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C8 Corvette High Wing Still Not Available, Blame the “Supplier Restriction”

The C8 Corvette has had its ups and downs, but so did the suppliers for the mid-engine sports car. Back in January 2020, for example, Chevy has yanked out the visible carbon-fiber aerokit because the supplier couldn’t keep up with demand.
C8 Corvette High Wing 12 photos
Photo: Chevy Dude on YouTube
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There is, however, a silver lining. The U.S. configurator for the C8 Corvette still lists the rocker panels and front splitter in Carbon Flash, and exposed carbon is coming as a standalone option in the third quarter according to Chevy officials.

However, the Michelin NCM Bash where we were treated to some newities for the 2021 model year has also confirmed that the high-wing option isn’t coming back anytime soon. Explained as a “supplier restriction” back in March, the high wing is expected to come back for the 2021 model year if the company in question can get back to work at full steam during these times of hardship.

Now numbering more than 2,700 units, the Stingray has 20,800 orders (and counting) in the books. Better still, the ‘Vette is outselling segment rivals such as the Porsche 911, BMW 8 Series, Mercedes-AMG GT, and even the BMW Z4. From January to April 2020, Chevy reported 4,977 sales or 29.3 percent of the “Lux Sport Segment Ranking” as it was presented at the Michelin NCM Virtual Bash.

As of May 1st, 83 percent of orders have been placed for the coupe and 44 percent of coupe orders are for the 3LT trim level. The FE4 suspension with MR – included in the Z51 Performance Package – also proved popular with customers. Typical of Corvette owners, the most popular finish for the calipers is… wait for it… red.

In terms of color options, Torch Red has been chosen by 25 percent of customers while Arctic White and Black are the second- and third-most popular at 15 and 12 percent, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Zeus Bronze and Accelerate Yellow are the rarest finishes for the car’s body at 3 percent for each one.

On that note, those looking to order the Stingray for the 2021 model year in “late July” can rest assured that the starting price won’t change from the $59,995 the 1LT costs today. As for the 2LT and 3LT, chief engineer Tadge Juechter didn’t mention a thing but he did say that pricing changes are coming to other options.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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