mid engine corvette qtr panels leaked photo

I believe that Car and Driver uses different drivers for their Lightning Laps, so while it's still better than traditional bench racing, it's still not exactly an ideal comparison.

 

http://www.thedrive.com/news/25732/general-motors-files-zora-trademark-with-us-patent-and-trademark-office?fbclid=IwAR3ijEgvtC9GxQS5wMSp3zmO-xxVmBqEW26UaI2uMzc5QB9vb2gzrt-frak

 

Was the Duntov cam ever trademarked? Only current entry listed at the Trademark Office is an NCRS award.

 

Good question. Don't know if they ever trademarked the Duntov cam brand

 

I'm sorry but Zora is a terrible name. The only thing worse is MantaRay!

 

Zora really is a terrible name, but I don't think Manta Ray is too bad.

 

A MantaRay is a Sea cow. A slow grazer.

 

So are most Corvette drivers, so it works!

 

Agree! Unfortunately, use of the word Zora may be an uphill battle for attention in people's minds with this guy…
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Almost as bad as "Enzo"...
But better than "La Ferrari"....

And then there's "Dino", a name shared with a prehistoric dog/dinosaur owned by F. Flintstone.

 

Why try to compare against Ferrari? A bad name is a bad name regardless where it comes from.

 

Next? Could be some unintended connotations with that moniker, too. While reading a die cast model catalogue this afternoon, I came across the original Manta Ray- a 1953 Studebaker concept car. I guess it was sporty for its time, but Studebaker was not noted for speed.
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I really like the idea of making the car Zora. It recalls someone that stood out in a sea of engineers and stood up for the car when it could have easily been canceled.

It only makes sense to name this car after the man that dreamed of it so long ago.

 

I get the whole Zora thing but if you want to appeal to the younger generation, it will be lost on them. Whether its called Manta Ray or not the Sponge Bob generation would have more of an identity with it. That is the crowd to market towards. As for Zora, he dropped the mantle of chief engineer back in the early to mid 70's. Catch that? Enzo was the name of a entire brand who was involved daily up until the end in the late 80s. Big difference in title, responsibilities and more recent. Heck, the world knew who Edsel was, Zora not so much unless you were into cars big time.

 

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2019/01/02/general-motors-re-registers-the-zora-trademark-with-the-uspto/

 

There are people who appreciate nods to history in any generation and those who don't recognize it might be inspired to look back at the history of their car to find out more about it. While not everyone will get it right away, I don't think the gesture will be lost entirely. It's a good name for a Corvette.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Who cares?

Just pick a name that excites customers to want to own one. It's called "marketing".

Two other names we all shot down when they came out:

Ferrari Enzo
Ferrari LaFerrari

'member that?

You think McLaren should name one of their cars "The Bruce"?

 

People who aren't philistines?

No issue with Ferrari Enzo.

Technically, it's LaFerrari and not the Ferrari LaFerrari. I do agree that name choice is stupid since it is so easily mangled and readily mocked. It's reminiscent of "The La Trattoria" from Mickey Blue Eyes.

As for McLaren... Bruce McLaren died in 1970, long before they started making road cars. A better McLaren analogy for the Zora would be to name something after Gordon Murray or Frank Stephenson.

What appropriately marketable name devoid of any historical context would you suggest for the new Corvette?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

The name wont sell or not sell a single car. It doesnt matter at all.

Most car names these days are made up words so it doesnt matter that young people wont know who Zora is, it still sounds kinda cool. Like a scifi movie. Oh wait thats Zardoz lol

 

Zardoz - Sean Connery’s best work!!

 

Mmmm... people don't want to be seen driving a car with a stupid name. All manufacturers do tons of research on each name for a reason.

Edsel was a pretty awful name for a car and it was a tribute name.

 

Personally, every single car buying decision I make is purely based on the name of the vehicle. Really, it's the primary car buying factor for most people I know. It's make or break. Smart people know - the key to vehicle sales is an exciting name. That's why there are so many good names.

Urus
Bentayga
Taycan (pronounced Tie-Con)
Macan
Cullinan
Pista
LaFerrari
Speedtail
Huayra
Chiron
Ghibli
Levante
ONE

All of these really excite me. They are so exciting I'm not sure which one to buy. Not as much as the alphanumeric soup from other manufacturers, but still, very exciting. GM has big decisions to make to make sure they meet this standard. Now Zora...that may be unrecoverable.

 

If that were true then half the successful cars on the road wouldnt be selling. A Corolla ? Camry ? Flex ? Golf ? Equus? I could go on a long time with the list of horrible names that sell pretty well, if not fantastic

 

Exactly! And that depends on advertising. I believe the litmus test for car names comes at the rental car counter when the agent asks "Would you prefer a **** or an %%%%%?"

 

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