Normally, a new car arriving in dealerships isn’t newsworthy. However, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is no ordinary car.
The first run of the completely sold out, seventh-generation Corvettes are already wrapped in plastic and loaded on the car carriers, bound for dealerships around the country. So if you witness middle-aged men lining the roads, wearing the same eager grins as 20-somethings on new iPhone release day, that’s why.
If there was ever a car to inspire consumer fanaticism, it’s the new Corvette.
Cars of this caliber don’t come along very often; cars generally receive a major redesign after four years on the market. That rule, however, doesn’t apply to the ‘Vette. The previous C6 generation was launched in 2004 as a 2005 model, but it lived clear through to 2013. The third-generation C3 lasted 14 years (1968 to 1982). Clearly, then, Chevy’s engineers don’t like to rush themselves.
Known as C7 to its close friends, the new car not only revives the legendary Stingray name, it also completely redefines everything we thought we knew about the Corvette.
One look at the radically different (and polarizing) styling, and it’s apparent that Chevy took the Stingray seriously. Designed to achieve new levels of performance, the Stingray was also built address important issues that previous Corvettes ignored like fuel economy, interior quality, and refinement. You know, the little things.
The Stingray has already won the approval of many media outlets, including this one. Now, however, the real test comes. Will customers love it? Will it keep the fans happy? Will it attract new fans?
The Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky has already built about 1,000 of the already iconic cars. General Motors says the first Stingrays will be delivered to customers in the coming weeks. The Internet is bracing itself in anticipation of what they have to say about their new cars and the inevitable YouTube videos of Stingray wrecks.
Are you amongst the first Stingray recipients? Or do you simply want a 2014 Corvette? Tell us in the comments.
