While the new Corvette Stingray Convertible has just made its debut on the international automotive scene, it is a discoverable 1963 Stingray model that is expected to make a splash at the Silverstone Auctions sale of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Car Show next November.
This model belonged to British pop star Sir Cliff Richard (not to be confused with Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist), who acquired it in March 1963. The artist who performed with the Shadows was at the height of his fame. To date, he is one of the most successful British artists in the UK charts.
This Stingray, from which Cliff Richard left in 1965, has accumulated some 69,000 miles since leaving the factory, but has remained in excellent condition thanks to a restoration carried out in 2012 by the specialist Claremont Corvette (its vinyl upholstery has been replaced by leather). It is sold with his original Delco radio; the same one on which Richard probably heard his tracks play during the sixties.
The selling price of this Corvette Stingray is estimated at between £50,000 and £60,000 (between €56,140 and €67,370), slightly less than another star car: a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.8 Coupe that belonged to Lulu, a singer who distinguished herself in the 1960s with her single "Shout", before putting her voice in 1974 on the soundtrack of a James Bond ("The Man with the Golden Gun"). The value of the German coupé is estimated at between £65,000 and £75,000 (between €72,985 and €84,215).
The new Chevrolet Corvette 2020 has undone its camouflage outfit to reveal itself in its best light. And the least we can say is that it impresses.
It is a breath-taking mouth, proportions completely different from those of the C7 and a central engine displayed through this exotic bezel has struck the imagination. The 1,500 guests, who were able to admire for the first time the car unveiled in a hangar in Santa Ana, California.
Of course, the glance at this new Corvette immediately raised countless questions. For example, would the previous generation model be kept on the market? Were we going to offer a convertible version? And above all, what is the price of this new Corvette, which seems to want to compete with the most exotic European cars?
So no, the Corvette C7 will not continue its career. For her, it's the swan song. And if you're a fan of this model, it's time to do business in gold, as GM wants to liquidate them by offering big discounts.
The convertible: not until 2021, as tradition has it. Since the arrival of the C4 in 1983, GM has always made its customers salivate a little longer before unveiling its convertible version. And the same will be true for the C8 (eighth-generation Corvette).
As for its price, GM Canada announces an MSRP of $69,998. Considering that the 2019 Corvette has a base price of approximately $65,000, this is a very small increase considering all the changes made, because even if the car now has international ambitions, it is out of the question for GM to make it inaccessible to those who have always worshipped it.
With this new version, the 2020 Corvette completely changes its approach in order to attract customers who would never have considered it in the past. The market has shown that the youngest sports car buyers almost never consider the Corvette, preferring to go for the German brands, especially Porsche. Chevrolet aims to correct the situation with a car that could appeal to Corvette enthusiasts, but also to those looking for performance, style, luxury and exceptional finish quality.