Mistaken identity?

Concept

Concept

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Joined
14 July 2023
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41
Now that there are hundreds of thousands of C8 Corvettes (in every color of a rainbow) on the road, do any of you owners experience comments by bystanders, like
"Hey, is that the new Corvette?"

That would make me cringe, I think.
The polar opposite situation was when I was driving my MX5 a short while ago. When at a traffic light, a guy in the car next to me yelled out, "Hey, is that a Mercedes SLK?"
 
when the C8 started to roll out of BG, folks asked if the bee was a vette...
In the old days at track events(usually F guys) asked if the bee was a zanardi
currently folks have no idea what the S is and just ask...what the hell is that thing?
 
docjohn said:
when the C8 started to roll out of BG, folks asked if the bee was a vette...
In the old days at track events(usually F guys) asked if the bee was a zanardi
currently folks have no idea what the S is and just ask...what the hell is that thing?
Click to expand...
I think I'd rather get asked either of those questions vs, the Corvette question. :)
 
To the average Joe most midengined cars kinda do look alike..
 
docjohn said:
To the average Joe most midengined cars kinda do look alike..
Click to expand...
When I was renting a 2019 McLaren 570S Spider, a girl at the gas station asked me if it was a Ferrari. I laughed and said "No, this is what's called a baby McLaren." She then asked why it was given that name, and I replied that this is the least expensive car in their lineup - only $250,000. To that she said, "Wow, you can buy a house for that much!" I said, "Not in this neighborhood."

...fun times, indeed.
 
DRIFTER said:
Why would that make you cringe? The NSX looks a lot like the C8 especially in Blue. Far less people are car enthusiasts than you think.

MX5 and SLK well…..

But the NSX and C8 I totally get.
Click to expand...
Because the quality and reliability of C8s is in the "toilet", so to speak. I don't want anyone to think I chose a C8 over an NSX.
 
Then you will need Jedi mind control...we are not made of other's perceptions..
 
The NC1 and C8 do share significant design cues, and the Type-S went further in the "hard angles and clashing features" direction which makes it look even more like a new 'Vette.
 
It's even worse for the NA2. A C5 with a fixed headlight conversion looks a lot like the NA2. "What did you do to your corvette?!" Sigh.
 
I've had Vette owners wave at me coming from the other direction and then upon getting close look very confused. I've had people ask at a gas station if my NA1 was the "new vette". And many older ladies at work asking how I like my corvette.

Personally I find it impossible to mistake the two cars, even just visually. But I think a lot of people don't know anything about cars.

I can see how people in those categories could confuse the NC1 and C8 if they weren't side by side.
 
One day I was washing my new 2001 C5 Corvette when I heard a teen neighbor yell out, "Hey, nice Mustang!"
I thought to myself, "How could ANYONE be more clueless."
 
I buy cars for a living, mostly insurance salvage but quite a few private party. I've come to realize over the years that most people out there know nothing about cars. Some don't even know what kind of car they drive.
 
Ha, so true ... just a couple of weeks ago I was at a coffee shop and a woman who owns a Corvette said to me, "Wow that sounds so nice ... what year is your Corvette?"
 
To that I would say, "Thanks, but as a former Corvette owner, I decided that I can no longer tolerate all the issues the car has had. That's why I bought an Acura/Lexus/Toyota, etc."
 
e9coupe said:
I buy cars for a living, mostly insurance salvage but quite a few private party. I've come to realize over the years that most people out there know nothing about cars. Some don't even know what kind of car they drive.
Click to expand...
100%. Cars are just fancy appliances for most people. I don't know what model washer and dryer I have and I would find people who can recite the specifications of a washer / dryer very strange. I suspect, to some extent, non-car people look at us car enthusiasts the same way.
 
DRIFTER said:
That’s just sounds like a Ford guy busting balls.
Click to expand...
It could've been a Ford guy if the he weren't so young. The "kid" was probably not even old enough to drive. :)
Another funny story: When I was 21, I bought a 1968 Corvette, but quickly realized that I would need another car to drive during Winter months (in CT). My first "crasher" was a 68 Mercury Cougar. That $300 car lasted for a year until its oil pump failed on the highway. Next up was a 75 Monte Carlo ($1000) that had no clear coat left on its paint. One day, just after I arrived at a Caldor department store, some teens who had walked to the store from a nearby apartment complex, saw me get out of the car and one yelled out, "Hey mister, your car looks like a piece of sh*t!" As I turned to look at them, they sprinted out of the parking lot, fully expecting me to run after them. Apparently they thought I was so proud of my $1000 car that I would be incensed enough to chase them.

That incident always makes me laugh when I think about it. I will not make fun of anyone's vehicle, at least in front of that person.
20220618_104047.jpg

Proud owner of custom car that I never saw before this event
 

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