Exclusive! C8.R Corvette 5.5L DOHC V-8 Pics and How the Flat-Plane Crank Alters Its Iconic Sound
There’s A New Engine In The C8.R Corvette, And It Sounds Nothing Like Its Predecessor.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and although that’s true, it can also be in the ear of the listener.
Since the Corvette first hit the streets back in the 1950s, it was imbued with the beautiful and nearly magical sound of V-8 performance. It was a deep, bass-filled rumble that just oozed a feeling of power. Over the years, the sound emanating from Corvettes, both on the street and at the track, had a distinctive note that became synonymous with the car. When the Corvette moved to the LS1 in 1997, the firing order was tweaked a bit, and although the sound did change, it still had that deep rumble that we all love.
But the only thing constant in the world is change. For the C8.R, Chevrolet Racing really changed things up with its new mid-engine marvel, but it wasn’t the engine placement that ended the car’s iconic sound signature. It was the engine itself. Gone is the deep baritone exhaust note, replaced instead with a high-pitched Ferrari-like sound. Think puberty in reverse. And although we love the sound of a wound-out Ferrari or other Italian supercars, having that pitch emanate from the back of a Corvette is something that will be hard to get used to. We’re not saying the sound is bad—it’s actually pretty badass—but it’s not even close to the sound signature we’ve come to associate with Corvettes.
The real culprit here isn’t the new 5.5L DOHC V-8 that Chevrolet moved to. Instead, it was the choice to go with a high-revving flat-plane crank. This drastically changed the firing order of the engine and eliminated the classic American V-8 sound that’s typical with the firing sequence of a traditional cross-plane crank. But we know what you’re thinking: “Well, this is just the race car, so I’m going to be able to get my V-8 rumble fix from the production car!” Well, yeah, for now. You see, for Chevrolet Racing to run this new DOHC flat-plane crank mill in the C8.R, it has to, according to the rules, run a similar engine in at least 300 production cars. So does this mean that an eventual C8 Z06 variant will lose its iconic exhaust note?
‘Lost Corvettes’ to be given away: Photos of all 36 rare Chevrolet Corvette sports cars
52 PHOTOS2:11 p.m. EST Jan. 26, 2020
This 1953 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1953 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1954 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1954 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
These 1954 (left) and 1955 Corvettes will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1954 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1955 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1955 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1956 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1956 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1957 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1958 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1959 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1960 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1960 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1961 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1962 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1963 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1964 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1965 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1965 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1966 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1967 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1968 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1968 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1969 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE HEROES
This 1970 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1970 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1971 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1972 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1973 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1973 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1974 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1975 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1975 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1976 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1976 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1977 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1978 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
1979 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1980 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1981 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1982 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1984 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1985 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1985 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1985 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1986 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1987 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1988 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
This 1989 Corvette will be given away as one of the “Lost Corvettes” in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.CORVETTE
These Corvettes, known as the “Lost Corvettes,” will be given away in a promotion by the Corvette Heroes to benefit the National Guard Educational Foundation.
New Corvette Had ‘Reason to Go Back Out’ After Long Delay
Corvette “had reason” to take its No. 4 car back out on track after lengthy repair…
The “tough lessons” of the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s tumultuous Rolex 24 at Daytona debut gave Corvette Racing confidence going forward with its new car, according to team manager Ben Johnson.
The silver No. 4 Corvette spent eight hours in its garage during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener after a cracked bell housing resulted in an oil leak.
Having pitted at around 11 p.m. the car eventually returned to the track close to 8 a.m. but it still managed to be classified as a finisher, albeit 327 laps behind the GTLM class winner.
While not divulging the extent of the oil leak and associated damage, Johnson explained why the team kept its car in the garage for so long.
“To fix the problem we had to move the engine back,” he told Sportscar365.
“We tried to do it with the engine installed to expedite it but then we realized that if we wanted to get it back on track, we had to take time to take the engine out and put it back in.
“We just took our time to make sure that there was nothing else. At that point, we were no longer in contention, but we had reason to go out and just understand where else the car may have issues.
“It was just kind of a test session after that.
“I think we will go back and disassemble the whole car. We have some issues to address with the oil leak.”
Oliver Gavin, who shared driving duties in the No. 4 with Tommy Milner and Marcel Fassler, said the Corvette crew “wanted to be methodical” about its repairs which added to the length of time it spent in the garage.
The Englishman suggested that the car was starting to show signs of promising pace that it could have taken through the night had the leak not occurred.
“It was really tough on the guys, eight hours of working from midnight until eight in the morning, it was crazy,” Gavin told Sportscar365.
“As soon as that happened, we knew that our day was done and that we wouldn’t be challenging. It was a shame because up to that point, our car had just started to come along.
“It wasn’t super strong right at the start, but we were gaining on it as we went through the race. Could we have been in the mix at the end? Who knows. But there was a lot that we’ve learned from this.
“As a team, we figured a lot of stuff out today. Testing is great but you really see exactly where you are when you come to a race and see where your competition is.
“We’ll take that away and process the data to see how we can make ourselves and the car better for Sebring.”
The No. 3 Corvette fared better than its sister car with Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg bringing home a fourth-place class finish on the lead lap.
Johnson said that this car’s run wasn’t entirely straightforward, but it held up well enough to remain in contention for a podium heading into the final two hours.
“We had a slight clutch issue at one point, but we had fixed it after the first stop that we witnessed it, so it wasn’t a time loss,” he explained.
“But nothing held up that car specifically again. We were really happy that all the execution, pit stops, driver changes… all things that you don’t get to test in anger until you reach the race, all went super well.”
Johnson added that the Rolex 24 has given the Corvette team confidence ahead of its next race outing at the ‘Super Sebring’ endurance racing double-header weekend in March.
“Coming away from our first race with one car on the lead lap… the issue with the oil leak is obviously very apparent, but when we looked at it we realized it’s a pretty simple fix,” he said.
“I think it raises everyone’s confidence that we can get through some of these early tough lessons and move on to Sebring in a much better spot.”
Source: Daniel Llyod for Sportscar365
Daily Driver 2019 Corvette ZR1 Runs the Quarter Mile in 8 Seconds
With the C8 Corvette on the way, the 2019 Corvette ZR1 has sort of slipped from our collective consciousness, yet every once in a while a video comes along that snaps our focus back to the most powerful Corvette ever made.
It took the tuners over a year to unlock the secrets of the ZR1’s ECU, but thanks to HP Tuners and shops like Houston’s Late Model Racecraft, the true potential of the supercharged LT5 V8 has finally been unleashed.
YouTube channel High Tech Corvette calls this ZR1 one of the fastest in the country right now and we agree as we watch it blast through the quarter-mile in 8.7 seconds at over 155 mph.
With the drag radials on the car, this ZR1 hooks up so well that even removing the rear high wing only saves a few hundredths on the clock.
From High Tech Corvette via YouTube:
C7 Corvette Z06 Coupe and Convertible Win Awards from Germany’s Sport Auto Magazine
Even though these models are no longer offered for sale in Europe, readers of the German automotive magazine Sport Auto are still showing the love for the C7 Corvette Z06!
For the 27th year in a row, Sport Auto turns over voting to its readers in 18 different production car categories and 10 tuning categories to come up with the fan favorites of the year, and the Corvette Z06 came out on top in each of its respective categories. A total of 12,352 Sport Auto readers took part in the poll.
For the “Convertibles/Roadsters Under 150,000 Euros”, the C7 Corvette Z06 Convertible won 52.2% of the vote. The second choice was the Jaguar F-Type SVR with 29% of the vote and the Maserati GranCabrio’s 15.3% came in third place. For the “Coupes under 150,000 Euros”, the C7 Corvette Z06 won the category with 38.7% of the vote, again beating out the Jaguar F-Type SVR Coupe at 21.9% with the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye receiving 15.5% of the vote.
“We are proud and delighted to receive two prestigious Sport Auto Awards. They show the readers’ continuous appreciation of this exceptional sports car and are a fantastic send-off for the current Corvette generation that will soon make way for its new mid-engined successor,” said René Kreis, head of public relations at Cadillac and Chevrolet Performance Cars Europe, who accepted the awards alongside Patrick Herrmann, product experience manager at Cadillac and Chevrolet Performance Cars Europe.
Original Source : Keith Cornett Chevrolet Europe
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is Here! And the BEST C8 Content is at MotorTrend
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most anticipated vehicle reveals of the century so far–are you as excited as we are? For the first time, the production-spec Corvette will be a mid-engine car, opening possibilities to a much higher level of performance than we’ve ever seen from the ‘Vette. But you know all that. You’re here for world-class, comprehensive 2020 Corvette coverage and photos you can only find at MotorTrend.
So be sure to check back frequently, as we’ll be adding Corvette content after the C8’s reveal. Enjoy!
Motor Trend links:
- EXCLUSIVE: C7 vs. C8 Corvette on the Track! Pro Racer Randy Pobst Drives Both (W/Video)
- The Chevrolet Corvette is the 2020 MotorTrend Car of the Year
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Pros and Cons Review: Setting a New Standard
- The 2020 Corvette C8 Beats These 10 Amazing Cars in our Figure-Eight Test
- The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 is Faster-Accelerating Than These 10 Pricier Cars (W/Video)
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette vs. 2020 Porsche 911 Comparison: Two Icons on Equal Footing (W/Video)
- EXCLUSIVE: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray First Test: The C8 Keeps Its Promises (W/Video)
- Refreshing or Revolting: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (W/ Video)
- 2020 Corvette C8.R First Look: Think of it as a Mid-Engine C8 Z06 Teaser
- Exclusive: What Are All Those Buttons in the 2020 Corvette C8? (W/Video)
- Exclusive: Hear and Watch the C8 Corvette Start, Rev, and Launch (W/ Video)
- Exclusive: Testing the C8 Corvette As Seen From the Driver’s Seat (W/ Video)
- Exclusive: 6 Cool 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Easter Eggs (W/Video)
- Exclusive: What Can You Fit in the 2020 Corvette C8? We Find Out! (W/Video)
- How Much Will the 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 Cost to Insure?
- How to Buy One of the First 2020 C8 Corvettes in America
- Corvette vs. Fighter Jet! Racing a ZR1 Against a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet!
- Exclusive: We Drive Mid-Engine Chevrolet Corvette (Historic) Prototypes
- 1967 Shelby GT500 vs 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 427
- 9 Times We Put a Mid-Engine Corvette on the Cover of MotorTrend
- What the Mid-Engine Corvette Must Learn from the C7 Corvette Stingray
- 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Visits Legendary NASA Space Sites
- This Special ‘69 Chevrolet AstroVette is What You Drive to a Saturn V
CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE
- Refreshing or Revolting: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Coupe vs. Convertible
- Can the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Convertible Hold as Many Golf Clubs as the Coupe?
- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible: A History in Photos From C1 to C8
- Refreshing or Revolting: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Convertible
- What are the Differences Between the 2020 Corvette C8 Convertible and Coupe?
- What The Corvette Convertible Can Teach Us About Z06 and ZR1
- 2020 C8 Corvette Convertible: Here’s How We’d Build Ours
- REVEALED: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Convertible First Official Photos, Info
- Chevrolet Corvette C8 Convertible Gets First-Ever Power Hard Top for 2020
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Convertible Price Sees Huge Price Bump
OMG NEW CORVETTE
- Corvette C8 Coupe Tops Out at $106,205—$10K More Than the C7 Z51!
- GM-UAW Strike Further Extends Wait for 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray
- Your Guide to the C8 Corvette’s Digital Gauges (W/Video)
- How to Use Launch Control and Burnout Mode in the C8 Corvette (W/ Video)
- Chevrolet Corvette C8 Convertible Weighs 102 Pounds More Than Coupe
- REVEALED! Mid-Engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Makes 495 Horsepower (W/Video)
- We Ride in a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Prototype! (W/Video)
- Supercar Bargain! 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to Start Below $60,000
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Interior Review: What’s Different Inside the C8 (W/Video)
- Can the New 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Really Hold Two Golf Bags? (W/Video)
- Build Your Dream 2020 C8 Mid-Engine Corvette in Chevrolet’s Mobile Showroom (W/Video)
- The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8’s Exterior Styling in Detail (W/Video)
- We See You: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Peeks Out at Coupe Reveal
- Mid-Engine 2020 Corvette Basics: What You Need to Know
C8 ENGINE AND TECH
- LT2 vs. LT1: 8 Ways the C8 Corvette’s LT2 Engine Bests the C7’s LT1 (W/Video)
- How Much Power Does the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Really Make? We Take it to the Dyno and Find Out (W/Video)
- C8 Corvette Dyno Test Follow-Up: What Really Happened (W/Video)
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8: 4 Tech Triumphs
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette: Three Challenges the Mid-Engine Car Presented
- Why Did the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Move its Engine? (W/Video)
- Take a Tour of the Mid-Engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette’s Powertrain (W/Video)
FUN STUFF
- Track Test: Will the Chevrolet Corvette Z51 in Track Alignment Erase Understeer?
- How to Launch (JUMP) a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette in 5 Easy Steps
- The Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray Is a Loss Leader
- World Series MVP Wins 2020 Chevy Corvette, Has to Wait for His Like the Rest of Us
- 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 vs. C8.R: Here’s How the Race Car is Different
- Hear the Corvette C8.R’s Flat-Plane DOHC V-8 Sing for the First Time
- What Do the Corvette Codes Z51, Z06, and ZR1 Mean?
- First Production 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Headed to Auction
- How Does the 2020 C8 Corvette Drive? How Fast is it? Find Out Next Week!
- Watch the 2020 Chevy Corvette Hit 194-MPH Top Speed in New Video
- Source: The C8 Corvette Z06 is Getting a Flat-Plane-Crank Twin-Turbo V-8!
- Surprise! 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Race Car Debuts at C8 Corvette Convertible Event
- Here’s What the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Could Look Like
- What the Mid-Engine Corvette Can Learn From the Pontiac Fiero
- 2020 Corvettes at Carlisle 2019 Bring Strong Reactions from 60K Hardcore Fans
- Top 10 Greatest American Cars of All Time
- 8 Mid-Engine Corvettes That Never Made it to Production
- How Chevrolet Corvette Wheel Designs Have Changed, From 1953-1996
- 2019 Genovation GXE Review: A Record-Setting Electric Corvette
- Chevrolet Corvette Photos: Tracking Corvette History In Photos
- A Look Back at the C7 Chevrolet Corvette as We Get Ready to Say Goodbye
Original source: Motor Trend
Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter is No. 4 on MotorTrend’s Power List for 2020
If you ever doubted the significance of the upcoming mid-engine Corvette, take a look at MotorTrend’s Power List for 2020, a compilation of the 50 most important names in the auto industry.
On the strength of leading the design of MotorTrend’s 2020 Car of the Year, the 2020 Corvette Stingray, Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, unranked on the 2019 list, zoomed to the No. 4 spot in the 2020 ranking – ahead of two of his bosses, General Motors President Mark Reuss, who came in at No. 28, and GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra, who ranked No. 6.
Said MotorTrend of Juechter:
“Juechter was able to squeeze the final dollops of power out of the C7 Corvette and then create a whole new beast: the long-awaited C8 with a mid-engine to increase power and performance. Despite all the tech, he engineered an affordable everyman’s supercar: 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds for $60,000.”
Reuss, who moved up from No. 32 in 2019, earned the following praise from MT:
“Reuss is managing the day-to-day for an automaker as focused on the Corvette and Silverado as the goal to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road annually while developing autonomous vehicles and still making a profit. It means overseeing a leaner company going forward to fund the expensive tech.”
Barra, meanwhile, tumbled from the No. 1 spot in 2019 but still earned serious kudos from the magazine:
“Barra continues to be the tough, shrewd, and strategic leader that GM needs to remain profitable while investing heavily in electric and autonomous vehicles. Her decisive, no-nonsense approach has led to unpopular decisions to discontinue models, stop production, and cut jobs to meet long-term financial goals.”
Another GM leader, Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevera, was unranked in 2019 but made it to No. 23 for 2020.
MotorTrend says of her:
“In charge of GM’s finance department since 2018, Suryadevara is pivotal in achieving annual cost reductions of $4.5 billion through 2020—ensuring the automaker has the resources for ambitious EV and autonomous vehicle plans while keeping things running during a protracted labor strike.”
At the top of the 2020 list is MotorTrend’s Person of the Year, someone you may never have heard of, Peter Schreyer, President, Head of Design Management, for Hyundai Motor Group.
Writes MotorTrend of its No. 1 pick:
“Schreyer once said he wishes he could be a painter. The MotorTrend 2020 Person of the Year has taken a Korean canvas and created a masterpiece.”
Original source: Mitch Talley, CorvetteBlogger
Final C7 Stingray Donated To National Corvette Museum
While the last C7 Corvette will be in a private collection, the last C7 Corvette Stingray will be on permanent display for all to see.
The final C7 Corvettes rolled off the assembly line on November 14th marking the end of the line for the front-engine Corvette before production begins for the all-new, mid-engine C8 ‘Vette. The final Corvette – a black Z06 – was auctioned off earlier in the year for $2.6 million to a software company CEO, but the second to last Corvette isn’t going far. This car will represent the last C7 Stingray ever, and today it was donated to the National Corvette Museum, which is right across the street from the Corvette’s assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
This penultimate C7 was purchased by NCM lifetime member and supporter, Ivan Schrodt, who was riding shotgun in the ‘Vette while NCM CEO Dr. Sean Preston drove the car into the museum. Mr. Schrodt took brief delivery of this Stingray before handing the keys over for donation, and he was one of more than 4,000 people who took advantage of Chevy’s museum delivery program.
As part of the donation ceremony, the NCM had a number of Bowling Green Assembly Plant employees on hand who signed the engine cover of this Stingray. From here, this Corvette will be permanent fixture at the museum enshrined among all of the other important and significant Corvettes on display. This ceremony was a fitting send off for the C7 Corvette ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the C8.
In fitting style, the last C7 Stingray was equipped in a familiar Corvette color scheme featuring the Arctic White paint job over an Adrenaline Red interior – mimicking the look of the original 1953 Corvette with its Polo White paint and red interior. This 2019 Corvette Stingray is equipped with the mid-level 2LT trim level and the upgraded Z51 performance suspension, and it also has Carbon Fiber and Painted Body Color removable roofs, Carbon Flash exterior trim accents, chrome emblems, red calipers, personalized plate package, brake package, performance exhaust and chrome aluminum wheels. All in, this well-equipped Corvette had a sticker price of just over $70,000, making it quite an impressive donation to the museum.
Source; Jeffrey N. Ross, motorious