Photo: Andrew Switch Lanez
Although I wasn’t completely convinced by the rear end of the C8 at first glance, the mid-engine Corvette's design grew on me. Loosely inspired by the pre-facelift Chevrolet Camaro, the taillights aren’t to everyone’s taste.
“Why aren’t they round? For crying out loud, they’ve been that way from the first to the sixth generation!” I remember this piece of criticism from the days of the C7, but I’m glad that Chevrolet decided against this design. Round taillights would look underwhelming on the front-engined seventh generation, and one can say the same about the following rendering.
Coming courtesy of Andrew Switch Lanez, the design study actually features Nissan GT-R lights, while the third brake light is integrated neatly into the decklid spoiler. In combination with the rear bumper of the C7 merged with the rear bumper that came standard on the C6, I’m left a little puzzled by the design. For some reason or another, it doesn’t add up at all.
In addition to diluting the visual identity of the C8, this rear end looks dated, whereas the eighth generation of the Corvette is a forward-thinking sports car with supercar-rivaling performance. Lest we forget, even the Prancing Horse moved from round lights in the case of the SF90 Stradale.
While on the subject of exterior design, Chevy intended to give the C8 a split rear window. Even though we didn’t get this stylistic homage, the mid-engine Corvette pays tribute to the 1963 Sting Ray in a different fashion.
More specifically, the body lines sweeping across the roof of the coupe match the lines on the hatch and the Stingray emblem on the rear deck. In addition, the 6.2-liter LT2 small-block V8 under the glass hatch serves as a nod to the “center spine” of the Sting Ray from almost six decades ago.
Last but certainly not least, the C8 features a silhouette of Zora Arkus-Duntov on the passenger side of the windshield. When he was in charge of development for the C4, the legendary engineer made a case for a midship layout. In other words, the mid-engine 'Vette with round taillights had a very slim chance of happening if it weren't for the Oil Crisis.
Coming courtesy of Andrew Switch Lanez, the design study actually features Nissan GT-R lights, while the third brake light is integrated neatly into the decklid spoiler. In combination with the rear bumper of the C7 merged with the rear bumper that came standard on the C6, I’m left a little puzzled by the design. For some reason or another, it doesn’t add up at all.
In addition to diluting the visual identity of the C8, this rear end looks dated, whereas the eighth generation of the Corvette is a forward-thinking sports car with supercar-rivaling performance. Lest we forget, even the Prancing Horse moved from round lights in the case of the SF90 Stradale.
While on the subject of exterior design, Chevy intended to give the C8 a split rear window. Even though we didn’t get this stylistic homage, the mid-engine Corvette pays tribute to the 1963 Sting Ray in a different fashion.
More specifically, the body lines sweeping across the roof of the coupe match the lines on the hatch and the Stingray emblem on the rear deck. In addition, the 6.2-liter LT2 small-block V8 under the glass hatch serves as a nod to the “center spine” of the Sting Ray from almost six decades ago.
Last but certainly not least, the C8 features a silhouette of Zora Arkus-Duntov on the passenger side of the windshield. When he was in charge of development for the C4, the legendary engineer made a case for a midship layout. In other words, the mid-engine 'Vette with round taillights had a very slim chance of happening if it weren't for the Oil Crisis.
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