2020 Corvette Convertible $66,400

[RayDunzl]

Imagine a 3 lane highway without speed limit, all lanes full of cars with an average distance of 10 to 100m, the right lane at 130 km/h, middle line 150 km/h, left lane 160 to 200 km/h. Lots of cars constantly changing lanes to get a minor advantage. Drove in this conditions on 23rd december for about 80 km.

Sounds like Miami, but fewer lanes.

 

[LTig]

I rode a "Captain America" style Harley chopper a few times. My buddy bought one, for some unknown reason.

What a beast.

I felt like I was riding a tractor.

When I rode a Yamaha SR500 as a young guy the Harleys had an appeal to a certain customer group triggered by a certain movie. It had nothing to do with performance.

Riding on narrow many curved mountain roads a Harley back then had no chance against many smaller bikes with better handling. There was funy saying that a Harley driver had stop before each curve and lift the back wheel to manage the curve...

 

[RayDunzl]

There was funy saying that a Harley driver had stop before each curve and lift the back wheel to manage the curve...

Here's a coiuple that forgot the rules...

 

[Sal1950]

Here's a coiuple that forgot the rules...

I guarantee you more pretend road racers on rice burners run off the road at the Deals Gap Dragon every year than Harleys.
The Tree of Shame
I'm trying hard to ID any Harley stuff in there, looks like all rice burner stuff to me.

 

[Ron Texas]

The AMG sounds like a musical instrument compared to the LT1. The AMGs are Stradivarius violins compared to the pots and pans being banged in the LT1 and the later LS engines.

The AMG V8s sound meatier too in stock form.

Obviously, living upside down has had an effect on your hearing.

 

[JJB70]

My main hobby is railways, and making model trains. I think it is worth considering trains as a case study in technology transition as the transition from steam to diesel demonstrated quite a few things that have parallels with today:

• Where a new technology offers compelling advantages (much greater efficiency, greater utilisation, reduced labour needs, operational flexibility, cleaner, cheaper operational costs etc in the case of diesel trains) then a huge change can be achieved very quickly. From a position of total dominance steam traction was made extinct in a small handful of years.
• Early adopters often pay a lot for a less than great product, but that can change very quickly. We've already seen EVs go from range anxiety being a big issue to having EVs with sufficient range to meet the great majority of drivers daily needs and they continue to improve. The first diesel trains in the early part of the 20th century were mediocre at best yet even in the early 20's it was apparent to some that the steam engines days were numbered and that diesel and electric trains would soon replace steam.
• For the right product, industry (and society) will change themselves to suit a new technology rather than hammering it into an existing hole. Diesel and electric trains required fundamentally different management, operational and maintenance practices than steam yet railways adapted to the technology and made the transition quickly and effectively.

By the mid 1930's it was increasingly obvious that the steam locomotive was finished as diesel technology had reached the point of viable alternative. The war interrupted electrification and the large scale commercialisation of diesel trains yet within not much over a decade after the end of the war steam was all but dead in the USA despite its immense steam fleet, and after a slightly later start and even with the vagaries of the modernisation plan BR achieved the transition in a similar period. Which indicates that major technological change can happen much more quickly than people might imagine and that the capabilities of a new technology in the early period of such a transition are of less importance than its potential.

Something that seems to be forgotten in emotive arguments about petrol vs. EV or saving the world trype arguments is that EVs are now becoming the more attractive proposition for consumerist reasons. Forget saving the planet, cars like those made by Tesla and Jaguar I-Pace are fast, sweet handling and luxurious cars with showroom appeal in bucket loads. The new Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID3 look like they’ll be fabulous cars. Pretty well all the car companies are directing their R&D funds into EVs and PHEVs and they’ll sell not because people want to save the world but because people want them. Many still seem to equate EVs with the utter garbage that was promoted as urban transport a few years ago, like the G Whizz or whatever it was called.

 

[Willem]

In my country the Tesla is now a very common company car and taxi. The smaller electric cars still suffer a bit of a range problem, but we are almost there. And at our fuel prices, they are rapidly becoming a very viable financial proposition, especially if you drive a lot and/or in the sunny half of the year produce more than you can consume yourself of your own electricity.

 

[LTig]

Here's a coiuple that forgot the rules...

I don't understand what's the problem with this road. It's broad and has a very smooth surface, should be no problem for any bike.

What would they do on a mountain road in western Ireland, southern France, the Hard Knott pass in the Lake District, north Scotland, southern Switzerland or on La Palma? Push the bike?

 

[JJB70]

I find it telling that KIA and Hyundai sold out their UK allocation of the eNiro and eKona almost immediately and have been wait listing people for the next batch while throwing resource at ramping up production to meet demand. Jaguar seem to be able to sell as many I-Pace's as they can make with very minor discounting yet look at an XF or XE and they'll be happy to do a great deal. You can easily get monumental discounts on the regular BMW 3 & 5 Series and MB C % E Class and with pretty quick delivery, yet the discounts on the rather impressive PHEV versions are much smaller and delivery times seem longer (or they were when I asked a few weeks ago). VW seem to be getting far more inquiries about the ID3 than the new Golf VIII. The market is changing, and I think it is less about saving the world than it is about EVs being an appropriate solution for more and more and people actually wanting them because they're a better proposition. I spend £40 a week on diesel for my car, and it doesn't do that much mileage, I would reduce that by a factor of around 7 even buying electricity from my electrical supplier, never mind fitting a PV cell/battery installation.

We are planning to upgrade our home next Summer with an extension (including a properly installed surround sound home cinema room) and part of the upgrade will be PV cells and a battery in the garage, I've calculated we will almost be self sufficient in Winter and will sell to the system for most of the year.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I tried hard to stay away from this Corvette C8 discussion that has morphed into gas vs EV or Hybrid ... thing. I have to dive in

It is hard for many to accept that cars with ICE engine are a dying breed. The reasons are based on physics and economics. There could be here and there some rationals about the Planet and pollution. The truth is more prosaic. An electric car provide better performance and cost less to make. It is also very easy to discard the Planet thing and make of it a debate about global warming but ICE run on fossil fuel, a finite resource. Any reduction in using this resources buys us of the Human race, some additional time on the planet. We also must prepare for not using this resource at all.
ICE engines are inefficient: close to 75% of the available energy in the fuel is lost. People may not think too much when driving a car about how wasteful that is but, try to get anything and throw away 3/4 quarter of it, be it money food, anything.. Throw away 3/4 quarter and see how far that will take you ... That was anyone does when you start your non-eV, non-hybrid car, aka ICE vehicle. Clearly there have to be better ways: eV cars and hybrid cars are answers for now. For full eV the usual arguments are real and have been invoked here: Reduced range, lack of infrastructure, Electricity is produced mostly from fossil fuel anyway, etc... let me try to address those ... :
Reduced range and lack of infrastructure: 200 ~400 miles is common fare for eV... It is safe to say that on the average, people do not drive 200 miles a day. If we are to take data from the US DOT, Americans, drive less than 20,000 miles a year. According to the same DOT sources. the average drive per day is less than 30 miles. that range of 200 Miles, thus is largely sufficient for most people including sports cars aficionados. There will be times when 200 miles is not enough but for the vast majority of car owners, including sports cars aficionados and practitioners , 200 miles is enough... And there are the hybrids: They provide better performance (yes!), burn less gas, and do not rely on any electric refueling infrastructure...
As for the provenance of electricity: That is true but I tend to believe that the solution lies in Nuclear and a better inclusion of renewable energy within the delivery infrastructure. The current Electric Energy delivery infrastructure is predicated on constant/stable sources that run continuously day in and day out, year in and year out. You don't just turn off a power plant with the flip of a switch. It takes days. The case of Nuclear is even more problematic. Left to themselves they slowly restart ... or worse... , thus next to any nuclear power station there is a large cooling pool that runs on .. yes ... fossil fuel .. Diesel in most instances .. If the reactor and their spent fuel are not cooled.. then .. the results can be catastrophic. Renewable energy OTOH output varies. With the wind, with insolation which are weather dependent ... a few clouds and output may drop by 80% .. not a stable, constant output. Storage of this variable energy output is another issue that many green people, myself included, just would love to forget ... It is unfortunately the Elephant in the room.

Everything point toward producing more eV or hybrid cars and GM is clear-eyed about it. They will sell as many C8 they can produce while keeping their R&D toward delivering before 2025, an eVette or perhaps ready for production an hyb'Vette.
In the meantime those who love the smell of spent fuel and the sound of a V8, enjoy the C8 'Vette, perhaps the last full-ICE-'Vette. You may now understand the feeling some have for their definitely passé Turntables and R2R or even tubes. The nostalgia is strong but the performances of those is surpassed by things as trivial as a $9 dongle from Apple.

Peace.

 

[Blumlein 88]

And cherished all over the world

The stinging buzz of pissed off insects that emits from high revving inline 3 and 4s is detested by even those with no knowledge of bikes or engines.

No, I don't think so.

You can try this video to hear it doesn't sound like insects. These are 3 cylinder Triumph Speed triples.

Or maybe this one.

Or this one in Tokyo,Japan.

 

[Blumlein 88]

My new Corvette is a Camry.

Just for you Ray. Track comparison of a 2015 Camry, and a 1966 Corvette.

 

[anmpr1]

...and I thought this thread was about the price for a mint condition pressing of the late '70s Detroit garage-grunge girl group. 对不起

 

[FrantzM]

No, I don't think so.

You can try this video to hear it doesn't sound like insects. These are 3 cylinder Triumph Speed triples.

Or maybe this one.

Or this one in Tokyo,Japan.

Just for you Ray. Track comparison of a 2015 Camry, and a 1966 Corvette.

!

You made my day.. It is official : I am an Old Timer... Ii was such a pleasure to hear these !!!

And the Camry vs Corvette? Wow

Happy New Year Gals and Guys.. Those who can and enjoy and can afford the Vette?? Numbers and measurements be damned , just GET IT!!

 

[Blumlein 88]

My main hobby is railways, and making model trains. I think it is worth considering trains as a case study in technology transition as the transition from steam to diesel demonstrated quite a few things that have parallels with today:

• Where a new technology offers compelling advantages (much greater efficiency, greater utilisation, reduced labour needs, operational flexibility, cleaner, cheaper operational costs etc in the case of diesel trains) then a huge change can be achieved very quickly. From a position of total dominance steam traction was made extinct in a small handful of years.
• Early adopters often pay a lot for a less than great product, but that can change very quickly. We've already seen EVs go from range anxiety being a big issue to having EVs with sufficient range to meet the great majority of drivers daily needs and they continue to improve. The first diesel trains in the early part of the 20th century were mediocre at best yet even in the early 20's it was apparent to some that the steam engines days were numbered and that diesel and electric trains would soon replace steam.
• For the right product, industry (and society) will change themselves to suit a new technology rather than hammering it into an existing hole. Diesel and electric trains required fundamentally different management, operational and maintenance practices than steam yet railways adapted to the technology and made the transition quickly and effectively.

By the mid 1930's it was increasingly obvious that the steam locomotive was finished as diesel technology had reached the point of viable alternative. The war interrupted electrification and the large scale commercialisation of diesel trains yet within not much over a decade after the end of the war steam was all but dead in the USA despite its immense steam fleet, and after a slightly later start and even with the vagaries of the modernisation plan BR achieved the transition in a similar period. Which indicates that major technological change can happen much more quickly than people might imagine and that the capabilities of a new technology in the early period of such a transition are of less importance than its potential.

Something that seems to be forgotten in emotive arguments about petrol vs. EV or saving the world trype arguments is that EVs are now becoming the more attractive proposition for consumerist reasons. Forget saving the planet, cars like those made by Tesla and Jaguar I-Pace are fast, sweet handling and luxurious cars with showroom appeal in bucket loads. The new Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID3 look like they’ll be fabulous cars. Pretty well all the car companies are directing their R&D funds into EVs and PHEVs and they’ll sell not because people want to save the world but because people want them. Many still seem to equate EVs with the utter garbage that was promoted as urban transport a few years ago, like the G Whizz or whatever it was called.

This is a good point.

I used to live near one of or maybe the only rail yard that rebuilds and restores steam engines in the US.

Years back a relative who was a professional historian had permission to go on the yard and even sometimes move the engines around the yard or go on test rides with the people restoring them. Got to ride on the actual Orient Express like that once. I remember once they had just finished a medium sized steam freight locomotive. They'd taken it out and pulled some heavy loads testing it. I seemed to recall it pulled the same weight that would require everything 8 modern diesel electrics could pull up the test hill. The test was only 60% of its expected capacity. So I can imagine people saying the dinky little diesel electrics weren't a match for really hauling something. But with those you can add and subtract engines as needed, they keep synchronized and can work together and in the end simply are better fit for the purpose.

 

[Sal1950]

Just for you Ray. Track comparison of a 2015 Camry, and a 1966 Corvette.

He said it all in the last sentence,
A car is not an appliance, it's that (and he pointed to the 1966 Corvette)

 

[Sal1950]

As supposed music lovers here I'm surprised at the lack of understanding, Cars and Motorcycles, like music, are about emotions.
I promise you no one will ever write a song about their Eveready Mobile or Energiser Coupe.
Check out this ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Martin]

Interesting article: https://www.motortrend.com/cars/che...8-vs-2020-porsche-911-comparison-test-review/

Martin

 

[Ron Texas]

EV's are a tiny part of the auto market. The only reason they exist at all is expensive taxpayer funded subsidies and absurd fuel economy regulations. All they accomplish is move CO2 from the tailpipe to battery production and power generation. It's just another result of scientific fraud, regulatory excess and crackpots who believe there will be unlimited carbon free electricity 24/7.

 

[Juhazi]

Triumph Triple owner here too, with factory racing open pipe! I love the burbs too.

Here is The British rival of new Vette, McLaren GT, is the double+ price worth it?
https://cars.mclaren.com/en/new-mclaren-gt