It is exciting to see behind the automobile design curtain.
Chevy had just unveiled the 2020 Corvette this month. Artists offered many design options that would ultimately lead to the mid-engine Corvette we now have. These are some of the early designs from a former GM designer. We have also seen early proposals as well as that look similar to the Chevy. The above image shows what a retro-inspired C8 Corvette might look like if General Motors took a more vintage approach when designing the new car. This sketch was drawn by the same artist as the previous sketches.
The design was inspired by a 1957 Corvette in red and white, which at that time was a front-engined car. The iconic design features a long hood with a sloped windshield, a cascading rear and recognizable side scallops that flow from the wheel arches to the doors.
It is amazing how the 1957 model’s design translated to the sleeker rear-engined car. Because of its flipped proportions, the famous side scallop is now a little more subtle. It doesn’t wrap around top of wheel arch anymore. The color scheme was also changed by the artist, with red as the accent and white being the primary color. On the sketch, you can also see the rounded, cascading rear end returns. The design is cohesive overall. Each line flows freely without any ambiguity or hard edges.
When given the chance, it’s always thrilling to see behind the automobile curtain. It is easy to forget the amount of effort, time and money involved in designing a new vehicle. Every idea is brought to the table and discussed, then tossed to one side before being re-evaluated. Although the 2020 Corvette C8 that we have today is not retro-inspired, it’s still interesting to see someone give it a classic look.