100% Official: 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette will debut in Detroit in January

Along with the announcement that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will debut in Detroit, the American automaker issued the image shown on the right which gives us our first look at an official detail of the C7 Corvette. You will recognize this image as the familiar crossed flags logo that has adorned the Corvette since the introduction of the first Vette back in 1953 but in comparison to the Corvette logo found on the current, C6 models – this new emblem is more angular with a “faster” look. The basic design of the logo remains that same with a checked flag on one side and a combination of the Chevrolet Bowtie logo/ fleur de lis on the other.

“The all-new, seventh-generation Corvette deserved an all-new emblem,” said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design. “The new Crossed Flags design reflects the character of the next Corvette. The flags are much more modern, more technical, and more detailed than before – underscoring the comprehensive redesign of the entire car.”

GM claims that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will be completely redesigned inside and out with the only shared parts between the current C6 models and the upcoming C7 models being the cabin air filter and the removable roof panel. We can expect a distinct new look that has been somewhat teased in a manufacturing video showing the new front fascia along with a new engine family based around the 5th generation of the General Motors small block V8. Click here for a look at the new front fascia via the stamping machinery video.

While there have been some rumors about which vehicles will make their grand debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show next January in Detroit, the official announcement that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will be among them presents us with what will very likely be the showstopper in the Motor City. New American vehicle debuts are always a big deal in Detroit but to have a car with the history of the Corvette enter into just its 7th generation since 1953 – it will be very big news around the world. There will be lots of news coming out of the 2013 North American International Auto Show but the odds are good that every vehicle set to debut in Cobo Hall next January will be forced to play second fiddle to the launch of the C7 Corvette.

C7.R Race Car to Follow
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will follow in a long list of incredible performance cars that have been major players in the open-road horsepower war that has been waged on American roads for over a half a century but the Corvette race program has been just as dominant in the motorsports world. The C7 production car will be joined by the evolutionary replacement in the race program as well with the C7.R arriving during the 2014 racing season. Chevrolet will continue to use the C6.R for the 2013 American LeMans Series (ALMS) but in 2014, the uber successful Corvette Racing teams will shift to the new C7.R.

During the 2012 ALMS season, Corvette Racing captured the manufacturer’s championship and the team championship while the race team piloted by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner captured the drivers’ championship with 4 class wins in the first 9 races. Corvette Racing and the rest of the American LeMans Series will take on the curves of Road Atlanta this weekend for the 2012 season finale – the Petit Le Mans. The Corvettes have been fast in practice this week so there is a good chance that either the #3 or #4 Corvette could take yet another win on the 2012 ALMS season.

Based on the success of the C5.R and C6.R programs, we can expect that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will be well represented in the motorsports world when the C7.R hits the track early in 2014.