The iconic styling element is back.
The Corvette’s legendary 68-history has produced some of the most desirable sports cars, with the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray being the best. The styling feature was almost restored by GM designers on the C8 Corvette mid-engine, but they rejected it. Rain Prisk, an artist, added a split-window design on the mid-engine C8 Corvette.
Although the rendering of the Corvette’s rear looks cleaner than the Chevy production car, it does not have the high-mount brake lamp in the middle. This could be added to another place. The split-window design was incorporated into the new C8 by GM when it was being designed. Chevrolet Performance Exterior Designer Tom Peters said that every attempt to incorporate the split-window design into the new C8 was “forced.” GM’s designers could not get the split-window design in harmony with the Corvette’s sharp-edged styling.
Maybe it’s a good thing that GM kept the split-window in its rearview mirror. Because it is different, the 1963 Corvette is an iconic car. Chevy dropped the split-window design after complaints about rearward vision. This created an icon. Although rearward visibility isn’t particularly impressive, the C8’s mid-engine layout mitigates some of those concerns. However, the car’s design wouldn’t work well with a split rear glass. Perhaps that will change with the Corvette C9.