Styling
“For the new Corvette to be called a Stingray, it had to deliver an incredible, purposeful visual impact – just as the original did in 1963,” said Tom Peters, exterior design director. “That visual impact is evident in fighter jets and the Stingray animal itself. Their beauty comes from their purpose, designed to cut through air or water as quickly and efficiently as possible. As with aircraft and living forms, every transition on every surface of the Corvette Stingray serves a purpose executed with beauty and proportion.”
The new Corvette Stingray draws from aerospace as well as nature to that effect and the most distinctive feature would be the profile defined by the long hood and the glass area evoking the canopy of a fighter jet with of course, the dual-element tail lamps.
Lighting features of the Corvette set the tone for the aggressive stance of the new Corvette Stingray. Indirect white LED light forms a signature slash in the headlamp that is the daytime running lamp. The HID projector is housed in a black-chrome lamp housing up front. The rear receives the biggest change seen in the design of the Corvette. The afterburner inspired dual taillamps are no longer circular. The lens elements are sculpted and houses LED lamps that are hidden and used to cast their light up from the bottom of the housing into a reverse reflector, creating an even glow. LED lamps are also used for the white backup lamps. The tail lamps integrate functional aircraft-style air vents that are actually functional and remove warm air from the differential and transmission coolers.
Do note that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray also wears the Stingray badge just above the side vents.
Aerodynamics
As you would expect, a lot of work has gone in to designing the new grille/radiator arrangement and the hood vents. Venting air out of the hood reduces total front-end lift for improved steering response at high speeds. Vents on the front fender as expected, reduces underhood pressure and reduce drag. Models with the automatic transmission or Z51 Performance Package feature a functional vent on driver’s side ( left, in the US) directing air over a heat exchanger for the transmission fluid. There’s also a similar arrangement on the passenger side that directs air over a heat exchanger for the electronic limited slip differential. As we’d mentioned earlier, the air through these vents exit from the vents housed in the tail lamps. The Z51 Performance Package also includes brake-cooling ducts, a unique rear spoiler and additional air deflectors for enhanced track capability.
Chassis & Powertrain
Illustrated by David Kimble
The seventh generation Corvette bids farewell to the steel frame and adopts a new aluminium chassis that is 57% stiffer and nearly 45 kgs lighter. Chevrolet has used various composite materials including carbon fiber for the hood and roof panels, lightweight Sheet Molded Compound for the fenders, doors and rear quarter panels, and carbon-nano composite for the underbody panels thereby reducing weight of the body by 17 kilograms.
While the previous frame structure was made of a single continuous hydroformed main frame rails with constant wall thickness of 2mm, the new frame features main rails composed of five customized aluminum segments. The thickness varies anywhere between 2m to 11mm customizing the gauge, shape and strength properties based on actual requirements at that part of the frame leading to again, weight reduction. The frame is assembled using a unique laser welding process in which a computer-controlled beam of high energy joins the components with tolerances of about 0.001-inch!
The lightweight elements of the Stingray contribute to the ideal 50/50 weight balance. The new LT1 6.2 L V8 powertrain delivers a staggering 450 horsepower and a power to weight ratio which throws the new Corvette Stingray into the ring with the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera, Audi R8!
Active exhaust systems are less restrictive than previous generations thanks to the increase in diameter from 2.5 to 2.75 inches. The standard system offers a 13-percent improvement in airflow and features a pair of butterfly valves that makes things quiter when cruising and the engine is operating in fuel-saving V-4 mode.
Optional dual-mode active exhaust system offers a 27-percent improvement in airflow. It features two additional valves that open to a lower-restriction path through the mufflers. When open, these valves increase engine performance and produce a more powerful exhaust note.
The LT1 is mated to either a six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission or an industry-exclusive TREMEC TR6070 seven-speed manual with Active Rev Matching.
The seven-speed manual incorporates rev-matching technology for upshifts and downshifts. This driver-selectable feature can be easily engaged or disengaged via paddles on the steering wheel. The seven-speed is used with a new dual-mass flywheel and dual-disc clutch, which deliver greater shift quality and feel through lower inertia. The transmission with the Z51 Performance Package includes specific close-ratio gearing for more aggressive driving.
Interiors
The Corvette offers you the choice of two types of seat. Comfortable GT seats, or a Competition Sport seat with more aggressive side bolstering which provides greater support on the track. The smaller, 14.1-inch-diameter (360 mm) steering adds to a more direct feel to direction changes. The flat, precise stitching on the steering wheel is designed to provide a smooth, consistent feel.
All models feature fully-wrapped interiors. Depending on trim levels, there are choices of Napa leather, aluminum, carbon fiber and micro-suede. A blend of hand craftsmanship and machined precision is intended to ensure the fit, finish and ambience of the cabin is first-rate, says Chevrolet. The leather-wrapped instrument panel, for example, features hand-selected and hand-stretched materials for better grain matching with stitching performed by robots that deliver perfect seams.
The new Corvette Stingray seems to have everything in its favour and while the use of the Stingray will always be debated by the internet, we think it is fitting.
Technical Specifications
| Engine | LT1 6.2L V-8 |
| Displacement (cu in / cc): | 376 / 6162 |
| Bore & stroke (in / mm): | 4.06 x 3.62 / 103.25 x 92 |
| Block material: | cast aluminum |
| Cylinder head material: | cast aluminum |
| Valvetrain: | overhead valve, two valves per cylinder |
| Fuel delivery: | direct injection |
| Compression ratio: | 11.5:1 |
| Horsepower / kW: | 450 / 335 (est.) |
| Torque (lb-ft / Nm): | 450 / 610 (est.) |
| Transmission |
seven-speed manual with Active Rev Match OR six-speed paddle-shift automatic |
| Suspension Front: | short/long arm ( SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms, transverse-mounted composite spring, monotube shock absorber |
| Suspension Rear: | short/long arm ( SLA) double wishbone, cast aluminum upper and lower control arms, transverse-mounted composite spring, monotube shock absorber |
| Active handling: | Magnetic Selective Ride Control (avail. with Z51) |
| Traction control: | StabiliTrak, electronic stability control |
| Brakes | front and rear power-assisted discs with four-piston fixed front and rear calipers (slotted rotors with Z51) |
| Rotor diameter (in / mm): | front: 12.6 / 320 (13.6 / 345 with Z51) rear: 13.3 / 338 |
| Wheel size: | front: 18-inch x 8.5-inch (Stingray) front: 19-inch x 8.5-inch (with Z51) rear: 19-inch x 10-inch (Stingray) rear: 20-inch x 10-inch (with Z51) |
| Tires: | Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flat front: P245/40R18 (Stingray) front: P245/35R19(with Z51) rear: P285/35R19 (Stingray) rear: P285/30R20(with Z51) |
| Wheelbase (in / mm): | 106.7 / 2710 |
| Overall length (in / mm): | 177 / 4495 |
| Overall width (in / mm): | 73.9 / 1877 |
| Overall height (in / mm): | 48.6 / 1235 |
| Weight distribution (% front / rear): |
50 / 50 |