Earlier this year General Motors announced that it would be revealing a series of forward-thinking Corvette concept cars, each developed by one of its different global design styles. The first one was created by GM’s newly opened design studio in England — sure, whatever, good for them, but we were a little bit wary about a Corvette designed by Brits. The Corvette is perhaps the most quintessentially American car and among the most recognizable, especially if we’re talking sports cars.
Luckily, the General has now shown off the second of its new Corvette hypercar concepts, which was designed by the team at GM’s Advanced Design studio in Pasadena, California, a 148,000-square-foot facility that has 130 staff including artisans, creatives, designers, fabricators, and sculptors. Aptly called the California Corvette, this concept “reimagines the Corvette with a futuristic Southern California twist and reflects GM’s deep roots in the SoCal design community.” Now, this concept isn’t meant to preview the next-gen Corvette per se, but it does show us the sort of ideas and themes GM’s designers are interested in.
Long and super low
Where the British concept was more angular and fighter jet–like, this one is curvier and more shark-like, with splashes of color and intricate details. At 182.5 inches it’s essentially the same length as a C8 Corvette, but its 109-inch-long wheelbase is a two inches longer, and it’s just 41.4 inches tall, making it a couple inches lower than a Ford GT. While GM doesn’t give any specific powertrain details, the brand envisions it would be electric with a T-shaped prismatic battery pack that gives it a supercar driving position and aids airflow around the chassis. Its single-piece canopy is hinged at the front and the upper shell can be removed, transforming it into an “open-air track car,” though sadly there are no images of what that looks like.
There may not seem to be any traditional Corvette design cues at first glance, but its coke-bottle shape, prominent fender flares, double-bubble roof, tapered cabin and pointy nose all connect it to past models. There is some fascinating aero trickery going on, like the U-shaped section on the rear deck and the way you can see all the way through the car, from the front end looking into the side intakes all the way back to the giant diffuser.
Step inside
The interior is even more futuristic, with almost every element stripped away, but the shape of the “dashboard,” “door panels,” and “center console” are similar to the C8’s cabin. I put those elements in quotes because the SoCal Corvette concept really just has a yoke-style steering wheel with a slim digital gauge cluster… and that’s basically it. The driver is cocooned by ribbons of red, which wrap around and are integrated into the car’s tub. It’s not exactly realistic, but very cool.
Brian Smith, the design director of the Pasadena studio and lead of the project, said “Southern California has been at the heart of automotive and design culture for a century, and GM has had a deep design presence here for nearly 40 years. We wanted to ensure that this concept was developed through that SoCal lens, but with a global and futuristic outlook. Duality of purpose is the basis of this concept’s design strategy.” The company says the Pasadena studio also “reinforces GM’s commitment to U.S. design leadership, creation, and innovation, with California continuing to shape the future of mobility.
GM hasn’t yet said when the next Corvette concept will be unveiled, but the company has design studios in Detroit, Seoul and Shanghai, so it’ll likely come from one of those.
General Motors
General Motors
General Motors
