The Chevrolet Corvette is one iconic model that has been on the market for over seven decades. It went through all kinds of designs, powertrains, and performance levels. Now, a former Audi designer has come up with a different approach, unlike anything we have ever seen.
This is something that always happens. No matter how exciting and good-looking a new generation is, there are always people who claim the old-school cars are way above the modern ones.
The C8 Chevy Corvette is tagged by many as the best of all time. It came, for the first time, with a rear mid-mounted engine, General Motors' first since the Pontiac Fiero from 1984.
The entry-level Corvette is powered by the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, which produces 465 horsepower (472 metric horsepower) and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) of torque.
At the opposite end of the lineup, there is the Z06, powered by the naturally aspirated flat-plane crank 5.5-liter V8, the most powerful of its kind in production. The engine generates 670 horsepower (680 metric horsepower), delivered to the rear axle via a dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
What you see is not a futuristic concept, but the older Corvettes reimagined as modern models.
Photo: jbdesign_ca | Instagram
The one drawing the nostalgia-infused Chevy Corvette is Jason Battersby, a 37-year old designer from Toronto, Canada. Battersby worked as a senior exterior designer at Audi for the past 12 years, up until last week. His CV includes, among many others, the Grandsphere concept car.
A long-term Corvette enthusiast, the ex-Audi designer says he wanted to retain the iconic elongated hood that shelters the engine, unlike the latest generation, and proportions and emphasize them as much as possible, giving them somewhat of a contemporary approach without compromising the retro styling.
The long lines of the C2 and C3 Corvettes are still there, together with the functional air channels that are reminiscent of the chrome outlets present on the hood of the C2 generation. There are also cutouts in the front bumper, channeling the air over the hood.
The designer explains that he wanted to strike the perfect balance between muscularity and elegance. He points out that the Corvette always had that sporty look without actually looking angry.
The Corvette envisioned by Battersby rides on a set of aerodynamically optimized, large wheels. The profile view shows a reduced greenhouse and very small doors, plus the very narrow side mirrors, which might actually be cameras.
The rear sports the iconic split-window design of the C2 Corvette, with the windows hidden away under two air channels. Very narrow dual lights show up at the back.
The ex-Audi designer drew his own logo, simplifying the shape and going for a matte/glossy finish for the graphics. Maybe in a couple of years, we will see Chevrolet concept cars looking like that, previewing a future production model.
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