2005 Corvette Part Four
Tom Peters, the C6 stylist, stepped back to the past on a few areas of the C6 design. The C6 hood (above) has some things in common with the C3 hood (below), including the power bulge, the high-acreage look and the pointed nose.
Note the similarity of the crease in the C6 front fender (above) with the C2 (right) and the C3 (below). Research clinics disapproved of earlier C6 concepts that included sharper creases.
Above: Coves, the ever popular design element from 1955 - '62, had made a return of sorts on the C5 Corvette and was back by popular demand on the C6.
C6 design sketches. Observe the impractically low roofline. Designers can go a bit crazy when equipped with pencils and paper.
The rear view of the C6 was much like the C5 with the edges sharpened up some. The large butt translates into a more aerodynamic shape as seen in wind tunnel tests. It is also one of the styling cues that was reminiscent of the 1968 C3 'vette; have your imagination add chrome bumpers with the round tail lights and the similarity is obvious.
Above: The C6 Corvette takes shape in the studio as a clay sculpture. Below: The C6 in the wind tunnel. According to GM, 400 hours of wind tunnel work went into the design. The efforts paid off as the C6 had a Cd (Coefficient of drag) of .286, lower than the C5 which previously was the most aerodynamic car manufactured in quantity by GM.
