With the coupe and convertible engineered simultaneously—per chief engineer Tadge Juechter, the C7 was designed from the beginning as an open-top car—differences between the two body styles are minimal. The only change other than the soft-top is the elimination of the C6.R-style rear quarter-panel vents for the transmission (automatic and Z51) and differential coolers (Z51), which have been replaced by underbody air intakes.
The stiffer frame also allows for identical suspension, steering, and brake tuning for the coupe and convertible. The suspension is comprised of a lightweight short/long arm suspension at all four corners and is available with Bilstein dampers, while the third-generation Magnetic Ride Control is available on Z51 models. Standard wheels are 18 x 8.5-inch front and 19 x 10-inch rear; Z51 models get 19- and 20-inch forged wheels. GM claims Z51 models can pull more than 1.0 g during cornering. Motivation for the Corvette Stingray convertible comes from the same 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 as the coupe, which features direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and variable valve timing. Official numbers haven’t been released, but GM says output will be around at 450 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. Like the coupe, the engine can be mated to a rear-mounted seven-speed manual transmission with rev matching or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
The LS7-powered 2013 Corvette 427 set the bar for Corvette convertible performance fairly high, posting a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds, finishing the quarter-mile in 11.9 seconds at 121.5 mph, and stopping from 60 mph in 101 feet. It also posted a 1.06 g (avg) on our skidpad and finished our figure-eight test in 24.1 seconds. We have to wait until we get our hands on the 2014 to find out if the C7 convertible will be the new king of this hill, but the outlook is good. Though the 2014 Corvette Stingray will only be available in left-hand drive, it will still be sold in some right-hand drive markets such as Japan and the United Kingdom. It will also be exported to continental Europe, the Middle East, and Russia. Export-spec Corvettes will be unchanged aside from minor tweaks to meet local regulations concerning details like lighting and mirrors. With the base 2013 Corvette convertible starting at $55,595 and an estimated starting price of around $59,000 for the C7 coupe, expect the 2014 to start around $65,000, still well short of the $77,915 Chevrolet wants for the limited-edition 427. If performance is similar, it would make the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette convertible one hell of an open-roof motoring bargain
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