree with others about a manual transmission. Today, it probably isn't as efficient as the newer automatics, but I think there is more driver control and it's a helluva lot of fun. But here is the real advantage: Straight from the factory, the manual transmission is one of the most effective anti-theft devices. Just search on YouTube for the jokers who try and steal a manual transmission car. I think though that only 13% of cars sold in the states have a manual.
1 person likes this.
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