2014 Corvette – The Ultimate Guide
January 13, 2013: Chevrolet unveiled the all-new 2014 C7 Chevy Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show. The car, which had been kept carefully concealed by Chevrolet since their announcement that a seventh-generation Corvette was under development, was revealed to the world over a live internet feed. Working in coordination with Facebook, the popular media website YouTube hosted the event, which was viewed by more than 60,000 people worldwide.
January 19, 2013: Chevrolet sold the first retail VIN #001 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The car was purchased by Rick Hendrick, at a winning bid price of $1,050,000.00 dollars. The Corvette Stingray was donated by Chevrolet, with 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale going to charity. The car was introduced by General Motor’s Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn and Corvette’s Performance Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick. (For more details on the sale, please visit the Corvsport.com Blog .)
March 1-2, 2013: The 2014 C7 Corvette will have it’s West Coast unveiling at the Petersen Auto Museum The museum will celebrate the 60th anniversary of “America’s Sports Car,” the Chevrolet Corvette, with an unforgettable tribute March 1-2, 2013. The most anticipated and significant event of the weekend is the 60th Anniversary Gala featuring speaker Kirk Bennion, the Exterior Design Manager of the Corvette C7 Stingray and the west coast unveiling of the vehicle. Bennion will discuss how the Stingray breaks from tradition, allowing industry experts and enthusiasts alike the rare opportunity to gain insight into the design process and ask questions about one of the most anticipated new vehicle debuts in recent memory.
The new C7 Corvette Stingray is expected to go on sale in the 3rd quarter of 2013, and Chevrolet states that, while no MSRP has been listed yet, if you can afford the current C6 Corvette, you should be able to afford the next-generation C7.
March 7, 2013: Two months after General Motors introduced the all-new C7 Corvette Stingray Coupe, the company revealed the all-new 2014 Stingray Convertible at the Geneva Auto Show.
According to Chevrolet, the rear-wheel drive Stingray is the most powerful standard Corvette ever produced, and the new soft-top convertible features the same power and technology as the coupe. This is something of a feat because without the fixed roof structure, convertibles tend to be much less structurally rigid than their coupe counterparts.
The Stingray convertible gets around this by utilizing composite and carbon-fiber body panels and bonnet, a hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components, and carbon-nano composite underbody panels that make the Corvette 57 percent stiffer and 99 pounds (45 kilograms) lighter than the coupe’s current steel frame. The only structural changes involved making room for the folding roof and repositioning the safety belt mountings.
The convertible top is fully electronic and can be operated remotely with a key fob. It can also be opened or closed at speed of up to 31 mph (50 km/h) and, to maintain aerodynamics when closed, the covering is a thick, three-ply fabric top with sound-absorbing padding and a glass rear window.
April 26, 2013: Chevrolet announced the pricing for the all-new 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray. The Stingray coupe will start at $51,995.00 , which includes destination fees/charges. The Stingray convertible will start at $56,995.00. Both the coupe and convertible pricing reflect a $1400.00 increase over the price of the outgoing 2013 Corvette coupe and convertible.
For an additional $2,800.00 USD, the Corvette Stingray can be equipped with an optional Z51 Performance Package which equips the car with an electronic limited-slip differential, tweaked suspension, bigger brakes, optimized gear ratios, transmission cooling system, along with 19-inch front / 20-inch rear alloy wheels.
May 2, 2013: It was announced that the all-new 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray would be the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. This marks the 12th time that the Chevy Corvette has served in this capacity since 1978. “It is an honor to help inaugurate the all-new Corvette Stingray at the hallowed Brickyard and further the legacy between Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500,” said Jim Campbell, GM’s Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The 2014 Corvette Stingray’s performance was influenced by racing, making this prestigious assignment even more fitting.”
The 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car will be painted “Laguna Blue” and will run without modifications to its 6.2-liter, LT1 V-8 engine, which operates at a massive 450 horsepower straight from the factory.
August 12, 2013: The advanced cluster display in the 2014 Corvette Stingray can provide up to 69 unique sources of information, ranging from an interactive performance timer to a tire tread temperature display. The crisp and bright display features make this information easily accessible via three configurable modes that prioritize information for daily commuting, weekend canyon carving and track events.
Flanked by three analog gauges for speed, fuel level, and engine-coolant temperature, the eight-inch liquid-crystal display screen in the center of the cluster is organized into sport, tour and track themes that change with the Driver Mode Selector. Each display theme is designed for a specific driving scenario and can be configured through applications found in the “app tray.”
“The new Corvette Stingray features many advanced technologies, so our challenge when designing the driver’s displays was to ensure that those technologies could be easily found in common driving scenarios,” said Jason Stewart, General Motors interaction designer.
“The touring theme places more emphasis on multimedia and infotainment; the sport theme emphasizes performance features with a prominent shift indicator and a large radial tachometer; track theme offers a race-inspired layout containing a sweeping tachometer, Corvette racing inspired shift lights and permanent lap-time displays,” Stewart said. “Each of these three themes can also be configured so that drivers can personalize their experience in the Stingray.”
August 17, 2013: Chevrolet’s new C7.R Race Car, based on the 2014 Corvette Stingray platform, was unveiled at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The race car took to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for a few hot laps, with Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner piloting the new Stingray around the track.
The new race car will again be built by Pratt & Miller and will compete in various GT class race formats, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the newly established United SportsCar Racing series. It will make its competition debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona during the weekend of January 25-26, 2014.
Callaway Competition of Germany, has also started work on a new GT3 race car based on the latest 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
Fast Facts About The 2014 Corvette Stingray
- Corvette Stingray is designed and engineered for the new sports car generation and leverages all-new advancements in lightweight materials, electronics and engineering
- 3 trim levels: 1LT, 2LT and 3LT
- Available Z51 Performance Package (model 1YX07) includes 19″ front and 20″ rear wheels, dry sump oil system, Electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD), slotted brake rotors, larger front brakes with Black calipers, specific shocks, springs and stabilizer bars, performance gear ratios, differential and transmission cooling, and an Aero Package that reduces lift for high-speed stability.
- Powered by a new LT1 small block 6.2L V8 engine that offers advanced technologies that include Direct Injection, Active Fuel Management and Continuously Variable Valve Timing
- Design with technologies that optimize any driving situation, including a Driver Mode Selector, Launch Control and 7-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Matching
- The most powerful standard Corvette ever with a GM-estimated 450 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque (final numbers released closer to start of production)
- 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds (GM estimate)
- Achieves more than 1 g in cornering grip
- All-new aluminum frame structure that’s lighter and stronger than the previous steel frame
- Delivers a near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution
- New state-of-the-art HID Xenon (low and high beam) and LED lighting (DRL/park/turn)
- 5 highly functional air vents contribute to cooling or reduced lift: All-new hood extractor, 2 front fender vents, a trans-oil cooler (rear) and differential cooler (rear); all painted in Carbon Flash Metallic
Richly appointed interior design with available real carbon-fiber, aluminum and hand-wrapped leather materials and custom amenities - Completely redesigned seating utilizes an all-new structure with lightweight magnesium seat frames and improvements to bolstering, fit and performance hold; Standard GT seats for all-around comfort and support; and Available Competition Sport seat (late availability) for more aggressive support on the track
Power lumbar, wing adjust and heating/venting available on both seating selections
Smaller 360mm steering wheel, unique to Corvette, for optimal feel during performance driving; incorporates paddle shifters. - Chevrolet MyLink system can fully integrate information from several Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USB ports, SD cards, MP3 players and an audio input jack; An 8″ LCD central display touch-screen (that lowers for device storage with USB port inside) provides access to third-party music services such as Pandora
- Highly customizable instrument cluster and available Head-Up Display in color
- Available 10-speaker premium Bose audio system includes a bass box and 2 subwoofers; a 9-speaker Bose audio system is standard
- Available personalized plaque allows customers to display their VIN and name on the console
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Power tilt and telescoping steering column standard
- Floor-mounted accelerator pedal for improved driver feel
- A sleek, sculpted profile and a new “upper look” with rear quarter glass
- 18″ front and 19″ rear wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP tires (ultra high performance tires co-developed by Michelin and Corvette)
- Rear design: 2-piece rear fascia with a lower-portion integrated rear diffuser in Carbon Flash Metallic and upper portion in body-color; Larger exhaust tips; Redesigned LED CHMSL integrated into a rear spoiler designed to catch air and hold the car down during high performance driving; and Unique 4-element tail lamps design with reflective LEDs
- Removable body-color roof panel manufactured from carbon fiber is lightweight and easier to remove and store; Transparent and clear-coated carbon-fiber with body-color surround roof panels are available
5-position Driver Mode Selector allows drivers to quickly and easily adjust the performance abilities; Each mode is optimized for a particular driving condition: Weather Mode for rain and snow; Eco Mode to optimize fuel economy; Tour Mode for normal comfort driving; Sport Mode for spirited driving; and Track - Mode for track use
- Brembo brakes with 4-piston calipers at all 4 corners
- Available Magnetic Selective Ride Control with Z51 Performance Package
2014 Corvette Gallery
See full 2014 C7 Corvette Image Gallery
