Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept
Chevrolet
aka	Type aka here, not up there
Introduction	2009 Chicago Auto Show
Class	Concept Car
Body Style	2 Doors+2 Seats+Coupe
Length	4.498 metres
Width	1.412 metres
Height	1.118 metres
Wheelbase	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Transmission	6-speed T-56 manual 6-speed TR-6060 manual 4-speed 4L65-E automatic 6-speed 6L80 automatic
Engine	6.0 L LS2 V8 6.2 L LS3 V8 7.0 L LS7 V8 6.2 L LS9 supercharged V8
Battery	{{{Battery}}}
Electric motor	{{{Electric motor}}}
Power	400 hp (298 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 400 lb⋅ft (542 N⋅m) of torque at 4,400 rpm
Similar	similar (competition)
Designer	Sang Yup Lee

The fever pitch of anticipation and speculation over the C7 Corvette was like blood in the water for a pool of sharks. The frenzy began in mid-2007 with reports of a possible mid-engine C7 … based on “what,” no one was sure. From there, nearly every possible “what if” concept was pinned on the C7. Unlike the olden days of “future Corvettes,” computer-generated images only added to the confusion because some looked like real prototype cars. Then in February 2009, Chevrolet blew everyone out of the water at the Chicago Auto Show with the Corvette Stingray Concept car. Plus, once again, a Corvette would be a movie star, playing Autobot “Sideswipe” in the film Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen. There’s no mistaking the car for anything but a Corvette. It screams “CORVETTE.” And like previous Corvette concept cars, the Stingray had a swirl of controversy. When covering this car for my monthly column, The Illustrated Corvette Series, I reached out to Chief Corvette Designer Tom Peters, but first I had to emphatically assure him that I wasn’t going to try to pump him for any C7 scraps. He nipped that in the bud right away by saying that the Corvette Stingray Concept was NOT the C7, period! What we see here is strictly a “concept car.” Peters explained that designers are always coming up with ideas on paper or a computer screen. Models are often made, but sometimes a fullsize, functional car must be built to try out concepts in 3D reality. Designers are kept pretty busy, but after things settled down with the C6, a window of opportunity opened up for the designers to have some “what if” fun.

2009 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept

Visitors to the Chevrolet display at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show were treated to an out-of-this-world vehicle display - the automotive stars from the DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Unique Attributes

The two elements that seem to polarize fans are the front and rear gills and the split rear window. Tom Peters and his design team borrowed styling cues going back to the ’59 Stingray Racer. The split-window that’s been called “the Original American Idol” is most obvious. The front and rear fender humps are a blend of C3 Shark styling with a hint of the C2 Sting Ray look. The roof has a more pronounced double-hump shape from the C5 and C6. The side cove air extractors and hood bulge, although more exaggerated, are right off the C6. The concept car is 3.1 inches longer, 5 inches lower and 6.6 inches wider than a stock C6. Most subtle of all is the crispness of the surface plane changes. Chief of GM Styling legend Bill Mitchell was famous for his “crisp, pressed suit” approach to styling. The theory being that a successful man always wears a freshly pressed suit. “Crisp” is a very good adjective to describe the overall look that Peters and his team created. Little did we know then that the C7 would be even crisper. The Corvette Stingray Concept car is a “wish list” of features built with existing and hand-fabricated parts. The wish list for the body includes composite materials; however the actual concept car is all fiberglass because it’s so easy to fabricate, while the chassis structure is a production C6. With the clamshell hood up, the first thing one sees is the very sexy-looking, Formula 1-inspired bell-crank suspension with bright red coilover shocks. The rear suspension is stock C6 with modified wishbones and ZR1 disc brakes. It must be fun going through the Corvette parts bin to build cars such as this. The wheel/tire combo on the car is enormous. Up front the car is shod with 275/30R20 tires on 20x9.5 wheels. The back end is wearing 355/30R21 tires on 21x13 wheels.

Gallery

Influence On Chevrolet

The 2009 Stingray Concept currently stands as the last, all-out Corvette concept car. Given that in the old days Chevrolet used to dish up sometimes several concept, experimental and one-off show cars a year, seven years is a good long dry spell for these most unique, one-of-a-kind Corvettes. Perhaps Chevrolet has been spending its Corvette brain trust capital on the upcoming mid-engine Zora. And once again, we are at the precipice, and we’ll just have to wait for another Corvette Concept.

Criticisms

Please make sure to keep critiques in a third-person point of view. If using criticisms from a reputable automotive source, then please make sure to cite the quote. This concept uses unique styling points from some of the earlier Sting Ray and Stingrays.

Worldwide

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept Was Never Produced However It Gave Us A Glimpse Of The Upcoming C7

Trivia

• In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, an Autobot called Sideswipe transforms into a Chevrolet Stingray.

Awards

List out notable awards that the model has recieved while in production. Boldface the company or organization that gives out the award, and Italicize the name of the award.

External Links

• More Corvette Centennial Concept Images Emerge
• Corvette Centennial Design Concept Identified as Transformers Mystery Car
• Corvette Centennial Concept: More Details, Photos On New Transformers Movie Car Star!
• Transformer 2 Corvette Centennial Concept in all its glory
• New shots of Corvette Centennial Concept surface
• Chicago 2009: GM finally rolls out Corvette Stingray Concept [w/VIDEO]
• Corvette Stingray Concept AKA Autobot SIDESWIPE Unveiled in Chicago
• Chevrolet unveils Corvette Stingray Concept as part of Transformers movie car debut