I’m definitely buying one... will wait a year or so for the frenzy to die down and keep an eye out for any issues.

He said the base models have sub 3sec 0-60 times.

Will unfortunately need to extend my F80 M3 warranty this year but I'm really contemplating trading it in next year and picking up a C8, depending on how they perform on-track. Can't wait to see what the Z06 brings next year as well. While it probably won't be as reliable or easy to drive at 9/10ths as a 911, the dollar/performance value here is damn near unbeatable.

They're gonna sell a million of them things.

That's right. The double clutch, and automatic transmission accomplish this, along with weight distribution and tires.  To me that kind of acceleration is "usable fun" since it's roughly free-fall acceleration, and you can actually use it legally.  Every interstate on ramp becomes an amusement park ride.

That's faster than the acceleration of my literbike.  In free-fall it takes the human body around 2.7 seconds to reach 60 mph, so the sensation is awesome, and will put a smile on your face.

I can absolutely see it being an understeering pig in standard mode and progressively less so as the driving modes ramp up to “protect” people from themselves.

Ohmahgerd snap oversteers!?1!

Attached File

LoL that brings memories of early 90s MR2's to mind.

Engine oiling and cooling
DCT software
NVH

I'm going to guess that they lose a LOT of transmissions in the first few years.

+1 on cooling.

Engine oiling...doubtful, its running a dry sump with 3 scavenge stages...
Cooling, maybe, but doubtful again with the huge tunnel running thru the car and the huge side scoops...
DCT software/tranny..doubtful/maybe... They have had computer controlled transmissions/solenoids long enough now that that should be pretty straight forward... trans itself..maybe, but over the years GM has become pretty good at building stout transmissions...
My guess, like every manufacturer they will have a few common fails, a few oddball fails and overall a decent vehicle...

Z51 comes with an extra radiator.

I was just getting ready to type the same thing almost word for word.

Given the cooling fiasco with the c7 z06 I'd guess that cooling would be the last thing there is an issue with.

These motors are NA so cooling shouldn't be a big challenge anyway.  The heat pumps sitting on the C7 Z required an enormous amount of cooling when run hard and so did the auto trans.

The DCT shouldn't produce as much heat as a torque converter so I would be surprised if cooling was an issue.

That all said...first year cars usually have a few issues.

Tremec is doing the trans, & they aren't exactly amateurs.

In my limited experience with my E92 M3 DCT, my friends Getrags, Getrags DCTs for Ferrari, AMG's and others, is that the transmission proper is almost bullet proof. The problems that I have seen with others is electrical in nature with the CPU or wiring and software bugs and software/firmware needing refining based on real world user input. The software/firmware can be upgraded over the years, after the 1st year model release Beta testers complain give their input.

You're delusional bud, Ferrari and the others probably don't give a shit and the vette in no way overshadowed their Flagship models.

Stated earlier, but the complexities associated with the census is where I imagine some potential issues, as well as the things you mentioned.  Thank God for beta testers early adopters.

Yeah, I don't see the Sultan of Brunai or the ME emirs trading in their F488 or La Ferraris for a Vette.  However, they could add 1 to the stable, in theory.  I am curious to see how the lower upper class fringe buyers will respond, though.

What has all the auto-centric IG accounts and car-related YT channels been talking about for 2 weeks now? Not Ferrari's.

Ferrari released 2 models recently, F8 Tributo and SF90 Stradale, and nobody remembers them. The C8 will dominate social media for the next year +, and the current super/hyper car makers I.E. Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Mclaren will rush a car to market to stay in the "main stream of social media". Whether it is a hypercar "flagship" or a budget sub $150k car. Keep in mind the LaFerrari is already over 5 years old, so a new flagship is <4 years away anyways (going by there traditional/typical flagship release schedule of 10 years +/-)

And then you get press releases by Ferrari like this one coincidentally right after the C8 going public....

5 new model releases planned for 2019

If you do not think they are considering a "budget" sub $150k car you are out of your mind. And if you do not think they will start teasing flagship drawings/renders you are also out of your mind. Ferrari's ego mandates their presence on social media now.

Does anyone else wonder if this will be an amazing car that simply won't sell very well? The C7 was a damn good car but the sales were rather dismal.

It seems over the last few decades the auto market has been consistently moving away from fun to drive cars to do it all utility vehicles. There have been fewer and fewer offerings as a result.

Driving a vehicle for the simple joy of driving seems to be a dieing passion.

I'm guessing electric steering? That will be one of the most difficult things to get the natural feel to please a majority. First year electric on BMW, M5 iirc, sucked by all reports, I have no personal experience with it.

I doubt there will sales issues.. The goal it seems is to keep in in the 20-30k a year for the next 6-8 years.  If GM can get the next generation of buyers interested, and the car lives up to expectations,  there shouldn't be a problem.

But you're right about people not appreciate the simple enjoyment of driving; I had a moron on this  site spend a day constantly attacking me in a thread about a cross country vacation drive I was planning. He was too dim to understand that for some people a long drive in a fun car was part of the vacation.

You're right, the c8 which hasnt even hit sales lots yet is going to revolutionalize the super car industry.  I am gonna run down to the chevy dealer and trade both my Lambo and Ferrari for two vettes.  I want a fast car that 35,000 other guys are gonna buy every year instead of an exclusive super car that everyone turns to look at.  
The current vette, mustang, camaro, challenger owners are gonna buy the c8.
I am impressed with what the c8 is for the price tag, but let's get real.  The c7 zr1 performs better than many super cars and there wasnt a flood of super car owners trading in exotics for them.  The c8 may be awesome, but its always gonna be a chevy...

I have a buddy who has fuck you money who retired about 10 years ago who had numerous Vipers and other hot cars. He always wanted a Ferrari so he goes to the dealer in L A  and they laughed at him and sent him back to Palm springs.  Ferrari doesn't care.

Yes they wil build another Flagship car in a few years, they staryed on it when they finished the  Laferrari. They are not going to build a  sub 100k car, it would fuck their reputation because it would either be shoddily built or lose money to build.

Nope... Russia, Russia, Russia is officially dead. The DOJ is about to start dropping the hammer on the swamp and MAGA is about to bloom like you've never dreamed. The economy is on fire and it is only going to get better (that means toys for 'errrbody). The C8 is the mechanical embodiment of MAGA. You're going to see these all over the place with American flag wraps.

Both of you are either reading to far into what I am saying or glazing right over my point.

One of my points I made days ago, Ferrari already confirmed just the other day. That they will be expanding their product line to enter into markets they are currently not in. We already know 1 of those will be a SUV. And as far as their reputation goes... they lost it when they announced a SUV, a month after saying they will never build a SUV.

Ferrari does market research just like every other carmaker. And when Bentley, Rolls Royce, and then Lamborghini released SUVs, they saw dollars being left on the table. If there is a market there, they will not ignore it. They won't produce a $50k commuter car. But a "budget" super car with a horse on the hood and deck lid has a market.

I do not think a $125-$150k Ferrari is not out of the realm of possibility. I never said sub-$100k. I did say Sub-$150k.

The C8 will stir the market. Will it flip it upside down? Probably not, but maybe. Prolific youtubers (Schmee, Stradman, and Superspeedersrob) have already confirmed to be buying one. Schmee especially is interesting because he is British, and he is one of those guys that carmakers like Ferrari and Mclaren contact to see if he are interested in a car before they are released.

If the C8 lights up on social media when released as much as it had in the last week, other car makers will respond.

I will probably not own a Vette. But I am more interested in this new one than I was in the C7. Though the C7 is growing on me. I want mine in Hugger Orange or '76 Corvette Yellow.

Yup DCT problems for sure.

Agreed!

Huge Ferrari fan boy, but they seem to have lost their way a bit. NOT regarding their flagship models (La Ferrari, etc). Those cars are still stupid amazing. But regarding their low-end cars. The 458 and 488 seem to have had decent success (as Euro exotics go). But some of the shit Ferrari puts out makes me scratch my head (California, FF, etc). In fact, I saw an FF in the parking garage for the hotel I was staying at in Vegas and as I walked by it... I was like "WTF???", even though I'd seen the Stretch-Gremlin in pictures many times before. I dunno what they were trying to accomplish with that thing. A Ferrari with a back seat? WTF??? If you're gonna do that, go build a sweet sedan ala Mazerati, BMW, Mercedes, Alpha Romeo, etc.

Anyways... all of this shit it just people's opinion. And there will always be people with REAL money who want to drive things that 99% of others can't. However... my son was in a guy's 17,000 square foot mansion the other day and the guy's garage was packed with newer model Porsche 911, Cayman, Boxter, and a few other Euro brands. My son was asking him "why no Ferrari". The guy was like "are you kidding? I can't afford to own one of those things!". Obviously, this guy COULD afford to purchase a nice 488 or something if he wanted to put that kind of money into purchase and maintenance, but obviously, he didn't. And that's where the new C8 comes in. There are LOTS of guys out there who want a high performance mid-engine supercar, but who aren't willing to put their whole identity into that ownership experience and the associated costs.

One of the guys whose Ferraris I have driven didn't want anything to do with them for years. I used to quiz him and see if I could get him to bite on one. He's owned six of them now. But he seems to be moving away from them. And it's not towards a Pagani or Koeniggsegg… it's back to Porsche and more "reasonable" stuff. Meanwhile, he's still got a King Air B200 turboprop parked in his airport hanger (he owns a bunch of hangars). So it's not that he can't afford Ferraris... but he's kind of BTDT now. Will he go back to a Corvette? I'm doubting it. He's still kind of into the image thing. But the point is that there is NO doubt in my mind that there are guys out there who MIGHT have sprung for a new or pre-owned Ferrari of some sort... who will choose a top tier C8 instead. Because many of them didn't inherit all that money... so they don't always chip loose with it like a billionaire trust fund baby. Many of these guys aren't as ruled by image, as they are by their financial responsibility.

If it turns out that the C8 is a real competitor to some of these exotics in terms of performance and look, there will NO doubt be some who choose the car. Enough to hurt Ferrari's business? I dunno. But ANYTHING that gets elite auto-makers like Ferrari to take notice and get even a little nervous... is okay with me. Ferrari doesn't like not outclassing everyone else by a mile (though you sure can't tell that by the performance of their F1 team for the past 12 years). Their corporate ego will either shrug this off and go about its way unconcerned with market forces, or they'll assess it and shore up their claim to the title of iconic sports car maker. Either way, the C8 is a win for drivers if it delivers on its promise. I'm excited to see what they can do at LaMans.

My favorite Vette color is Ceramic Matrix Gray Metallic. There's a 2019 Z06 sitting on the lot of the local dealer. Have yet to see it on the C8, but it is carried over.

It would be cool to see a big marketing push over here in the U.K. At the moment, whilst there are places that import Challengers/Chargers and the odd Camaro, American Muscle (or 'Pony', or Sports, or whatever) is pretty thin on the ground. The only exception to this is that Ford dealerships (of which there are plenty in my area) always have a few Mustangs coming in and going out.

In fact, I actually see more 5.0 V8  Mustangs on the road than EcoBoost 2.3LTR 4 banger Mustangs. Even when it comes to the women drivers (sexism alert) I see more in the V8.

If they brought the V8 here without a massive price inflation (I guess this would mean the aforementioned marketing push) and actually having plenty of stock so that they aren't priced well over manufacturers recommended retail, they would be a killer alternative to all the M-Power, AMG, RS, etc standard fare.

Personal opinion: I don't see this cutting into the sales numbers of Ferrari, Lamborghini etc.

It will hurt sales of things like Supra, GT500 mustangs, Boxster/Cayman, poverty spec 911s and Hellcat powered stuff.

It also better be a huge seller or GM is going to take a hit, not only just the R&D costs but the sales losses they will experience by killing the Camaro.
Probably part of the reason for the aggressive pricing on the C8 is to try to retain some of the Camaro buyers who would otherwise be lost to Ford or Dodge.
"So no more higher spec Camaros. I can either go buy a Mustang, one of Dodge's offerings or spend just a little bit more then what the Camaro would have cost and get a Vette"

Z51 of any trim level will get you sub 3..supposedly...its needs the sticky rubber and gear.

Still...60k mid engine sub 3 second car that has a decent aesthetics is pretty badass.

I want to see how this car does in the GT series

German Automotive quality?

I hate to break it to you but they are below the British now in terms of fit and finish

German engineering is great at nothing but decent st everything

Corvette boss says no stick ever "because it's slower."

Meanwhile BMW M boss says the new M3 "will definitely have stick" because it's not all about being fast.

Other than Aston Martin what British automaker is actually British?

McLaren

I love my short-throw tranny stick. But having said that... blipping through the gears in the Ferrari 458s with paddle-shifters was WAY more exciting than doing the same in my wife's turbo Subaru (though that's actually a fun little car). So the paddles don't bother me at all. Both hands on the wheel when things are getting sporty isn't all that bad of an idea (old school racing notwithstanding).

Really curious to see if the dct is in the same league as the pdk. My 718 cayman gts is amazing to drive, the pdk is unbelievable fast and smooth. A LS v8 in a mid-engine is sooo tempting.  Thinking of ordering one, but probably going to wait til people get some road time to see awesome they actually are...

It's not a Gen IV LS engine, it's a Gen V LT. There are structural differences in the block and heads, and the LT's are Direct Injection.  They feel a bit different in the car (mainly due to the DI), and I've had an LS2, LS3, and an LT1 to compare, so far.

In 60 years will these first gen mid engine vetts be a collector's item?

Don't see how it is any less likely than the later models of 'Vettes. I mean, they're not friggin Mustang IIs!  

Tactical nuke just dropped on Porsche

As the current owner of two 911's, I told my wife to prepare herself for the arrival of a vette within a couple of years....

I will probably never part with my 993 Cab, but my 997.1TT could conceivably be on shaky ground.  The 911TT is putting down about 650HP as modded, but a factory sub-3 second car for 60Kish would be very, very compelling.  And I want a DCT to play with anyway, both my 911's are MT.

I won't be an early adopter, and I want to see it live up the numbers they are putting out there, but if they deliver as they are currently promising, I would add one to the stable.

Well, as a shifter karter & general ME car & F1 fanboy, this thing has me piqued.  I never thought I'd be possibly entertaining the prospect of a ZR1, but dayum.  And it'd have to be a ZR1, just because.

When you’re already not the fastest who cares