It is over 60 years old and moving into its seventh generation, but like fine wine, quality cheese and Sophia Loren, the Chevrolet Corvette just gets better with age.
Chevy gave the iconic American sports car a complete makeover for 2014 and show South Florida consumers will be able to see the result for themselves when they visit the 43rd annual Miami International Auto Show. The 2014 Corvette Stingray will serve as the official show car of the event, which runs Nov. 8 through 17 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
How does the 2014 model stack up to its predecessors? Well, when designers and engineers were finished with it, they gave it the hallowed Stingray badging.
“We didn’t set out to build a Stingray,” says John Fitzpatrick, Chevrolet Performance Cars Marketing Manager. “We set out to build the greatest Corvette we could. It wasn’t until we got done with that that we said, ‘You know, this really does remind everybody of the ’63 in terms of not only in the look of the car, but how the car feels and how it reacts.’ We thought it was natural to add the Stingray name at that point.”
With a new 6.2-liter V-8 engine, the 2014 model is the most powerful standard Corvette ever with 455 hp and 460 poundfeet of torque delivered to the rear wheels through either an all-new seven-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
With EPA ratings of 17 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, Chevy claims this as the most efficient sports car on the market. Yet when equipped with the Z51 Performance Package, the 2014 ’Vette will zip from zero-to-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, run the quarter-mile in 12 seconds at 119 mph, and stop from 60 mph in 107 feet.
It’s not just in performance that the 2014 Corvette stands out, however. This is the most-advanced Corvette in technology with five driving modes — Tour (default), Sport, Track, Weather (rain and snow) and Eco (shutting down four cylinders for enhanced fuel economy while highway cruising) — and also the most refined. Designers wrapped the cabin with premium materials, including carbon fiber, aluminum, and rich leather throughout. The smallest detail is attended to, like precise stitching on the smaller, leatherwrapped steering wheel for a more consistent feel.
The new Corvette is a treat for the eyes and — with an active exhaust system that tunes tone to fit the driver’s mode setting — the ears as well.
Yet even with the improvements, the 2014 Corvette has a starting MSRP of under $52,000 in coupe form, with the convertible starting at under $57,000, including destination and delivery charges. It’s one car you don’t want to miss on your visit to the Miami International Auto Show, Nov 8-17, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
