Not too long ago, General Motors (GM) revealed the first of its three Corvette concepts – a pristine white beauty with gull-wing doors – designed by its UK design team. Now, just a couple of months later, out comes the second concept, and it comes from GM’s Advanced Design studios in Pasadena, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
This one sports bold red accenting and features a detachable cockpit, a single-piece canopy, and front hinges. This means that, in a matter of seconds, the concept can be converted from a closed sports coupe to an open, ultralight convertible.
“This concept is a tribute to the legendary performance of the Corvette, but with a new interpretation of the future and freedom,” said Bryan Nesbitt, GM’s vice president of global design. Although the auto maker has revealed that it has "no direct production intent" for the concept, there's a rather interesting "C10" logo on the front fender, likely referencing the Corvette generations' naming codes.
First things first, the concept is that of an electric Corvette – and although details are slim at the moment – the car is reported to have a T-shaped prismatic battery instead of the usual skateboard-style underfloor unit to enhance airflow through the chassis.
It gets big wheels too – 21 inches at the front and 22 at the back. Definitely reminds me of the Jaguar C-X75 when you look at its short rear end and the rocker panels. The concept is 182.5 in (4,669 mm) long, which is about the same as the current C8.
Height-wise, it's considerably shorter by 7.2 in (182.8 mm). But considering you’d sit lower owing to its battery position, you’d also get a more spacious cabin, which is further bolstered by its 109-in (2,767 mm) wheelbase, giving you 1.8 in (25.4 mm) worth of room compared to the current gen.
The windshield in particular reminds me of the Koenigsegg design ideology, now sitting right above the axle line. Moving to the back, you can't help but stare at the enormous rear diffuser – it’s not just for show, by the way. It’s there to help generate downforce without the need for a draggy back wing.
The designers dug channels through the body of the T-shaped battery to send air under the nose to the rear diffuser. Definitely a bit of F1 inspiration back there. There is also an active rear spoiler that can raise and angle to produce an air brake.
Inside, buttons are something of a rarity, with the majority of the controls on the touchscreen in the steering wheel hub. Which, by the way, is more of a yoke than anything else. GM calls it a "minimalist" dashboard and interior, and there's also an augmented-reality head-up display that puts out crucial driving information in the driver's field of vision, thus eliminating the need for large screens that usually take up the entire cabin. Elsewhere, the bucket seats are fixed to the carbon tub.
That’s as much as we know about the inside, which doesn’t even physically exist yet, having been revealed virtually via the use of a VR headset.
It's safe to say that this concept car looks far from production-ready, and as mentioned earlier, GM's Chevrolet has indicated that there are no plans to manufacture. But this concept might be an indication of sporty, sculpted design directions for the Corvettes of the future. Whether they will be electric or not is another question – recent rumors suggest an all-electric Corvette is not likely to happen any time soon, which might be welcome news to a lot of today's enthusiasts.
We’ll have to wait for the third and final design to be unveiled (likely by the end of this year) to really pick a winner.
Source: General Motors
