Aj Caldwell: This is the new Corvette,
the latest installment of America's
longest-running sports car.
And this is Kirk Bennion.
Hi, my name is Kirk Bennion.
I'm an exterior design manager at Chevrolet,
and we're gonna do a design breakdown
of the new 2020 C8 Corvette.
Aj: He's gonna take us through crucial design elements
that helped evolve the C8 into a wildly different car
while remaining true to traditional Corvette design.
And we're gonna start where every other Corvette starts:
the wheels.
In fact, the entire design is what Kirk describes
as "wheel oriented."
Kirk: That means that when you look at
the profile of fenders,
we're basically, we're drawing them right over the wheels.
It's almost like you've taken the wheels
and pushed them up into the body.
And this gives us the muscular fenders
and the muscular quarter panel.
Aj: With most sport cars, design elements often
help improve the overall performance of the car.
This is true with the C8.
Its wheel-oriented design allows the car
to remain agile at high speeds by keeping the car
low to the ground for a low center of gravity.
Once the placement of the wheels has been determined,
the design team can move on to the stance of the car.
Kirk: What's key to the car
is what we call rake.
Rake is basically designing the side of the vehicle
to where it's at an angle.
You'll notice that the rear fascia
has kind of gotten taller as the years progress.
And that's because within our aerodynamic package,
the car wants to have a bit of a wedge to it.
It wants this high deck lid
to alleviate any turbulence or drag back there.
Aj: Rake is more of a design tool than a design element.
It's used on different design elements to give the C8
that aggressive look and improved performance.
The rake of the belt line or the bottom of the windshield
is responsible for the raised rear of the Corvette.
It makes the car look like it's leaping forward
or like a cheetah about to pounce on its prey.
As you look at the C8, you'll notice other design elements
with some degree of rake, like the waterline.
Kirk: The waterline really came off of the 1959 Stingray.
And what that does for you
is it creates a section of the car.
In doing so,
it throws the lower half of the car into shadow,
and then it gives you the room
to work with your sculpture on the top of the car.
Aj: The rake of the belt line and waterline
are great for looks and performance,
but it causes an issue in the rear of the vehicle.
It tends to make it look tall and thick,
where Corvettes of the past are thin and sleek,
or what Kirk refers to as lighter.
So the design team decided to trick the eye
into making the back look thinner
by using a technique found on the C7.
Kirk: So, when we got into the back of the car,
we created this lower rear fascia
that's always black.
And that's real important to making the car look lighter.
Aj: By unifying all the components at the rear
with a uniform color, it draws your attention to the top,
making the car look thinner than it actually is.
It even draws most of your attention
to Corvette's signature double-digit taillamps.
Kirk: Double digit means that
you'll have two on either side.
These are more impactful.
You know, they're just not a shape, but they're,
they have a lot of gesture, a lot of direction to them.
So when you're, like, a half a block away or whatever,
you know that this is the new 2020 C8,
just by the footprint of those taillamps.
Aj: The C8 is all about being distinctive
while remaining unmistakably Corvette.
The biggest change was the move to a mid-engine layout,
where the engine sits behind the driver instead of in front.
Kirk: Having the new mid-engine layout,
it's really good from a performance standpoint.
I would tell you impactfully, though,
it's even better for the design.
I mean, this is clearly the biggest change
we've done within Corvette's architecture.
So it gives us an all-new proportion and an all-new vehicle.
We've also taken the occupant from where they were
in the previous generation
and moved them forward 16 1/2 inches.
But the mid-engine layout here again,
it gives you the performance attributes,
but it gives you a very unique proportion to Corvette.
Aj: The new C8 Corvette marks a new direction for the brand.
Its mid-engine layout and aggressive detailing
help give it the look of an exotic supercar,
while its wheel-oriented design, waterline,
and double-digit taillamps
help tie it back into its long heritage
as America's longest-running sports car.
It's guided by the same principles
as every generation before it:
an affordable sports car that refuses
to compromise on performance and driving experience.