July 18th was a special day for automobile enthusiasts around the world. The C8 Corvette was revealed to the public, and it was welcomed with enthusiastic praise. As Mark Reuss said during his presentation, the event marked a tremendous achievement for General Motors, for Chevrolet, and for Corvette. And, it also marked a lifetime memory for a father-son team that traveled across the country to see this wonderful creation in person.
Getting to Tustin
Attending the C8 Reveal event was a true privilege, and Nick and I had the chance to go with the National Corvette Museum. What wonderful people, who right from the outset made us feel part of the NCM family. And a family it is. We obtained our tickets through the Museum, and we were grateful for the opportunity they gave us to not only see the Corvette’s most significant release since it first hit the scene in 1953, but also meet key management and engineering staff from GM and the Corvette team.
We flew from New York City to Santa Ana, Orange County, on Tuesday, July 17th. As we neared SNA and started our descent, we had a perfect view of the Hangers. There was Hanger #2, decorated with two Corvette tapestries that called out to us like a beacon in the distance. We were getting close, and couldn’t wait to pass through the enormous hanger door that guarded the treasures we were hunting. What adventure!
Between the jet lag and the excitement, sleeping that night wasn’t easy. Despite going to bed around 12am local time, we woke up at 4:30am ready to go. A long morning and afternoon awaited us before we’d get to the reveal site.
Experiencing the Reveal
Hangin’ at the Hanger
Along with our new friends from NCM, Nick and I boarded the bus that would take us to Hanger #2. A line of Corvettes from every generation lined the road just outside the site entrance. How cool was it to see those beauties awaiting the arrival of their new king? Very cool. These Corvette owners were invited by Chevrolet to form the Corvette timeline through their presence, their stories, and their enthusiasm.
We saw the C7 Z06 of our favorite Corvette YouTubers, Clarence Garner. Unfortunately Clarence wasn’t there when we snapped this photo, but it was still great to see his car.
Entering the Reveal Site
As the massive stone door of the hanger slid open, we passed from the Owner’s show to the grand hall. We were immediately greeted by a stunning 1953 Corvette, white with red interior. My son’s first comment was, “wow, look how awesome the front grill is!”. We talked about the importance of that very car, and how it paved the road for future generations. How fitting it was to see that car first before seeing not only pristine examples of C2 through C7 generations but also the famed 1990 Corporate Engineering Research Vehicle III (CERV III), one of nine documented prototypes of the mid-engine Corvette.
The energy in the hall was fantastic. All of us eagerly awaiting next steps. Roughly one hour before the reveal, we were ushered further into the hall where bandstand-style seating was set up. We found our seats, and impatiently waited. Our neighbors, Judith and David, were amazingly nice people and proud owners of a beautiful blue C6 Corvette Z06, and talking to them made the wait just a bit more bearable.
10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..
Blastoff!
Mae Jemison and Scott Kelly took the stage — two astronauts with wonderful stories from their illustrious pasts. With just two days remaining before celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11’s arrival on the Moon, the theme of the evening was taking shape. First the hangers, then the astronauts, then the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing. The C8 was inspired by aeronautics of the highest level, and we were about to meet Chevrolet’s rocket.
The sound of rocket engines roared through massive speakers, the hall shook, the stage backdrop lifted, and three pairs of headlights moved quickly toward the audience. As their distance quickly shortened, their silhouettes came into focus: A Torch Red C8 took center stage, a Ceramic Matrix Grey C8 drove past the crowd on the left, and an Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic C8 drove past the crowd on the right. Mark Reuss stepped out of the Torch Red example to greet the exhilarated audience.
Mark’s presentation was nothing short of awesome. I’d never seen him speak before, and my immediate reaction was “wow, he cares, he really does”. His enthusiasm and his message were simply inspiring. He emphasized the Corvette team’s goal of building an attainable super car, and given 0-60 times under 3 seconds and a base model price of under $60k, wow did they obliterate that goal.
After a series of captivating presentations in which detailed information about the C8’s design, function, and performance were revealed, Mark got back on stage and invited the audience to leave their seats and surround the cars. What a moment, Those cars are really something else. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, look out!
Nick and I got to meet Mark, which really meant a lot to us. He is as sincere and as humble as you could get, and in his eyes you can see the passion that fueled his team’s ability to make the C8 a reality. He is a great leader, and he has led the Corvette team to create something amazing for current and new Corvette owners all around the world. Congratulations! The C8 is a masterpiece.
The Day After
As guests of the National Corvette Museum, our experience was hardly over. NCM planned an incredible day two for us, and we got started straight at 9am. Our first destination: the Marconi Automotive Museum; Our second destination: Hanger #2.
Cars for Cause
In 1994, after achieving tremendous personal and professional success, Dick Marconi donated his car collection and the building that housed it to found the Marconi Automotive Museum & Foundation for Kids. Dick’s wise mantra “learn, earn, and return” tells you everything you need to know about his values as a human being. Pretty special in today’s day and age.
This amazing automotive museum, comprised of open-wheeled race cars, European exotics, and American muscle cars, raises money for at-risk children’s charities throughout Orange County from visitors touring the collection and booked events.
There were so many beautiful cars at the Museum, and it’d take quite a lot to photograph and document all of them. I’ll share photos of our personal favorites below. Enjoy!
Back to the Future
We finished our day and our C8 Reveal experience back at the Tustin Hangers. Hanger #2 to be precise. There were fewer people present on Day 2 which gave us more time to get up close to the C8s, and also see a less-scripted version of the GM staff presentations. Tadge Juechter’s presentation was particularly good, and his insights into the C8’s design and function were really so appreciated. While not the greatest recording quality, we were able to get a video of his presentation which we posted on YouTube, here.
After seeing the beautiful classics on display at the Marconi Museum, coming back to the C8’s reveal site highlighted how far the automotive industry has come. When you sit in the C8, it feels like you’re in a well-crafted cockpit that perfectly balances design, utility, and style. Wow has the Corvette’s interior improved since Tadge took the helm, and the C8 is the latest in what has been an amazing progression of improvements. That “Z Button” is really great too, and lets you instantly change every configurable setting available to your individual preferences. I know for us that will mean turning the C8 into a track weapon!
Check out these photos that expose some of the inner-workings of this awesome car:
Apart from the mechanical marvel that is the C8, the Corvette team also put a lot of thought into the “IT side” of the vehicle. As IT professionals, we could understand and appreciate the focus on keeping the vehicle’s computer system secure. In today’s day and age, cyber-security is very important and the Corvette’s new security architecture will minimize — if not eliminate — the impact of an attempted cyber attack.
We were able to meet Tadge after his presentation. What a great person, and both Nick and I were excited to shake his hand and exchange a few words. Here’s a picture of us:
Here are a handful of other pictures we took of the C8. Hope you like them!
Joining the C8 Community
Given the amazing advancements Chevrolet has implemented in their C8, it’s easy to think that the C8 will sell like hot cakes. Will we get one? Well, it depends on who’s reading this. If it’s my wife, of course not. If it’s anyone else, you’d better believe that as soon as the C8 ZR1 model is available, we’re in. We love our C7 ZR1, and a C8 ZR1 could only get better. If only it’d be offered with a manual transmission. We can only dream..
