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GM Design's Split-Cockpit Ideation Sketch Makes Fans Dream of Fresh C9 Corvette Glory

GM Design Center's social media page has yet another enticing sports car idea, this time penned by Dylan Schmidt. Who, by the way, is probably one of their exterior designers rather than New Zealand's trampoline gymnast.
GM Design Sports Car Ideation Sketch with split cockpit 43 photos
Photo: GM Design/Instagram
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The latter is a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and a 2022 world champion, so we reckon he did not get a part-time job at the General Motors Design Center dreaming of automotive stuff. Instead, that other Dylan Schmidt imagined a "stunning split-cockpit" exterior design proposal for an aggressive, edgy sports car. And, as per tradition, the fans swerved to give their opinion on which model it should portray if it ever comes to life.

General Motors, once the largest automaker in the world for 77 straight years and still the biggest carmaker in the United States, has numerous brands under its guidance even today. From autonomous endeavor Cruise LLC to China's SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile and from the BrightDrop delivery vehicle manufacturer to the Cadillac luxury brand, there is something for everyone. Of course, the brunt of the sales is divided among the mass-market divisions, especially Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC.

But that does not mean Chevy is without star power – only that they care less about absolute luxury, like in Cadillac's new Celestiq EV flagship, and more about fulfilling some of the most ardent desires of their customers. The latter may include hitting the trails with something cool like the Silverado ZR2 Bison pickup truck or rocking the easy life of European supercars with FPC hoots like the record-breaking 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Speaking of 'America's sports car,' of course, all enthusiasts immediately thought that Dylan Schmidt's project presented by the GM Design Center would be more than a perfect fit for the next generation C9 Corvette.

And do not think the split-cockpit design is too quirky to be made in the real world. After all, BMW and others are splitting the bejesus out of the headlights in various (ugly) configurations, and they are still getting away with them. As for the Chevy Corvette, may we take the time to remember that back in the summer of 1962, when the C2 started production for the 1963 model year, part of the massive appeal for the original Sting Ray was attributable to the radical one-year-only split rear window design. Due to visibility concerns, the latter was dropped starting with the 1964 model year, making these split-window Sting Ray coupes instant collectible items.

Sure, the pixel master's design proposal is just a styling exercise and may never go past the status of wishful thinking. But wouldn't it be glorious to see yet another radical redesign of the Corvette so quickly after the C8 iteration ditched decades of front-engine RWD tradition in favor of moving the engine in the middle and even proposing a version with electrified AWD, the 2024 Corvette E-Ray?


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Editor's note: Gallery includes official images of Chevrolet Corvette.

About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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