Hearing bad news on the new C8

[Dick W.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

before you know it the car will drive its self!! I wonder what has happened to the pleasure of going for a drive?

I don't know about you, but the pleasure of driving has flown the coop. With the distracted, rude, clueless, drivers on the road today it has become a major task to keep from being killed.

[Larry E.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

The demographic GM is aiming the C8 toward is not aging baby boomers. There are not enough of us interested in buying the C8 to keep the model alive. GenX, GenY, and GenZ don't want a stick since they don't know how to use one. Gotta face facts, we become more irrelevant with each passing day.

Don>Your theory goes to pot real quick since GM gives Cadillac a "stick" option on models with sales figures which are laughable! Thanks-Larry

[David R.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

All of this gives me even more reason to keep, preserve and enjoy my 1962 300hp 4-speed. When I get the urge to "become one with the car". a nice, twisty Upstate NY back road will do it every time. Yes, for long tours my wife and I prefer our C7, but every once in a while you just need to DRIVE. I have found that a nice C1 327/4-speed does it for me. I don't care if most millennials don't know how to drive it - I sure do.

[Wayne H.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

1982 was the last time a Corvette did not offer a manual transmission, but that didn't last long. If demand for a manual is high, GM will make them. But the way things are, I don't think there is much demand for a manual, especially from younger drivers.

[Douglas L.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

On a recent trip to Florida, ALAMO made a deal I could not pass up on a weekly rental of a 2019 Convertible. Manual shift for me has always been the way to go. But, the way that automatic drove over 750 miles, there was not much to complain about. The automatic was easy to get used to, especially in crazy traffic. And when the road was open and you use the paddles, it was easy to just "let her go". I do hope GM will offer a manual. But, it they do not, the automatic for me would be pretty easy to live with.

[Paul H.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

I love to row the gears just like most of you. However, this will be a proper dual clutch transmission and should be alot of fun. Love my old Vettes, but have always had a newer one to travel in. I'm all in on the 2nd year, higher horse variant/Z06. It's going to be a hell of a car and should make us proud that Corvette will continue to compete with the best performance cars in the world. I am very excited about the reveal on 7/18 in Tustin, Ca. There will be C8's in the tent at Carlisle.

Zora will be proud to see his dream come true.

[Bill M.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Kerbeck has sent out invatations to customers for an unvailing on July 26th and 27th.

[Steven B.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

and ZAD's last one was a TH400. I have both and like to row.

[Roy S.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Don>Your theory goes to pot real quick since GM gives Cadillac a "stick" option on models with sales figures which are laughable! Thanks-Larry

Larry, that only proves that Cadillac has done everything to maintain their status of catering to the older crowd. Nothing says they ever did a cost benefit analysis they are trying to survive by adding performance cars to their lineup because they know that is what our lives are wrapped around and they are having a tough time of it.

[Larry E.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Larry, that only proves that Cadillac has done everything to maintain their status of catering to the older crowd. Nothing says they ever did a cost benefit analysis they are trying to survive by adding performance cars to their lineup because they know that is what our lives are wrapped around and they are having a tough time of it.

Roy: Thanks for your input; always enjoy. Now>JMHO Giving Cadillac the above is like giving a Feline a Vegetable diner. It don't make
sense. There is no potential there; just money down the drain which GM is pretty good at. Maybe they should start doing a "cost benefit
analysis" instead of depending on the tax payer to bail them out again. Sorry for the truth. Larry

[Roy S.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Roy: Thanks for your input; always enjoy. Now>JMHO Giving Cadillac the above is like giving a Feline a Vegetable diner. It don't make
sense. There is no potential there; just money down the drain which GM is pretty good at. Maybe they should start doing a "cost benefit
analysis" instead of depending on the tax payer to bail them out again. Sorry for the truth. Larry

No argument there, never said it was the right thing, just said its what they have done.

[Kenneth B.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Doesn't bother me that there will be no clutch shift Corvettes. All kinds of race cars are auto's even the NASCAR cars don't use the clutch on the track & shift like a auto paddle shift. If you like choosing your gears use the paddle shifter. My Ford truck has a Butten on the consul shifter to shift gears manually. Its the best of both worlds.

PS All 4 of my Corvettes are 4-speeds.

[Darryl D.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

1982 was the last time a Corvette did not offer a manual transmission, but that didn't last long. If demand for a manual is high, GM will make them. But the way things are, I don't think there is much demand for a manual, especially from younger drivers.

Do the math, that was 37 years ago and a 70 year old was 33. That was a prime demographic age for buying a new Corvette. I doubt 70 is the demographic GM is targeting with the C8. I won't be buying one and will continue to be happy with my 57 and 65 4 SPEEDS!

[Ronald L.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

The demographic GM is aiming the C8 toward is not aging baby boomers. There are not enough of us interested in buying the C8 to keep the model alive. GenX, GenY, and GenZ don't want a stick since they don't know how to use one. Gotta face facts, we become more irrelevant with each passing day.

Don - the statement on the young crowd not knowing how to drive a stick is so wrong.
My now 15 year old at 13 was driving a stick, the young crown into cars absolutely know howto.
And while the commentary above was the reverse, (I telling him) a stick was too slow to shift on the Nuremburg, and he stating he'd never buy a Stang choke choke less a stick....

flash forward...so sorry, if you'd been downtown D last night, or any other cars & coffee or cars & cigars, you will find, they are third to half in age and are all about super cars that have shifters and some paddles, and they are not all guys either, plenty of C6 & C7 there too.

I also got to see a real pic of the C8 too !!! Not nearly like the fake rendering that 'escaped' earlier this week.... faked to look like they were in the plant.

[Gene M.]

Re: Hearing bad news on the new C8

Why have a high tech car without high tech performance and operability? A manual transmission in a flagship car as this C8 is intended to be would be as stupid as installing a crank starter. It just bewilders me how one would want such sophisticated design elegance and then stifle it with old 19 century mechanism. Why not just ask for balloon tires and spoke wheels too.