Not invited to the Corvette reveal? There’s a livestream for that
Chevrolet is ramping up the PR machinery in advance of the official reveal of the all-new mid-engine C8 Corvette on July 18, 2019, in Orange County, California. As can be expected in the 21st century, the introduction will be digitally livestreamed to the world, but then Chevy will go old-school, putting the next generation ‘Vette on two dealership tours across the United States, so potential customers can see and feel it in the flesh… or rather, fiberglass and carbon fiber.
The broadcast of the reveal will be streamed at here and on Chevy’s social media channels, starting at 7:30 p.m. PDT/10:30 p.m. EDT on July 18. There will be a hosted preshow that will include special guests and video of historic Corvettes, followed by the introduction. You can probably expect references to Zora Duntov, the Corvette’s legendary chief engineer for much of its history. Duntov was an early advocate of switching the Corvette to a mid-engine layout, but he could never convince the suits to make the move.
Barry Engle, General Motors executive vice president and president for the Americas, said in a statement, “There is a large contingent of Corvette fans across the world waiting for the reveal of the Next Generation. We’re happy to give these fans, and all sports car enthusiasts, a way to see and learn about the vehicle at the same time as those participating live in California. Viewers will hear directly from Chevrolet leadership, engineering and some special guests about the highlights and background of this first mid-engine Corvette.”
After the official reveal next week, the 8th-generation Corvette will be on the road for special events at Chevrolet dealers that will include interactive displays along with vehicle specialists on hand to show prospective Corvette buyers how they can personalize their sports car with optional seats, wheels, and accessories. The tours are a bit of a throwback to the 1950s and early 1960s, when car dealers would stage gala events to introduce new models.
Engle said, “Our national tours will bring the Next Generation car right to our customers’ local Chevrolet dealership, where they can start imagining themselves in their very own personalized mid-engine Corvette.”
There will be East and West Coast tours, with stops scheduled at more than 125 “select” dealerships across the fruited plains. Exact dates and locations for the dealer events will be announced after the reveal. Chevrolet has thousands of dealers, so presumably, the stores selected for the events are those with a history of catering to Corvette enthusiasts.
Hagerty will also be on the ground at the reveal of the C8 mid-engine Corvette, so follow along on our Instagram and Facebook pages for livestreams and other updates.