The C8 Is the Corvette’s “OK Boomer” Moment, and It’s Pretty Darn Good Thus Far

An example that falls within the latter category is BMW, starting with the G22 generation of the 4 Series. Although beauty is a subjective matter, one can't ignore that humongous front grille. A polarizing design by most accounts, the buck-tooth motif sadly alienated many fans of the Munich-based manufacturer. The German company doubled down on it with many other models, alienating more fans and potential buyers in the process.

The buck-tooth saga climaxed twice. After the OK boomer ad for the iX electric sport utility vehicle, the design chief said that it’s not their goal to please everyone. Domagoj Dukec is right in saying that BMW can’t please everyone - it’s just impossible - but sidelining the critics isn’t the right way of doing business either. Ugliness as a shock tactic to reach the next design breakthrough is similar to forcing a square peg into a round hole.

BMW’s approach simply isn’t right, and it’s not going to win them friends in the long run either. This change for the worse hasn’t backfired in terms of sales thus far, with BMW topping Merc in 2021 and 2022 as well. Once supply chain-related challenges and the chip shortage become things of the past, chances are that BMW will be forced to eat a slice of humble pie.

General Motors, on the other hand, couldn’t have changed the Corvette in a better fashion than how the Detroit-based automaker did with the C8. The Corvette’s OK boomer moment couldn’t be more different than the BMW design department’s OK boomer moment, both from strategic and tactical standpoints. A front-engine C8 would have sold in huge numbers, but GM chose a mid-engine architecture because the Corvette couldn't have advanced otherwise. The switch to a midship layout isn’t a shock tactic, but the only way for the ‘Vette to remain relevant as a halo car.

The New Balance-wearing naysayers found solace in the small-block V8 of the Stingray, although yours truly remembers that certain people weren’t all that excited about the lack of a manual transmission. The Corvette now comes exclusively with a dual-clutch transaxle supplied by Tremec. Why did General Motors develop the ‘Vette with the TR-9080 DCT in mind? To answer that question, we have to take a look at some European brands.

Ferrari doesn’t offer manuals for quite a few years now, and Lamborghini does not either. McLaren Automotive, the company founded well after F1 production came to a screeching halt, never offered a manual. All three European automakers decided on this transmission design for the sake of zero-to-60 times. Dual-clutch gearboxes shift faster than torque-converter automatics, and faster still than a human can do with a stick shift.

There’s another reason, though, for the Corvette’s transition from manual and automatic to a DCT-only affair. In layman’s terms, General Motors wanted the Corvette to be taken seriously on the world stage. A glimpse of this desire came with the ultimate expression of the C7, the supercar-slaying ZR1 that Chevrolet refers to as a supercar in its press materials.

General Motors took a serious gamble with the Z06, and looking at the bigger picture, it paid off big time. While it may not be the first ‘Vette with a DOHC valvetrain, the 2023 model year Z06 is the first that can be rightfully described as a supercar. That flat-plane crankshaft V8 alone makes it worthy of this description, but it’s so much more than just that.

Far more sophisticated in every respect in comparison to the supercharged Z06 from the C7 generation, the naturally-aspirated Z06 from the C8 line runs rings around its predecessor as far as handling is concerned. Both circle the skidpad at 1.2 G, although the C8 is an order of magnitude faster on a circuit. Being a mid-engine car, the C8 is also a bit trickier to control on the limit. If you get it right, however, it’s far more rewarding as well.

The eighth-generation ‘Vette that generated the most heated war of words among owners and enthusiasts alike is the 2024 model year E-Ray. A rather interesting melange of old (small-block V8) and new (electrified front axle), the E-Ray made some eyebrows rise in disgust. “That’s not my idea of a Corvette” and “I don’t need no stinking electric junk in my garage” are comments you often see in Corvette forums and groups from people who deserve to be OK boomer’d. Not because they’re behind the curve, but for not realizing that Chevrolet didn’t have a choice in it.

The quickest-accelerating production Corvette of all time had to combine the burbly small block with an electric drive unit to elevate the archaic engine design to heights it’d never seen before. General Motors couldn’t ignore what’s been happening in the exotic segment either. All three European supercar brands mentioned earlier introduced electrified powertrains a long time ago in order to extract more performance from their cars. General Motors simply followed in their footsteps with the 2024 model year Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, and General Motors' execution is bang on.

It’s not often that I have nice things to say about General Motors, but for the things it did to improve the Corvette’s credibility and capability as a sports car in relation to Europe’s best, it deserves a standing ovation. And General Motors isn’t done yet because the ZR1 will soon arrive with a twin-turbocharged V8 based on the LT6 of the Z06. The zenith of the C8 platform will follow suit with a twin-turbo V8 engine and an electrified front axle, a combo that should be good for around 1,000 horsepower.