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- The second in a line of future-looking Corvette concepts, the California Corvette was created by General Motors’ recently opened Advanced Design California studio in Pasadena.
- The concept is imagined as the C10 generation, and it hides an electric powertrain under its svelte bodywork.
- The body features an array of tunnels and vanes to direct the air through the car and to the rear diffuser to create downforce without the need for a towering rear wing.
Redesigning an icon is a challenging balance of respecting heritage while not getting stuck in the past. General Motors invited its design studios to imagine what a future Corvette could look like, with the automaker’s new U.K. facility revealing the first concept in April. Now it’s the turn of GM’s recently opened Advanced Design California studio in Pasadena, which crafted the sleek California Corvette concept that aims to look forward while still tying into the Corvette’s rich history.View PhotosChevroletThe C10 Vette Goes ElectricWhile GM is clear that the concept has “no direct production intent,” an intriguing “C10” badge lives on the front fender, referencing the naming codes for Corvette generations. The design team told us they took to calling the concept “C10” internally, since their design essentially looks two generations into the future. With the current C8 Corvette expected to remain on sale until the end of this decade, that means the California Corvette concept is likely looking out to at least the year 2040.Let’s get the most controversial part out of the way first: The California Corvette is electric. There aren’t many technical details, since the concept is a static model and lacks a physical interior. But GM says the California Corvette would feature a T-shaped prismatic battery, allowing for a lower seating position since the battery isn’t the typical skateboard-style underfloor unit.View PhotosChevroletAerodynamics plays a key role in the California Corvette’s design, leading to a lithe, sinewy body that appears to have been shaped by the wind. That T-shaped battery allowed the designers to carve channels through the body, directing air under the nose and through tunnels to the massive rear diffuser to create downforce without the need for a draggy rear wing. There is, however, an active rear spoiler that can raise and angle itself forward to create an air brake. GM said the focus on underbody downforce was inspired by Formula 1 race cars, but we also see a hint of Aston Martin Valkyrie in the way that the front splitter hangs down under the nose and creates an open, gaping mouth.The concept sits incredibly low, with a narrow cabin that tapers towards the rear of the car to emulate the streamlined look of past Corvettes. The staggered wheels—measuring 21 inches up front and 22 inches at the rear—give it a muscular stance. The concept stretches 182.5 inches from nose to tail, with a 109-inch wheelbase, making it roughly the length of a current Corvette but with almost two extra inches between the wheels. It also sits over seven inches lower and 10 inches wider.Two-Tone Paint Highlights the TechThe concept doesn’t have the classic two-piece Corvette taillights or a split-window design like the U.K. concept, but it still references Corvette motifs. There is a central spine that runs the length of the car, inspired by the shape of, unsurprisingly, a stingray. The proportions evoke the mid-engine proportions of the current Corvette, as do the pointy, bulging wheel arches.View PhotosChevroletSimilar to the U.K. Corvette concept, the California Corvette sports a two-tone look that divides the car in half. The lower section, painted a sultry shade of red, represents the technical side of the car, holding the suspension, electric motors, and underbody aerodynamics. The gray portion is draped atop the red section like a silky gown, following the contours of the body beneath. The designers even imagined the entire gray top section to be completely removable, to convert the concept from a closed-roof supercar into a minimalist, open-cockpit track car.This two-piece approach emphasizes the lightweight design and invites the eye to peer through the holes in the gray body to explore the technical elements within. The carbon-fiber suspension arms, inboard-mounted springs and dampers, and even the electric motors are all visible beneath the surface, depending on what angle you look at the California Corvette.A (Virtual) Fighter-Jet CockpitGetting in requires raising the massive single-piece, front-hinged canopy. While the interior doesn’t exist in the real world, we were able to experience it in digital form via a virtual-reality headset. The cabin is said to draw inspiration from racing simulators and feels reminiscent of a fighter-jet cockpit, with the integrated structural elements calling to mind the “wall of buttons” from the C8 Corvette, a cocoon-like setup that has been ditched for 2026. View PhotosChevroletThere’s also an augmented-reality head-up display that places important driving information in the driver’s field of vision while avoiding the need for giant screens dominating the cabin. The head-up display can also be used to train the driver, displaying a track map and projecting a racing line on the road ahead, just like in a video game. The seats are fixed to the carbon tub in true race-car fashion, with an adjustable steering wheel and pedals. Still, GM knows Corvette owners love to drive their cars on the street, so there is a wireless phone charger that clips the phone in place in case you decide to floor it.Not only were we able to look at the concept’s cabin with the VR headset, but we even got a chance to virtually drive the futuristic Corvette around an iconic California racetrack. Going from sketch to working model in 90 days, the team at the Pasadena studio built a full simulator featuring a partial interior and exterior. View full post on InstagramThe game physics weren’t fully ironed out, so we can’t really speak to the driving experience, although the instantaneous electric power delivery made the California Corvette feel brutally quick. The head-up display was incredibly immersive, with more data than we could process while driving quickly, but it was helpful to be able to see important details like a speedometer and track map without having to take our eyes off the undulating circuit ahead.While the California Corvette concept is not destined for production, it shows the prowess of GM’s new Pasadena studio and hints at how the Corvette could evolve in the future. An electric Corvette would certainly cause a ruckus from the Corvette faithful, but at least we can rest easy with the idea that the Corvette will continue to sport dramatic, chiseled bodywork well into the next couple of decades. Keep an eye out for a third, final Corvette concept later this year to sit alongside the California and U.K. visions.More on the Corvette
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Source: caranddriver.com
