2020 C8 Corvette Talk with Tom Peters

By Paul Pollock
Publisher, The Corvette Story

Tom Peters is interviewed by automotive journalist Laura Burstein.

Manual Transmission Blues?

I asked Tom "Are you going to miss the manual transmission?" He replied "I am a hard core manual transmission guy. Almost all of my cars have been stick shifts. But when we were testing the Ferrari 458 Italia, I changed my mind. With a car like this, a dual clutch with paddle shifters is really the best transmission."

I then asked "Might the aftermarket be able to supply a manual trans C8?" He said "Maybe. But it would be very difficult. There are so many sensors and electronic communications going on, I don't know how it could be done." I added "And so even if it could be done it would end up being so expensive that few would be interested." He agreed.

Corvette Identity Cues

I showed Tom my "Corvette Spotter" iPhone app that lists the visual features that allows the user to distinguish the year of a Corvette. I pointed out, for example, that the C2 Corvettes all had a distinctive fuel filler cap. The designers no longer make those sort of changes from year to year and I asked him if there was a particular reason.

He told me that may have been easy to do "back in the day" but in modern times, with all the compliance regulations, it is difficult. Even things that you think would be of little consequence can have all sorts of ramifications when it comes to crash testing and other regulatory issues. I mentioned that detail changes that differentiate Corvette years was thought of as a marketing tool. Tom's thought was that even if it was possible, he questioned if it would make any real difference.

Corvette Point of View

I met Tom at the October 2013 Art Center Car Classic when the the C7 was introduced. When talking to the students, which was a fascinating conversation to listen to, he mentioned what he felt was the best way to look at the C7. He positioned himself at the rear of the drivers door and then said "Now look over to the front right headlight". That, to him with all the interesting hood bulges, was the optimum view.

I mentioned that conversation and then asked him his favorite view of the C8. He said "It's almost the same. For the C8, position yourself at the center of the rear wheel for the optimum angle".

Keep in mind that Tom is a tall man. I'm just under six feet and I think he is a couple of inches above that. YMMV!

HVAC Control Strip

I also got a chance to ask Tom about the HVAC control strip and how it came about.

He told me there was a problem with locating all the dedicated buttons on the interior. Putting them in the usual place - under and around the navigation screen - would have forced the screen to be repositioned higher or made smaller.

The solution was found in jet fighter cockpits, which similarly have many committed buttons and limited space. Their problem is solved by placing them to the side of the pilot and a similar solution was decided on for the C8.

Tom Peters discusses the fine points of the Corvette C7 design with Art Center students in October 2013.

Below: Tom points to the edges and tells the students that the edge radius was dictated by the aerodynamicists. Now that is attention to detail!

Click here for more about Tom Peters and his work at GM.

The Zeuss Bronze color represented the C8 coupe at the 2019 Art Center Car Classic.