New 2014 Stingray

Mayor your Convertible is beautiful. I saw your post and pictures of the pickup at the Corvette Museum and must say I'll best it was a wonderful experience. Unfortunately post accident can only get the automatic.

Docf

 

If you're going to get an auto, I suggest you wait then for the new 8 speed like in the Jag F type. Supposed to be 2015 MY

Even though they make a lot of these, for the price you pay for this car I think it's better to order one and get exactly what you want. Dealer inventory is going to be whatever you can find. It takes a few months but at least you get exactly what you want instead of settling for what you can find.

 

Saw a green convertible at the dealer today...very sharp.

 

So which is it Mayor?

 

I think it's more like I'm used to twin cam cars where the revs go up and down faster. I would not say it's slow throttle response. It's just slower to rev than I'm used to.

But it has a ton more torque at the lower end. In a twin cam, you keep the revs above 3 grand all the time. In this car I frequently shift at 3 grand or there abouts.

 

So that's basically what I postulated previously. Throttle tip in is actually quite good in the C7, but I'll be tracking C7s at Spring Mountain later this week, so I'll have more to base that on then. In my C4/5/6 Vettes, you can shift at 2k in traffic, and skipping gears is perfectly reasonable around town too. The C7's DI/high CR LT1 makes the abundance of low end torque even more pronounced.

Since you're used to twin cam motors, not only do they rev faster, they generally have MUCH shorter gearing, which takes advantage of the peakiness of their torque curves. Vettes in general have gear ratios that are far taller; 1st gear in a C6ZR1 is taller than most second gear ratios in European sports cars. it will do 65 mph in first gear!

This is largely why you can have a 460 hp, 11 sec, 30+mpg sports car. Try that in anything built in Maranello or Bologna!

I hope your C7 experience continues to be a positive one.

 

That's how I would describe it.

The car has a ton of low end torque. On that level, it takes some getting used to after owning twin cams my entire life. If you blip the throttle in a twin cam, the engine revs freely and falls back quickly.

In this car, it doesn't. But it's like it doesn't need to either because of the low end torque available.

 

That phenomenon is largely related to reciprocating mass, not just valvetrain layout. There are heavy duty twin cam trucks that have beefy flywheels that have a lot of inertia to overcome, and you can have a pushrod NASCAR motor that revs as freely as most twin cams out there.

BTW....there are some seriously torquey twin cammers out there too. Big displacement and/or forced induction can make for a cammer motor that revs and torques. See the car in my avatar as a great example of this. ;-)

 

Id take torque over HP anyday

 

You must be a diesel man, then. ;-)

 

some facts about the Stingray name: Stingray Name Controversy | Dean?s Garage

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8UuGDrqJxk

 

I can't tell you how many people have come up to me and asked "Is that the new Stingray?" instead of "is that the new Corvette?". There's this sentimental connection to the past that people have with this name.

I think that finally, GM has learned the value of making this car in their line up. There's no question it helps drive Chevy sales overall even if they only make about 20k of them a year.

 

Great interview and pictures!
Wonder how long the big block motor was in the Stingray with that 'see through' hood scoop tacked on...
The car looks very clean in this earlier picture wearing number 11 they showed at Milford. Notice how short the grill work on the hood is compared to the movie car version and the missing 'Corvette' name plate on the right front corner of the car.
Never saw the archive overhead view photograph of the Stingray and the 1963 coupe and convertible versions before though.
CH
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and since this is the 2014 Corvette section...6 speed automatic will continue for at least 2015 model year unless you order the Z06 model. It seems the new 8 speed transmission was only calibrated for the the LT4 motor and not the LT1 motor yet.

 

Horsepower may sell cars, but torque wins races !!

 

I read your mini-review, and do would you consider it a good car?

Every single review is littered with "For the price, for the price, it's a bargain, for the price".

But, from the comparisons to other high end cars, it seems to be great, regardless.

Would you think of upgrading to a Z06?

 

The Z51 is not a replacement for "high end cars". It's no Ferrari or Lambo although performance wise, it's not a far stretch. It's a very fine car but it does not have that sense of "specialness" you get with exotics.

I miss my F430 spider more after driving the C7 (even though a good used one is double the price of a new C7 convertible). Trouble is, the F430 is not a good daily driver while the C7 is. Which is why I have a C7 -- and really enjoy it.

This is the constant debate. What is it you really want out of a car? A weekend warrior or a daily driver? It's difficult to get the best of both worlds in a car. The C7 does a pretty good job though.

I have no interest in the Z06. This C7 does everything I want as a daily driver and cross country GT.

The C7 has a lot of faults. But, so does every car I've owned, including the 458.

The C7 reminds more me of what would happen today if there were still Alfa Romeo Spiders, Fiat Spiders, and MGB's and Truimph's being made.

They would still be relatively inexpensive, simple to own and maintain, obviously much faster and better than they were in the 70's, but still affordable to most to have a fun sports car to drive everyday.

The C7's biggest competition I think is the new Porsche Cayman/Boxster which look really good and are about the same MSRP (although Porsche options add up fast). Less HP but more sophistication and a bit more exclusivity.

If you think the Cayman is a replacement for an exotic, then you would have to say the C7 would be to.

But I don't.

Lastly, if you are really really hung up with the manual gearbox idea, the C7 is one of the last places you can still run to. I'm not, but I bought a manual anyway because the idea of having a slush box is pretty abhorrent -- at least to me.

The biggest single advantage the C7 has over any exotic: You can beat the crap out of it day in and day out and not worry it's going to steal your bank account or be in the shop for weeks in repairs. You don't worry about scratches. You don't worry about door dings. You don't worry about where you're going to get it serviced.

For a daily driver, this makes all the difference because you can really wind it up worry free (well, aside from the cops that is!).

 

Car magazine in the uk just tested a C7. theyr eally really liked it, waxing lyrical. The loved the handling and chassis dynamics.


They did say though that forget about 2nd gear because 50% of the time you cant find it or the car does not want to shift into it.

But the praised the build in genral and rated the interior.

In the end in the Uk its similar $$$ to a 911 so would not go for it, but in the usa obviously the choices are different.

 

I agree the manual box seems to have a mind of it's own. I'm still not used to it or the clutch for that matter.

 

Guys,

You have to get the skip shift eliminator. GM has done a great job with this car and the transmission is no exception. Unfortunately is is born in a country with more lawyers than engineers.

 

It's different than the C6's. Someone is making one for the C7 that is like $30 bucks now. He says it takes 5 minutes to install and is reversable. I'm waiting for instructions.

 

Thank you for the thorough answer! I really appreciate it! BTW, amazing color you've picked.