The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is pictured with each generation of Corvette that preceded it. Image by Chevrolet
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville International Car and Truck Show attendees saw a big display of classic Corvettes last Saturday outside the Prime Osborn Convention Center.
RELATED: Chevrolet unveils 2014 Corvette Stingray
The Corvette Club of Jacksonville was out in force and not surprisingly, one of the big topics of discussion was the 2014 Corvette Stingray.
While none of the club members we talked to has seen the new Corvette in the flesh, there were plenty of opinions based on the photos and videos they've seen.
Club member Jim Sullivan, who owns a 1966 Corvette Sting Ray Convertible, didn't like what he first saw. "The first things that I had seen on the Internet, I wasn't too pleased with it. It looked like a mixture between a Mustang and a Camaro." But he fell in love with the new style as more images and information surfaced.
"The other night we had our meeting. One of the guys that works out there at the Concours d'Elegance had brought in some GM pictures and I'm in love with it now. After you really see what the car looks like, what you saw in the Internet is nothing like what the pictures look like."
2002 Corvette convertible owner and club member Bill Capps had mixed opinions when he saw some photos. "I think that the body style should have been a little more changed before they called it a C7. It's not that far different than the C6s." As Corvette fans know, Capps is referring to the in-house platform designation Chevrolet gives to each new generation of Corvette.
"They took the rounded tail lights out of it, which has always been a Corvette standard, which I don't like. I like the styling of the back but to me, the top on it, to me, looks like something that came off a Camaro," said Capps.
While Capps isn't quite sold on the coupe's styling, he's hopeful the convertible's styling will be more to his liking. "I would rather see the convertible when you don't have that type of a top on it. It might be a better looking car."
Chevrolet will unveil the Corvette Stingray convertible at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5.
Despite Capp's reservations about the styling, he's still bullish about the 2014: "The [next-generation] Corvette is always an improvement. My 2002 to the 2013s; there's a lot of improvements they've done."
As for me, I share Sullivan's opinion. I didn't care for the styling based on the first images I saw. But when additional photos and videos were released, I quickly warmed up to it. Personally, I'm most excited about interior advancements GM is touting, which will include a configurable dash display.
Corvette fans across the First Coast will only have to wait a few more weeks to see the 2014 Corvette Stingray up close. Chevrolet has confirmed it be bringing the C7 to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, which runs March 8-10 at the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton.
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