General Motors unveiled a new Corvette Stingray concept at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday. Unlike most concepts, the new car is not intended to gauge public opinion of new design direction; it will instead debut as the character 'Sideswipe' in the upcoming DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures release 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'. According to Ed Welburn, Vice President of GM Global Design, the prototype explores a new, futuristic expression for the Corvette nameplate. Inspired by the 1959 Stingray Racer and ‘63 Corvette Stingray split-window coupe, the concept combines heritage cues spanning generations of the iconic sports car design with an altoget
her more futuristic shape.
The car's sharp front end
features a grille influenced by the Corvette SS from the ‘50s, and a wraparound windscreen leads to a sloping roofline that tapers off into a split-window backlight. When seen in profile, the fender shapes recall historic Stingrays as well, with the front fenders incorporating an air extractor aft of the front wheel and a defining feature line that links both the front and rear wheels.