Tag: frank lloyd wright

C7 Report – Styling Analysis of the Jalopnik C7 ZR1 Renderings

Published on by Scott6 Comments

Dateline: 2.10.1

Are the Jalopnik C7 renderings revving you up, or stalling you out?

Catch the entire Jalopnik report here... http://jalopnik.com/5858683/exclusive-this-is-the-2014-chevy-corvette

Be sure to take out C7 Jalopnik rendering poll at the bottom of this post!

I’ve been meaning to get to this for about two months now.  Back on November 14, 2011, Jalopnik.com dropped a fire bomb on the Corvette community with three renderings of what they claim to be, accurate illustrations of a ZR1 version of the C7 Corvette. Chevrolet immediately said, “Thanks, but WRONG, Jalopnik!” And Jalopnik called GM’s response, “a weak ass denial…” Okay, play NICE, everyone!

So, it’s been almost three months and if you read through the various forums and blog comments, not everyone is jazzed about what they see. Initially, Jalopnik said they would be releasing “photos” and then delivered “renderings,” claiming that their inside source swears on his mother’s grave that the created renderings are correct. I also have it from a Corvette writer friend with an inside source (I don’t know if it’s the same source as Jalopnik’s) that the renderings are spot on. Yes, right down to the Camaro taillights. My friend’s friend claims that even though Chevrolet knows that the Corvette fans will negatively react to the Camaro taillights, it’s a “corporate look” that runs across the Chevrolet line. I suppose it’s like how the Chevy Volt’s front end almost looks like a Malibu.

Be sure to read the entire Jalopnik story here, http://jalopnik.com/5858683/exclusive-this-is-the-2014-chevy-corvette

Since the Jalopnik renderings were published, there have been a rash of C7 sightings wearing those totally UGLY camo suits that could make a Playboy centerfold girl look like a dawg!. About the only thing that clear is that the car will (might) have quad exhaust pipes and LED taillights. But most obvious is the overall shape. Sorry guys, but it sure does look like a C6. And it’s BIG too. Continue reading “C7 Report – Styling Analysis of the Jalopnik C7 ZR1 Renderings” →

Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 84th Birthday to Corvette Designer, Chuck Jordan

Published on by Scott

Dateline: 10.21.11

Chuck Jordan – the last of the old guard GM designers.

When car designer Chuck Jordan passed on December 9, 2010, it was the end of an era in automotive design. Jordan started working for GM in 1949 as a junior engineer and retired in 1992. During that time, he worked with all of the greats of GM design; Harley Earl, Bill Mitchell, Ed Cole, Zora Arkus-Duntov, Larry Shinoda, and more.

Jordan’s nickname was “the Chrome Cobra.” He was steeped in a time of very strong personalities. Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell had strong personalities  with flash-like tempers – quick to anger, quick to let it go. When Mitchell retired in ‘77, his replacement, Irv Rybicki, was specifically chosen because upper management said, “No more strong opinionated design chiefs!” They were glad to see old Bill go. Irv was an excellent designer, but to Jordan, Rybicki seemed to play it safe too much. The automotive press noticed too and began to wonder what happened to GM’s sense of style.

But Jordan got his shot in ‘86 when Rybicki retired and was promoted to vice president of design, serving from ‘86 to ‘92. Below is a brief slide show of some of the cars Jordan styled, designed, and managed through the development process. Design styling is one thing and designing for mass production is another. Some designs translate into production better than others. What’s obvious is that over his 40-plus year career as a car designer, he consistently followed the advanced trends of the day. Chuck loved design so much that after he retired, he taught design at ??? He could have stayed home and enjoyed his many Ferrari sports cars. But Jordan loved the high school art design in Southern California. Continue reading “Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 84th Birthday to Corvette Designer, Chuck Jordan” →