The legendary designer doesn’t believe the C8 has enough “Vette mojo.”
It’s been met with praise since Chevrolet revealed the new-generation Corvette model year 2020. However, it’s not all about hugs and puppies. Motor1.com saw more than a few unhappy ‘Vette owners at a large Corvette convention, who felt that the new car was not like the previous generation.
Chip Foose, a famous custom car designer, doesn’t hate the C8, but he feels that the C8’s mid engine recasting is lacking. He believes that the previous generation of ‘Vettes adopted an evolutionary design that kept unique Corvette styling cues throughout the years. The Corvette signatures of a long nose, a narrow rear deck and organic curves went unnoticed in the C8. The mid-engine architecture is a major reason for this. It requires less space at the front and more at the rear. Foose isn’t convinced that the new Corvette could have done more to preserve Corvette’s heritage.
He then sits down to do some old-fashioned design work. We mean that the entire process is done in analog. Pencils and paper are used instead of digital renderings. It’s great to see such talent at work. To preserve the dimensions and wheelbase of the C8, he begins by drawing a sketch of the C8. Then he sets about the difficult task to stretch the front and round out the rear, while keeping the mid-engine configuration.
The most significant difference is the way he cuts all the angles from the body lines and side intakes. Instead of using forward-canted intakes for the engine, he flips the C7 fender vents and places them on quarter panels. This is a unique solution and it looks great.
This redesign looks more like a Corvette, we’ll admit it. The front and rear fenders have a little more flair, and the rounded rear fascia shows a lot of C2 ‘Vette influence. Although it’s striking in profile, we think rear visibility may be an issue.
The revamped Corvette has many fans, with Chevrolet’s order book jam-packed with C8s for the foreseeable future. But, is this Foosed-up Chevy Chevy that Chevy could have won more hearts?