GM’s 60th Anniversary 427 Roadster

After a seven year run GM has announced that it will again change the platform of America’s only sports car in 2014. The C7’s long anticipated wait has left the general in a very awkward marketing position. The position is driven by diminished sales of the current C6.  Hoe do you stir interest in the present rendition of the Corvette when you have announced that a new and improved version is on its way?  The solution according to the GM marketing department was to slap a ZO6 427 cu inch LS7 into a convertible Grand Sport.  GM figures that it will stir up some much needed hype by making the most powerfully roadster package ever offered. 

GM has all but written off the C6 due to its low sales figures and lack of interest by the “X” generation of sports car buyers.  The C7 is not due to hit the showroom floors until late 2013 or early 2014.  The answer to this marketing dilemma was to play up the 60^th anniversary of the Corvette by introducing an attention getter.

We had a chance to get a very close look at the new roadster at this years Barrett Jackson auction in Palm Beach FL. GM had a section of its showcase dedicated to the new roadster. The car was a real attention getter.  The arctic white exterior with contrasting pearl silver blue full length racing stripes appealed to the retro car buying crowd at the auction.  The crowd around the car was so thick that we found it almost impossible to get an unobstructed photo.

Aside from the racing stripes the first thing you notice about the car is its wide bodied low stance.  The body carbon panels and geometry are copied from the ZO6. The ZR1 donated exterior pieces that include a front splitter, carbon hood, side skirts and rear spoiler. A set of ZO6 inspired brake rotors and special 60^th anniversary ZR1 19” front and 20” rear black cup wheels also adorned this beauty.  This is a very well designed and attractive looking roadster.

The only thing about the car that left the crowd with looks of anguish was the interior.  In an attempt to differentiate the car form a run of the mill Grand Sport GM “dumbed” down the interior.  If you don’t like the GS’s carbon fiber interior look you are in luck. The roadsters interior has cheap looking dull plastic where the carbon used to be. The seats have a special blue diamond leather theme.  The problem is that most of the seating area has been replaced with very cheap looking suede micro fiber. Hey, if leather makes you sweat get one of those terry seat throw on’s that the catalogs sell. Don’t destroy the one thing about the Corvettes interior that actually looked good.

In any case the 60^th anniversary roadster is a very capable sports car.  In terms of raw performance it one of the fastest, best handling convertibles in the world. As for the projected price, this beauty is set to sell at around a hundred grand. It’s nice but not that nice. Our recommendation is to take a look at it when the car hits your local show room and than buy a Grand Sport roadster. If you follow this advice you can invest in a plethora of add on goodies with the forty grand you saved.