It is common knowledge that General Motors will almost certainly offer drop top version of the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray but what appears to be either leaked images or VERY good fakes of the C7 Corvette Stingray Convertible have surfaced online – seemingly offering us our first look of the gorgeous open air American sports car.
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These leaked images of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible arrived in my email inbox courtesy of a reader and after some research; it appears that “The Auto Insider Blog” was the first to publish these images. The bad news for those getting very excited about the look of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible shown here is that when contacted, General Motors Corvette spokesman Monte Doran offered the following comment:
"What I can tell you is these are not official images released by Chevrolet PR. There's a lot of speculation out there about what the convertible might look like, but you'll just have to wait until we release our own images to see how close these might be."
Now, that official response from General Motors is hardly the positive confirmation that many enthusiasts were hoping for but at the same time – the wording of that quote from Mr. Doran can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Notice, he said that these “are not official images released by Chevrolet PR” which means that they could be official images but they were not properly released by Chevrolet or General Motors. In other words – these could be official pictures…they just were not officially released by the company which is why we are using the term “leaked” to describe how these images arrived on the internet. There is, of course, also the chance that the images of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible are incredibly well done renderings from some artist who would rather tease the public than take credit for his or her work but if I was a betting man – I would guess that these are official, leaked images of the new C7 Corvette Convertible.
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible shown above on the right looks basically identical to the 2014 Corvette Stingray Coupe with the massive single grille opening, the heat extractor opening in the hood and the sexy gills on the trailing edge of the front fenders but you might notice that the deep metallic red Corvette Convertible shown above does not have the dark contrasting vents on the rear quarter panels. This has caused some to speculate that these images are fakes but I should point out that the black vents mounted high on the rear quarter panels of the 2014 Corvette Coupes that we saw last week at the Detroit Auto Show are features of the Z51 performance handling package. If these Corvette Convertible images are real, the fact that this car is sporting what appears to be smaller wheels and a less prominent rear spoiler along with not having those rear vents leads us to believe that the C7 Convertible shown here is the first 2014 Stingray that we have seen that does not have the Z51 package.
Where the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible really differs from the C7 Corvette Coupe is along the back end where the fastback design of the “real” Stingray has been removed in favor of the convertible top assembly. The sharply sloping rear glass of the new Stingray is one of the new supercar’s most attractive features but it is awfully difficult to build a fastback convertible so this artwork shows what is very likely GM’s alternative to the Coupe design. The chiseled rear decklid of the Corvette shown in the gallery on the right (click any thumbnail for a closer look at the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible) appears to maintain some of the basic lines of the Corvette Coupe while making plenty of room for the panel that opens to hide away the folding convertible top. Just behind the headrests of the sporty 2014 Stingray seats there are a couple “humps” that will help to improve top-down aerodynamics while also serving as the covers for the convertible top when it is folded down. The way that the rear decklid area is elevated relative to the trailing edge of the hood (the cowl) should allow the Corvette Stingray to have a very smooth, flowing form when the top is in the upright position while also looking like the top might have a very short surface area to tuck over the cockpit-like cabin.
Finally, along the very back end of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible shown above on the right we see a design that is more of less identical to the official 2014 Corvette Coupe that is currently on display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This includes the angular new taillights, the quad central exhaust tips, and the sharp, aggressive lower rear fascia that is really unlike anything that we have ever seen on a production Chevy Corvette.
While these images might not be official General Motors pictures of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible, these are at worst very (very) good renderings of the new drop top C7 Stingray. Even if the actual Corvette Convertible that is expected to debut at the Geneva Motor Show to bolster the new “global Corvette” angle, I would be very surprised to see any vast differences between the car shown here and the actual production version of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible. Click here for a look at the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe from last week's debut event in Detroit including live images of the real C7 Corvette.
Do you think that this is the real 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
We will have to wait and see what GM says in the coming weeks and months about the existence of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible but for those prospective buyers holding out for a topless C7 – these shots are likely your first look at your next new sports car.
Check out the gallery on the right by clicking the thumbnail image of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible rear end and stay tuned to TorqueNews for all of your breaking automotive news!
Source: Popular Mechanics
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