The 2014 Corvette Convertible has a simple solution to the need for more power and efficiency — letting some air in.
The new 2014 Corvette Stingray is made with lots of vertical slots behind the front wheels called coves, features that help the air travel through the body to reduce aerodynamic lift, Fox News reported. The features also help the 2014 Corvette convertible direct engine heat up and over the car instead if under it
More vents on top of the rear fenders of the 2014 Corvette convertible direct air into the vehicle and feed the cooling systems for the transmission fluid and electronic limited slip differential, the report notes. This air then exits through holds built into the brake light housings.
But the coolest feature on the Stingray is hidden, Fox News noted:
“The Active Hatch Vent is hidden behind the Corvette’s rear fascia and features electronically-controlled louvers that open when you lift the hatch. It turns out that the hatch is so large that it acts like a spinnaker sail, catching a huge amount of air and creating a lot of resistance when you try to shut it. Instead, the vent relieves that air pressure to reduce effort, closing again only after the hatch is latched.
“Although it seems like a complex solution to a problem that a little muscle could solve, the extra engineering effort involved is an indication the attention to detail put into the rest of the car.”
The 2014 Corvette convertible made its debut this week at the Detroit Auto Show, then traveled about 600 miles to make an appearance in New York City.
The seventh generation of the Corvette convertible has a decidedly modern feel, the New York Times noted:
“Painted in Polo White with a contrasting red interior – the only color combination offered during the Corvette’s first sales year – the only similarities between the 1953 Corvette and its modern counterpart are their front-mounted engine format (albeit an anemic inline-6 cylinder in the original Corvette, versus the current model’s 450-horsepower V-8) and rear-wheel-drive layout. Even the blueprint from last year’s Corvette to the 2014 model, set to go on sale this summer, has been strikingly altered.”
The 2014 Corvette convertible is set to hit the road later this year.