Chip Foose Isn't In Love With The C8 Corvette, So He Redesigned It

The iconic designer doesn't think the C8 has enough 'Vette mojo.

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Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Feb 19, 2021 at 2:03pm ET

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Since Chevrolet unveiled the current-generation Corvette for the 2020 model year, it's been met primarily with praise. It's not all hugs and puppies, however. Motor1.com found more than a few disgruntled 'Vette ownersat a large Corvette convention who felt the new car was nothing like previous generations.

Famous custom car designer Chip Foose doesn't profess hatred for the , but he also feels the C8's mid-engine recasting comes up short. His take is that previous-generation 'Vettes embraced an evolutionary design that retained unique Corvette styling cues through the decades. A long nose with a short rear deck and organic curves were Corvette signatures that essentially went missing in the C8. Part of that is certainly due to the mid-engine architecture, which requires less real estate at the front for more at the back. But Foose believes more could've been done to preserve Corvette's legacy in the new model.

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As such, he sits down for a bit of old-fashioned design work. By that, we mean the process is all analog – pencils and paper replace computer screens and digital renderings, and it's nice to see such talent in action. He starts with a traced outline of the C8 to preserve the same dimensions and wheelbase, then embarks on the difficult task of stretching the front and rounding out the rear while maintaining a mid-engine configuration.

Perhaps the biggest difference comes from cutting all the weird angles from the side intakes and body lines. In place of the forward-canted engine intakes, he flips the fender vents from the C7 and places them on the quarter panels. It's a novel solution, and we must admit that it doesn't look bad at all.

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We'll also admit that this redesign does look more like a Corvette. There's a bit more flare to the front and rear fenders, and we see all kinds of C2 'Vette influence in the rounded rear fascia. It's quite striking in profile, though we suspect rear visibility might be an issue.

With Chevrolet's order books jam-packed for C8s through the foreseeable future, the revamped Corvette certainly has all kinds of fans. However, do you think Chevy could've won more hearts with this Foosed-up version?

Source: Hagerty via YouTube