GM’s Bowling Green, Ky. assembly plant — where the Corvette Stingray is built — recently underwent a $131 million upgrade that includes a new body shop to manufacture the car’s liberating and lightweight aluminum frame.
2014brChevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe
Perhaps no American car has meant more to thebrhistory of performance driving than the Corvette Stingray. Originally broughtbrto life by General Motors in 1963, the Stingray (or C2) represented the secondbrgeneration of the famed Corvette line — and its first as a coupe. Now in its seventh installment, thisbrheavyweight performer has shed some weight through a technologically advanced redesignbrboth inside and out.
The next generationbrof Corvettes begins with an all-new lightweight frame. Built at GM's upgradedbrmanufacturing plant in Kentucky, the technologically advanced aluminum structurebris 99 pounds lighter and 57 percent stiffer than its predecessors. A new 6.2-literbrV-8 engine puts out 455 horsepower to power the svelte frame of this finelybrtuned athlete. With a track-inspired Z51 performance package, direct injectionbrand the advanced combustion dynamics offered through active fuel management,brthis vehicle delivers both on the road and at the pump. In fact, “eco” is justbrone of five selectable driving modes that helps optimize performance across abrwide range of road conditions. Combined, no other car offers more horsepowerbrand greater fuel efficiency (29 mpg/hwy).
The Stingraybrdefinitely packs a punch, but what strikes first are the stunning lines off itsbrlong, lean body, which is punctuated by piercing LED “eyes.” Lighting — abrdramatic and high-tech element throughout — gets you both coming and going withbrexpressive glowing tail lamps that might give you reason to pause in a darkbralley. Functional and aggressive styling continues inside with equal elementsbrof carbon fiber, aluminum trim and sumptuous leather of the jet-inspiredbrcockpit, all set aglow via dual eight-inch digital displays.
While very fewbrdetails are repeated from the Stingray's notably rich history, the latestbrincarnation maintains a distinctive, high-performance profile that is allbrCorvette — intriguing, if not a bit intimidating.
Details
Engine: 6.2-literbrV8
Horsepower: 455 hp
MPG: 17/29brcity/hwy
MSRP: startingbrat $51,995
0-60: 3.8 sec