[Streck-Fu]

This is the first C8 I saw in the wild. They do look good.

[David993S]

Saw a black C8 the other day. The black color tended to hide the cars' lines. They do look good, but my complaint is they have too many chiseled sharp edges like most super cars today. But personal opinion aside, good looking car overall.

[TRAKCAR]

Anyone run a C8 hard on a hot track?

Sebring is home, for the price it’s hard not to give it a shot, assuming with some extra brake cooling the rest stays together for maybe 12 track events and sell?

The Camaro’s seem to hold up pretty well..

Perhaps wait for the flat crank stingray to see if they fit bigger brakes and coolers...

[Voith]

For 60k this is pretty awesome car. I'd get a white one.

[Erik N]

Just built a bronze Z51 w/ grey seats and dark red calipers, w/ cargo nets.
$65,695.

Might have to wait for a green/tan option :D

[fpena944]

Might sound blasphemous to the fans of Italy's finest but at first glance when I see them here in South Florida I think they're Ferraris until I get a closer look at them.

[amdavid]

Better than the C7 for me. They have their place, lot's of bang for the buck I imagine.

[Streck-Fu]

Might sound blasphemous to the fans of Italy's finest but at first glance when I see them here in South Florida I think they're Ferraris until I get a closer look at them.

I have the same reaction.

[JustBud]

Might sound blasphemous to the fans of Italy's finest but at first glance when I see them here in South Florida I think they're Ferraris until I get a closer look at them.

Not at all, I've seen many and that was my initial reaction (until you see the rear), and to confirm, I pointed out one to Lisa yesterday and her exact words, "It looks like a Ferrari."

[fpena944]

Might sound blasphemous to the fans of Italy's finest but at first glance when I see them here in South Florida I think they're Ferraris until I get a closer look at them.

Not at all, I've seen many and that was my initial reaction (until you see the rear), and to confirm, I pointed out one to Lisa yesterday and her exact words, "It looks like a Ferrari."

We were out at lunch in outdoor dining this weekend and one parked right in front of us. I liked it but my wife had the same comments as @David993S about the sharp lines and how the overall design was too busy. She studied design in school so I guess she has an eye for this stuff and yeah I see it but still like it.

Not as impressed about the interior though, I mean it's a world above previous generations but it still doesn't look quite right to me. Then again I drive a 996 so I can't talk too much about interiors.

[BeerBurner]

I saw one in a parking lot a few days ago and also thought it was a Ferrari. It wasn't until I saw the tail lights as I drove by it that I realized it was a Corvette.

It really does look great in person!

BB.

[David993S]

Might sound blasphemous to the fans of Italy's finest but at first glance when I see them here in South Florida I think they're Ferraris until I get a closer look at them.

Not at all, I've seen many and that was my initial reaction (until you see the rear), and to confirm, I pointed out one to Lisa yesterday and her exact words, "It looks like a Ferrari."

We were out at lunch in outdoor dining this weekend and one parked right in front of us. I liked it but my wife had the same comments as @David993S about the sharp lines and how the overall design was too busy. She studied design in school so I guess she has an eye for this stuff and yeah I see it but still like it.

Not as impressed about the interior though, I mean it's a world above previous generations but it still doesn't look quite right to me. Then again I drive a 996 so I can't talk too much about interiors.

Fernando - your wife has an astute design eye. I have an architect friend who looks at things the same way whether its houses, cars, furniture, etc.
I agree with Bud about how the C8, from some angles and from a distance, can resemble some modern Ferrari models, especially when viewed from the front. One of the things I like about my Ferrari 360, and why I've kept if for so many years, has to do with not liking the more sharper chiseled lines beginning with the 430 through the 458, 488, etc. and on the C8 Granted those later Ferraris perform much better than my 360, but the smooth rounded lines of the 360 are just so beautiful from any angle compared to the later replacements.

[JustBud]

Lisa is also a designer and honestly she doesn't like the new Ferrari's, she says they look like doorstops.

David I like the F430's (308GTB too) and I really like the 488 Pista (the NACA ? duct looks good to me).

But if I ever hit the lottery it would be a 250 Lusso or an Daytona.... those are my all time favorite Ferraris.

To get it back to C8's, I would have one in white or black.

[LPMM]

Probably not a popular opinion but I love beautiful designs and my thoughts are a continued total lack of originality from GM from a design perspective... Take 1 part Lambo and 1 part Ferrari, add 5 cups of cladding and 3 table spoons of cheap interior materials, mix throughly, butter up the automobile publications, reveal... Boom, you have a C8.

[tooloud10]

WRT the C8's styling, I've noticed that every time I see a picture of one I swear the proportions are all wrong and it's not an attractive car. Every time I've seen one in person I think what an attractive car it is and my brain takes a few seconds to register it as a Corvette.

I don't think GM needed to hit a home run with the C8, but it's a solid triple--maybe more when you consider the price. Amazing that these things start under $60k--and that's for a base car that I could probably live with. There are very few truly base-level Porsches around, but anyone ever notice how low-spec they are without $10-40k in options?

[worf]

Why oh why can’t GM design a rear end that doesn’t look like either an industrial accident or the result of a cleanup of an industrial accident?

At least the leaf springs are gone.

Right?

Please tell me the leaf springs are gone?

All that said, our C5 Z06 is the most reliable car we’ve owned and it has survived more than 12 DE days just fine.

[fpena944]

Why oh why can’t GM design a rear end that doesn’t look like either an industrial accident or the result of a cleanup of an industrial accident?

At least the leaf springs are gone.

Right?

Please tell me the leaf springs are gone?

All that said, our C5 Z06 is the most reliable car we’ve owned and it has survived more than 12 DE days just fine.

Speaking of Corvettes in DEs, there was an all-original C3 that was at a DE with those of us in the PCA back when I lived in NC a few years ago. Yeah I know it's not the most desirable generation but this was about as good as it got in terms of originality and just overall very clean with low miles.

I commend the guy for taking it out on the track and letting it stretch its legs but unfortunately he must have had old tires on it and while on the track one in the rear blew up. When it did it shot pieces of rubber into the rear fender and blew it out too.

So yeah this nice car was now missing a quarter of its fiberglass body because of a tire. The owner had also been telling me earlier that he didn't really want to do this to his car but he also didn't want it sitting in the garage all the time. Bad luck I tell ya...

[sh944]

Its probably just a *me* thing, but I cant get past thinking that the rear quarter window hurt the lines of the car pretty badly. I've seen several in the wild and had the same thought every time. Close, but no cigar as far as I am concerned.

Of course, I wouldn't be buying one even if it were perfect due to my opinion of the leadership and the bankruptcy, but that has nothing to do with appreciating the design.

[worf]

.... that the rear quarter window hurt the lines of the car pretty badly. I've seen several in the wild...

Yeah, what is it with that up-turned “snot-nose” rear quarter shape? Just about *every* friggen’ coupe in the market from the ‘vette to the Infinity Q<whatever> has that. Even BMW copied it.

It’s like the Upside-down-quarter-window Fairy went on a bender and smacked every designer on the head.

[NSXguy]

For 60k this is pretty awesome car. I'd get a white one.

I've seen quite a few by now, and even in person thought the mix of angles was a bit awkward for my brain to process......UNTIL I saw one in WHITE.

It had CF accent bits and it just seemed to pull all the elements together

[old man yells at cloud] I sure wish they were available with a proper manual, though [/old man yells at cloud]

[Airkuhl]

From a distance the general shape looks great to me.

But like so many American cars, the design starts to fall apart the closer you look. The rear end looks like the outsourced the design to some other team that never met the rest of the guys. Some of the angles are awkward. Some of the pieces look cheap and plasticky. There's a bit of a tacked-on, aftermarket vibe.

Contrast that to a Ferrari that looks similar in profile. The closer you get, the better it gets. You notice delightful little details and "hidden" angles that just work. You just want to keep staring at it. Same with the interior. One looks and smells like handmade Italian leather goods, the other looks and smells like the price it was built to.

Easy to confuse the 2 when one drives by, but a night and day difference up close.

This is not a knock, BTW. The 'Vette is THE raging bargain super car. I don't expect the materials or build quality to be the same. But it's not any more expensive to get the angles right or make the rear end look decent.

[TRAKCAR]

Got a ride in one at Sebring, I dont think they look great and the brakes are no good, but it drives very good and fit and finish seems nicer than I expected.

Z51 with a big brake kit is the best track day deal out there. I may get one.

[tooloud10]

.... that the rear quarter window hurt the lines of the car pretty badly. I've seen several in the wild...

Yeah, what is it with that up-turned “snot-nose” rear quarter shape? Just about *every* friggen’ coupe in the market from the ‘vette to the Infinity Q<whatever> has that. Even BMW copied it.

It’s like the Upside-down-quarter-window Fairy went on a bender and smacked every designer on the head.

The "Hofmeister kink" has been a BMW trademark forever and it seems like every manufacturer has copied it at some point. I never noticed it on the C8 at first, but agree that it seems pointless on this car.

https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/03/29/a-co ... ster-kink/

[worf]

The "Hofmeister kink" has been a BMW trademark forever and it seems like every manufacturer has copied it at some point. I never noticed it on the C8 at first, but agree that it seems pointless on this car.

https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/03/29/a-co ... ster-kink/

Very Interesting. I didn't know it had a name. Thanks for that.

It looked a lot better when the windows were bigger and it was less 'kinky'.

The C8 would look better if it didn't have that kink.

[fpena944]

Not at all, I've seen many and that was my initial reaction (until you see the rear), and to confirm, I pointed out one to Lisa yesterday and her exact words, "It looks like a Ferrari."

We were out at lunch in outdoor dining this weekend and one parked right in front of us. I liked it but my wife had the same comments as @David993S about the sharp lines and how the overall design was too busy. She studied design in school so I guess she has an eye for this stuff and yeah I see it but still like it.

Not as impressed about the interior though, I mean it's a world above previous generations but it still doesn't look quite right to me. Then again I drive a 996 so I can't talk too much about interiors.

Fernando - your wife has an astute design eye. I have an architect friend who looks at things the same way whether its houses, cars, furniture, etc.
I agree with Bud about how the C8, from some angles and from a distance, can resemble some modern Ferrari models, especially when viewed from the front. One of the things I like about my Ferrari 360, and why I've kept if for so many years, has to do with not liking the more sharper chiseled lines beginning with the 430 through the 458, 488, etc. and on the C8 Granted those later Ferraris perform much better than my 360, but the smooth rounded lines of the 360 are just so beautiful from any angle compared to the later replacements.

Funny thing is last weekend we saw a 488 and I was drooling over it. She wasn't impressed but does like the more organic shapes like the 360 you have.

Yeah she can definitely see things I don't even realize without it being brought to my attention. I look at the overall view, she picks out little details within an object or item. Funny how we're all wired differently!

[amdavid]

^^^I want to know what she thinks of the cheese grater Testarossa......such a unique design.

[fpena944]

^^^I want to know what she thinks of the cheese grater Testarossa......such a unique design.

She was ok with the 308/328 but thinks the Testarossa is full of 1980s cheesiness. So in others words she's not a fan.

[worf]

... the Testarossa is full of 1980s cheesiness.

I’ll just leave this here: