Corvette: Year by Year
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Corvette C7 Styling Part 2
Although the C7 Corvette was a radical departure, there were still elements that were inspired by the past.
Front fender creases had been an important part of the Corvette look starting in 1963 (above left) and continued to the C3 (middle, left) and to the C6 (middle right). The tradition continued in the C7, this time with two creases (above right).
Other ground breaking details include a rear-quarter window which has not been seen on any other Corvette generation.
Corvette C7 Designer Tom Peters (left) discusses the finer points of C7 styling with Art Center College of Design students. Now that is a conversation worth listening to!
Right: Tom told the students this was his favorite way to look at the C7: Stand at the middle of the door and look across the hood.
An Italian Connection?
While still distinctly American, there are strong hints of Italian influences in the new Corvette. This is a good thing, since when it comes to making great looking automobiles, Italy has always been able to show the world how it is done.The Italian aspect of the C7s' look is not denied by those who created it. Tom Peters, the director of design for General Motors performance and top dawg regarding the shape of the C7 Corvette admitted to us that this is more than just conspiracy theorists blowing steam. He pointed out that GM and much of the American car industry has long looked towards Italy for design inspiration although it isn't always obvious.
An example: The Ferrari F12berlinetta, above and the 2014 Corvette below. The headlights and hood area, while far from being identical, do have similarities.
A side view: Above is the Ferrari 599 GTO and below is the 2014 Corvette. The creases and accents are similar but somehow the Corvette has the advantage with its simple, cleaner lines. It's great day when you can place a Corvette next to a Ferrari and decide that the Corvette is what you prefer to look at.
Center mounted exhaust was another Corvette first in 2014. All previous years featured dual exhaust mounted at the corners or the rocker panels.
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