The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is Here!

Here at McCluskey Automotive, your home for Cincinnati Ohio used cars; we are pleased to announce that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette has finally been revealed! For 2014, Chevy has rolled out an old classic. The Corvette will carry the “Stingray” designation, making this the first Corvette since 1976 to formally carry that name. The Stingray models were always highly coveted and are among the rarest of used cars in Cincinnati, Ohio. We think the new model lives up to the name, but you can decide for yourself.

Corvette Stingray: 2014 to 2022

It may seem like seven (model) years is a long time for a model to exist with only two generational shifts, and for many makes/models, that would be accurate. Not so for the Corvette Stingray. As fast and downright breathtaking as the machine is to both drive and behold, its evolution trends more toward slow and steady. In keeping with General Motors’ tendency to make relatively small changes to models within a given generation, the Stingray’s first years back in the barn had an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” feel to them.

The C7 Generation

2014 marked the unveiling of the first Corvette Stingray since 1976. Cloaked in secrecy and mystique from the start, the big reveal finally happened on January 13, 2014, and the most powerful standard model Corvette that had ever been produced was, literally, off to the races. No, really; the 2014 Stingray was the twelfth Corvette model to be used as the official pace car for the Indianapolis 500. With three trim levels to choose from, the base model 1LT, middle-of-the-road 2LT, and top-tier 3LT, the options were and continue to be seemingly endless.

2015

Possibly the biggest change to the Stingray over the course of the entire seventh-generation came with the release of the 2015 model. Replacing the 6-speed automatic transmission found in the 2014 model, the new 8-speed automatic paddle-shift transmission, dubbed the “Hydra-Matic 8L90” and designed by General Motors, would give the 2015 Stingray some serious street cred. If you’re looking for a car that will get you from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, give you up to 29 miles per gallon, and hold its own against comparably engineered, absurdly overpriced European sports cars, look no further.

2016

Well, that is, unless you prefer the new color options and other minor aesthetic upgrades offered in the 2016 model. Mechanically, this model remained largely unchanged. A 2016 Corvette owner will still be able to go really fast, really efficiently, but they’ll also be able to do so in a car with a Twilight Blue, Spice Red, or Jet Black Suede Design Package. Exciting stuff, right?! Yeah, no. And consumers agreed. Final sales statistics for 2016 showed that these three package options accounted for just over 3% of total sales. That said, in a relatively counterintuitive twist of economic mental gymnastics, it actually could pay off to track one down and snatch it up. That’s right, the overall unpopularity of these three design packages may actually render them more collectible in the long run.

The other updates in 2016 centered around increased connectivity and upgraded technology. Among the biggest of these tech tweaks was the addition of the front curb view parking camera, an option made standard only on the 2LT and 3LT models. It has been said that the “sting” in the Stingray’s name actually comes from the unpleasant physical sensation its owner feels after nipping a curb while parking. The front curb view parking camera is still not standard equipment on the 1LT, and their owners continue to either suffer the inevitability of that sting, or they shop exclusively at 24-hour stores during the wee hours when parking lots are empty and curbs are easier to avoid. It was also in 2016 when the rumor mill began circulating murmurings of Corvette engineers working on a mid-engine model, reigniting the avid enthusiast’s interest in what the future might hold.

2017

In 2017, General Motors put the Stingray’s development on the back burner in favor of reintroducing the Grand Sport, a nod to Corvette’s long racing history. In and of itself, an impressive vehicle with the feel of a street-legal race car, the Grand Sport could be further enhanced with the Z07 performance package. Add to that the limited release of a collector’s edition, and it’s little wonder the spotlight was spoken for. Still a beautiful car with all of the same bells, whistles, and trim levels, the 2017 Stingray didn’t undergo any major changes. By the end of 2017, the rumor mill’s murmurings had taken the tone of an excited beehive, abuzz with excitement over increasingly affirmative signs that a mid-engine model was on the horizon.

2018

2018 marked the 65th anniversary of the Corvette, and as is customary for the brand, a special edition was released in limited quantities. The Carbon 65 was made available in both the Grand Sport 3LT and Z06 3LZ models. The exterior color of the Carbon 65 is a Ceramic Matrix Gray, with the most notable defining characteristic being a carbon-fiber rear spoiler. The lower-end 1LT and 2LT models remained largely unchanged once again outside of minor improvements to integrated technology and infotainment features. To the dismay of many, there would not be a 2018 mid-engine model. The buzz continued.

2019

The final year for the seventh-generation Corvette marked yet another year with little change for the Stingray. Instead, Corvette engineers focused their efforts on the development of the seventh generation ZR1, a supercharged BEAST with 755 ponies galloping beneath its newly designed, wind tunnel tested, ultra-aerodynamic hood. With the release of this monster combined with the intensifying anticipation of the mid-engine model’s now confirmed future release, there is little surprise that the models situated lower on the totem pole were left in the dust.

The C8 Generation

To say the Corvette’s eighth generation had a “rocky start” would be akin to saying Joe Burrow is an “alright” quarterback. Then again, 2020 was an abysmal year for pretty much the entire planet, with the COVID-19 pandemic casting a pall on life as we knew it. In the fourth quarter of 2019, a United Auto Worker strike had already delayed production of 2020 models, but with the global economy circling the drain in response to the pandemic, the folks who pre-ordered their 2020 Corvettes were getting a little nervous.

2020

After years of anxiety followed by a slew of false starts and delays, the production of the first mid-engine Corvette Stingray was completed on August 7, 2020, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The English language consists of roughly one million words, and adjectives account for around 100,000 of them, yet it seems there isn’t a single one that adequately describes the beauty of the 2020 mid-engine Stingray, arguably the best Corvette ever produced. So what makes this thing so different from its predecessors?

To start, there’s the stunning futuristic exterior. At first glance, the impression is not that of an earthbound automobile but of something designed with the potential to take flight and go into orbit. With degrees in both mechanical and aerospace engineering, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter definitely knows a thing or two about aerodynamics, and it shows.

The interior can only be described as a luxurious and ergonomic cockpit. Snugly tucked into their choice of three available seat options, the person behind the wheel is sure to feel more like a pilot than a driver.

Aesthetics are pretty important, of course, but the real allure for this machine is undeniably the new location of its 6.2-liter V8 engine. Positioned behind the driver, the engine and transmission sit deeper in the chassis than before, giving it a much lower center of gravity and, in turn, even more incredible handling than before. A person doesn’t buy a car like this without wanting to show off this engine, so a clear “window” on the rear hatch of the car provides a peek at the engine, which now serves as the crown jewel of the Corvette empire.

In yet another plot twist, consumers would discover a markedly absent option on their order forms. The 2020 Stingray would be the first Corvette ever to be manufactured without the option of a manual transmission. The LT1 was given an 8-speed automatic transmission as in previous years, while the LT2 and LT3 models featured an 8-speed M1L dual-clutch automatic.

2021

Following a short model year that yielded a limited supply of first-generation Stingrays, the 2021 Stingray was in high demand. Under the circumstances, the 2021 model remained virtually identical to the 2020 model with little more than a couple of technical upgrades, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a small list of additional paint colors, interior colors, and striping options.

The Corvette Continues On

Regardless of who you talk to, nearly everyone can conjure a mental image or memory of a Corvette Stingray. Maybe they’ve only ever seen one in a “Car and Driver Magazine” or had to look past the bikini-clad model draped over the hood of one on a poster in a buddy’s garage. Perhaps they can vividly recall the throaty rumble of their old man’s ‘71, loaned to them on pain of death for the night of their prom. The most fortunate among us can simply open a garage door to catch the glint of freshly waxed Torch Red paint on their 2021 and gaze upon what amounts to a prodigious marriage between aerospace and automotive genius. Regardless of what you see when you think of a Corvette Stingray, one thing is for certain; it’s here to stay.