Passing the Corvette Baton
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
David Hill
In case you haven’t heard, Dave Hill is retiring as of Jan. 1 after 41 years with General Motors. As you probably know, Dave is the chief engineer for Corvette, just the third one in its 53-year history, and also vehicle line executive for performance cars.
Dave will be missed. He’s a very creative guy, and he believes that his sole mission in life was to make the Corvette the best sports car on the planet, and he has taken it to heights none of us could’ve imagined.
Let’s face it, Corvette was always a pretty good sports car, and we revere the old Corvettes of decades past but, in all honesty, in the international context, they were interesting cars filled with character, but not great international sports cars.
With every generation the Corvette has gotten better. The new one, the C6, is David’s masterpiece. His absolute intent was to make it the best, and he wouldn’t settle for anything less. He is the perfect expression of the product philosophy of “don’t shoot to be competitive; shoot to be the best.”
Dave was often disruptive, stubborn, unwilling to take direction, unwilling to take advice, unwilling to accept constraints or limits – in other words, the perfect man for the job. He forged ahead with the single-minded dedication to make the Corvette the best vehicle there is. And he achieved it. The Z06 today is hailed around the world as the biggest bargain in supercars ever. It equals all of the European supercars that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or euros, making it an enormous bargain.
Dave has a huge following in the Corvette community. He stays in close contact with the owners and they love him because he’s one of them – he’s an absolute Corvette nut, and I mean that in the best possible sense.
So how do you replace a guy like that? Well, optimally, you want someone who matches all those characteristics, who is equally passionate about the product. And that is Tom Wallace, who has an equal level of I-won’t-let-anything-stand-in-my-way dedication, a guy who is a very capable weekend racer with an impeccable car-guy background. He has a deep understanding of high performance cars. And he is genuine. He will be totally accepted by the Corvette community as the Real McCoy.
And by the way, Tom was Dave Hill’s personal recommendation. It takes one to know one. So I think this is going to work out well.
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Bob:
I read the book “All Corvettes Are Red” which documented the C5 Corvette product development process. David Hill did an incredibly good job on the C5, especially considering all the difficulties encountered on this project.
Respectfully,
Eric M. Vest
As a owner of 10 new Corvettes since 1959 and everyone was an improvement over the previous one. I now have a 2005 C-6 and it is “THE BEST VETTE YET” Great job Dave and crew.
I’m looking forward to hearing about Tom’s vision of the Corvette’s future. Perhaps a post by him…?
A personal request… Consider optional AWD. RWD is a pain during the slippery winter season. And let’s not forget Nissan’s upcoming GT-R with AWD. We don’t want them driving circles around the Corvette!
Congraulations David!
This was probably the only car that survived unscathed during the undetroit decade of the 80’s and it took a touph, independant and strong spirit to safeguard the only car to keep its heritage in the entire GM family.
A person like this, not a “yes” person is the exact type of person that is needed to run Buick today, the poster child of exactly what is wrong with GM today. Lost heritage, diminished expectations, lackluster designs, no singular vision and eroding brand image.
The number #1 problem in Detroit today is they don’t dream anymore, or they don’t dream big enouph so we can’t dream with you. Do yourselves a favor and take a trip to Cuba and see how they preserved the best designed cars in the world from the greatest era Detroit ever knew.
You have got to get out of the car business and get back into the metal rendered art studio, design mecca, heart stopping, image imparting business that you once were in. The very survival of the Detroit brands depends on it.
You know what? The 1940’s cars were even better. China awaited Buick’s return they thought the cars would be like the ones they got before WWII. I think China and Cuba got one thing right that we didn’t.
Detroit IS #1 and everyone else should be copying off of us, not the other way around.
Now if we can only get Detroit to believe it, that their designs were #1, then they will be the undisputed leaders again.
I think in all of us, those designs we now long for and they have aged like fine wine. Let’s end the era of ferment and pop the cork on something old that has come of age to its perfect time again.
Dave Hill is retiring
“Dave was often disruptive, stubborn, unwilling to take direction, unwilling to take advice, unwilling to accept constraints or limits – in other words, the perfect man for the job.”
So, are you saying that the perfect GM manager is someone who knows how to fight The General’s own deeply entrenched bureaucracy and institutional lethargy?
Bob Tips His Cap
This week’s edition of Bob Lutz’s GM Fastlane blog is a tribute to Dave Hill, who’ll retire from GM on January 1 after 41 years, only the third chief engineer the Corvette’s ever had. Forget the fact that you care
About 15 years ago I saw (parked, got a chance to walk around it) a near showroom condition black ‘63 Stingray split window.
I still remember it…I’ll never forget it. The most beautiful car I ‘ve ever seen.
Thanks DH, the C6 is amazing. Good luck, TW.
Dave,
As a Corvette owner, thank you for keeping the Corvette alive and making us proud of owning the best bang for the buck car on the road. Enjoy your retirement.
I got back from the Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School in Nevada, which features C5 and C6 Corvettes, in May. Taking the Corvette to the edge of adhesion, and driving it the way it should be, was a truly thrilling experience. The Corvette is very predicatable at its limits. With that said, having had the opportunity to drive the C5 Z06 and C6 back to back, I have to say I prefer the C5 over the C6. I believe, and as some instructors concured, the C6 may be over-engineered. The C5 was more “raw” and allows the driver to make mistakes. The C6 tries to correct for those mistakes, which can be somewhat unpredictable, and upsetting. I also didn’t much care for the button to open the door, where the transmission has to be in reverse. Following one of my cool-down laps, it was frustrating to get out, until a fellow classmate explained how to get out.
I would also like to strongly encourage General Motors to continue support of the Spring Mountain Driving School. It is the one place for the Corvette owner to experience his/her Corvette as it should. Spring Mountain has also convinced many a snooty Porsche owner that the Corvette is a thrill to drive.
thx
Mr. Lutz,
The success of the Corvette is a true commendation for Dave Hill, and much well-deserved credit goes to him. However, the Corvette’s success is also a testament to allowing a small, dedicated group of GM individuals, protected from the vast GM corporate-executive confusion, and allowed to work without the usual interference and second-guessing. Here was a group relieved of having to adhere to ‘policies for policy’s sake.’ A group relieved of ‘having to deal with global-common-fast requirements for their sake.’ A group not forced to justify every detail with all the overkill, ‘GM’s savior-of-the-month’ gimmicks like DFSS and ISO9000. No, here was a group simply being allowed to work aside and protected from the corporate mess, allowed to use their experienced experts within and all the efficiency that entails, and allowed to implement what they know is right. Simple. Efficient. With great results. Now if the larger GM engineering workforce would be afforded similar “protection,” you’d see amazing results there too.
Best wishes for a happy retirement Dave, you’ve done some great work!
In other news, did you all see that the Chevrolet Monte Carlo made the Consumer Reports list of most reliable new cars?
Holy cow! If that car was RWD and had a stick shift option, it would pretty much be the perfect vehicle for the prudent purchaser and vehicle enthusiast alike.
Let’s see some more GM cars on that list!
Interesting comments:
Communist-inspired lefties, playboy journalists (who wouldn’t know the truth if it him him on the backside) and ‘Vette owners and lovers – everyone with an opinion of America #1.
One thing for sure, the Corvette brings ‘em all out.
Keep it up!
Must say I am sad and very disappointed to hear that Dave Hill is leaving. Back in 1997, with nary a thought of an American car in my mind, I was shocked to see the new C5 Corvette. It so blew me away that not only did I buy one new, loaded to the gunwales, but I later ordered a C6 sight unseen. Dave Hill made that happen. From the street to Le Mans he took the Corvette program to heights never seen before. Go to any Viper, Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini website today and the Z06 is the talk of the automotive Internet. Buyers from those marques, many of them diehard loyalists who would never normally give a GM product the time of day are lining up three deep to get a Z06. My 2007 should be delivered in September of next year. It will be my third in yet another line of Dave Hill engineered Corvettes. I had the pleasure of meeting Dave at the New York Auto Show press preview this year. It was quite clear to me, as you said, that Dave’s sole mission in life was to make the Corvette the best sports car on the planet. So, along with my dismay, I cannot help but raise a suspicious eyebrow at this news. Dave Hill is indeed passionate about the Corvette program. Why would he retire from his passion? Yes, he has served GM and the Corvette program for many years. But he is not old. You Bob are older than he is by at least a decade but you show no sign of tiring of the automotive passion that fuels you. Am I to believe that Hill has just decided to hang it up? Even if I bought that, can someone explain to me how it is that Tadge Juechter, the Assistant Chief Engineer, did not get the call to replace Dave? Look, I’m sure Tom is capable and all. H**l, I was deathly afraid when I heard that Tom Peters of Aztek fame had been rewarded with responsibility for the C6 design but I love his design so much that I have one in my garage right now. So I do believe that everyone should be given a chance. But something about this just seems odd to me.
Look, the Corvette did not just change the way I look at American cars. It changed the way I look at America. Since taking delivery of my first Corvette in 1999 I have come to realize that if America can design a car like that it most likely designs other great things as well. To this day, no product now makes it into my life, on any level, until a comparable American product has been given first crack. Nine times out of 10 the American product carries the day. Prior to my Corvette I would not have even entertained the thought of trying anything American let alone such big ticket items. I have voted with my wallet repeatedly since. I never miss an opportunity to convince others, repeatedly, to do the same. They too have come to see the light. So you can imagine my concern now at even a hint that the Corvette program could go askew. The Corvette is not just Chevrolet’s flagship. It is GM’s flagship. I understand that a recent GM cost cutting program will see executive bonuses and apparently general salary cut by up to 40%. I sincerely hope this had absolutely nothing to do with Hill’s seemingly sudden decision to depart. If someone of Dave Hill’s capability can be lost over money he richly deserved then all is truly lost for GM. We will all be watching carefully to see what Dave does next. That will make it quite clear what happened here.
In any event, I genuinely wish Mr. Wallace well. He has some very big shoes to fill. I hope Tadge stays on with the Corvette program. Dave, we will miss you terribly. You will go down in Corvette history as probably the best Chief Engineer the program has yet seen. Job brilliantly done sir. Thank you, good luck and Godspeed in all that you do.
who cares… is he gonna do something rwd & v8 for us regular people?
As someone who knew Tom Wallace when he had a (new) 67 Z28 Camaro, I would say the Corvette future is in very good hands.
I have a 2001 Corvette C5, 6 speed. Drove a family member C6 last week. some great, some bad. On the whole product quality is way up but rawness and feel is down. What is with these quiet CORVETTES????? My 94 Camaro Z-28 has a bark to it that my 01 Vette cant touch. I get shivers when I start it. Stop trying to appeal to NYC lawyers and build a Vette for enthusiasts.!!! The Z-06 is sweet and does that but expensive. The appeal of the old vettes is their options….engines, etc…today its all the same motor and 2 transmission options. This bodes poorly for future resale. Too many C5’s like mine with similar codes. A more affordable Vette and a Vette that barks , and more options would go a long way towards preserving the brand for the next 53 years!!!
Good luck Dave! I hope you write a book about the C5 and C6 development.
GM sales are down over 50% for October and we get Fastlane Blog items that relevant to the most expensive models GM makes – WHY?
1,000’s upon 1,000’s of GM dealers are already laying off people. In Western New York dealers are in a panic, and many have already laid off staff.
The story is no different anyplace else, so again I have to ask – Does GM really care?
I think if we wanted a good excuse to get rid of GM stock, this is it. GM cannot handle the tough stories.
Awesome Dave!! Your work is an inspiration.
Hopefully I don’t sound like a broken record when I post on this site. If so, I apologize, but here’s what came to my mind immediately after reading this.
I think each brand needs people (yes, plural) like Dave. Maybe not a person per car, but close. These passionate leaders will listen to customers and design cars that merge what customers want to fits into the brand image or mission. Bringing GM back from the brink is pretty simple: 1)You need cars that people want because of the way their designed (the way they look). And 2) you need cars that flat out beat the competition in every metric (metric = features, specs, reliability, etc.) for less moolah. Pretty straightforward goal – best in class. To do that don’t try to match a competitor vehicle, blow each one out of the water.
Dave Hill was essential to the success of the C5 and C6 Corvettes. Nearly every major decision he made during the development of these two generations was made not only with the thought of how it would impact current and future Corvette owners, but also how it would conform to the history of this great car. Not an easy feat on either account.
Corvette owners embraced him as one of their own. He attended the major Corvette shows and was always accessible to both Corvette enthusiasts and the Corvette media. On the forum sites you hear story after story about someone meeting Dave and they all say the same thing: He was always gracious and he cared about what I had to say about Corvettes. While I never had the opportunity to meet Dave, I can imagine that my experience would have been the same.
In an industry that doesn’t always listen to consumers, Dave not only broke the mold, he shattered it. He will surely be missed.
I agree on the comment by claude pardo. My LS1 equipped ‘02 Z28 has a nastier exhaust note than the C5 or C6 ‘Vette. Maybe because the ‘Vette is mainly purchased by male 50 year old+ consumers, GM decided to “refine” the Corvettes exhaust note. I on the other hand, even though I enjoy my Z28’s exhaust note would prefer the Corvette’s to sound a little nastier, without taking anything away from the Z28’s exhaust note. That’s, why we’re engineers, right? To figure that out.
Congrats to Dave on a job well done. The Corvette is such an important piece of the sports car history backbone. Enjoy your retirement – in a vette hopefully.
Maybe if it’s not loud enough, you’re not going fast enough.
While everybody can appreciate the hearty roar of a Vette at full throttle on an open interstate, nobody needs to hear anybody else’s engine in full poseurphonic sound at 25-35 mph.
Complaining that a Vette’s not loud enough is like complaining that it doesn’t have enough cup holders.
The Vette’s job is to go very fast, stop quickly, and corner extremely well. Whatever it sounds like when those three goals are accomplished is whatever it sounds like. End of story.
Now if you can just make some MORE cars with independent suspension, stick shift, and RWD, and then price them at a level the average joe can afford, GM will have a vibrant future.
What’s interesting, Bob, is that it takes a chief engineer who’s disruptive, unwilling to take direction and unwilling to accept constraints in order to develop a vehicle that makes no excuses in the marketplace. What’s this say about GM culture, and the uphill battle facing many of GM’s other products?
It’s November 6. This topic was posted October 27.
Whoa! Slow down GM, let’s not scorch the Earth with keeping this blog updated and current now.
Has the new blog topic passed all the meetings, and has gained consensus yet?? What do the lawyers and spin-doctors say?
I am 110% confident GM is on the money and headed in the right direction. All three plants producing their latest vehicles are on max overdrive the HHR, H3 and Solstice.
The anticipation is building for the Detroit show, well at least in me and I can’t wait to see the new Malibu. The last time GM had a hit in the family value segment I wasn’t even born.
And GM has hit the right style note with nearly all its brands but we await the last piece of the puzzle. A ground up redesign of Buick, not the prelutzonian Buicks on their way.
Now I will admit Lutz and company looks pretty sharp with thier new vehicles and their internal design competitions but I still think I got the best idea for Buick. Yeah I still think I can get you.
I will give every automaker around the globe serious Buick envy. I’ll make Mercedes owners jaws drop. I’ll have mom and pop using thier cane to be next in line to get thier copy. I’ll have skinheads leaving the Buick dealership looking like a holy ghost revival. There will be lines at the autoshow inside, everyone lined up to see the Buick exibit.
My secret? The car’s high roofline and the comanding seating position is as integral to the cars design as the fender flares and the retro design elements the back of the car borrowed from Holden FJ. It’s like we broke into Leno’s garage, took his Buick designs and mass produced them.
Well its all pretty simple, if everyone likes the taste of Classic Coke why change the flavor. If new Coke has not caught on we go back to the original recipe that made us #1. We call it Buick Classic.
Congrats on your retirement. I love the new ‘Vette and I hope to be able to purchase one next year.
As with the others, make more RWD cars NOW.
Congrats Dave
Now you’ll finally have time to cruise in a Vette yourself.
I just hope Mr. Wallace realizes that the next vette has to be the best vette, and he has Tremendous shoes to fill.
And to add, if he succeeds, I can’t wait to see the next one.
Dear GM:
When I was young I could hardly wait till fall to see the new GM car designs. You would go to the dealership and they would have the new cars with sheets on them and all accross the country the cars were shown to the public for the first time. It was exciting ……..Not anymore…….
The GM Camaro and Firebird were discountinued. The best cars that sold for years. The last years designs were really bad. The Camaro sold because it had a design that was close to a Corvette (rear end lens, spoiler). It was a poor mans chance to have a similar car design to a Corvette.
Do what Ford is currently doing now to help bring sales back. They brought back the Mustang old design. Suggestion: GM Bring back the 55 56 57 cars same designs (you own the dies) with the sell cost around $18,000 dollars and you couldnt build enough. Change the car, put on a tilt front end like on the Corvette. People were in love with the designs back then and still today. Put in a basic 350 and keep the options limited, it would be a high performance street rod that anyone would be happy to own and still get 30 + miles per gallon. Dont make trucks that look like old farm trucks that sell at $37.000 thousand dollars that the average working cant afford?
I grew up in Grand Forks North Dakota. My local Chevrolet Dealership was Rydell Chevrolet. Wes Rydell is supposely on the board of Directors of Chevrolet. He grew his dealership from one to over five states. He has just in the last few years won the Riddler Award for his custom Chevrolet.
This guy knows cars design and know what a high performance car should be!
Wes Rydell is the one who should be in charge of future design team at GM!
The new proto Nomad has been shown for years but never built. I know tons of people that would buy that car but GM refuses to build it?
They build cars that dont sell?
I own a GM Corvette and always will drive GM cars! The best..of the best.
Bring back the old music songs: See the USA ina Chevrolet!
I love GM and hope they can turn things around.
What happened to project Bluebird? They new 100,000 thouand dollar high performance car?
Happy Thanksgiving
I am pleasantly surprised that reports of GM’s demise are premature. The Chevrolet Volt, if brought to market reasonably priced and in a timely manner, will be a huge winner for GM. Just be sure that there is sufficient production capacity at introduction. Limited supplies and associted dealer price gouging will do you no favors with the public you are trying to win back.
Currently 57 yrsa old, and am an avid corvette lover, having owned many over the years. In fact, all I’ve ever owned is GM CARS. That’s why I find it very disappointing so far in my expereince to order a new Z06.Eight months so far and counting!
Mr. Lutz: ABSOLUTELY thought your were fascinating and very funny on this week’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” You had me rolling in laughter. Looking forward to your fuel efficient car from GM.
I read spot on GM China’s push on Caddilac. Maybe you should try this here. They get an extended STS and we don’t? They get the big Holden and we don’t? I’d like to see that Holden as the next Impala, the longer wheel base STS as the new DTS. The engineering is already done.
Bob,
We need to have a standalone dealership for Cadillac to improve the brand’s image and customer service – Cadillac is the only luxury brand(as compared to Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti) that shares a dealership (in the same roof) with other brands – does the leadership realize that this needs to change? when is this going to change?
I just visited the GM display at this years Dream Cruise in Birmingham. I was excited to see a true piece of automotive history on display – the Astro II concept. Unfortunately, it was sitting all alone in a pile of dirt, with no sign, no attendant, and filthy. http://forums.subdriven.com/zerothread?cmd=print&id=3398462
Shame on you GM! Shame on you Bob Lutz! Shame on the Dream Cruise organizers.
A similar GM prototype recently sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for many millions of dollars. How ironic that a run-of-the mill HHR on display near this icon was displayed on concrete, had display signs describing the car, and was clean and polished.
GM, maybe the reason you are in deep financial trouble is because you have lost site of your automotive history. You seem to be more interesed in On-Star and plastic components than true classics and chrome bumpers.
Shame on you!
Hi Rick-
I was at the Dream Cruise this weekend, too, and saw that display. My parents actually live not too far away from that stretch of Woodward. From what they’ve told me, construction was halted on Woodward for the Dream Cruise. That median wasn’t finished yet, unfortunately! I’m sure it wasn’t done on purpose, as GM does cherish its history. Thanks for your concern. I’ll make sure to pass your thoughts along to those who work closely with the Cruise.
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Each year in recent memory, General Motors (GM) has invited the press and other key influencers out to the famous Milford Proving Grounds to spend a day testing out its upcoming model year line of vehicles on a closed course. The company has learned a lo
BOB, I AM A PROUD OWNER OF A NEW SILVERADO LTZ.. MY 3rd SILVERADO, I WAS WONDERING WHY GM STOPPED PUTTING DISC BRAKES ON THE REAR. I’VE HAD TROUBLE WITH THIS NEW BODY TRUCK AND THE 2006 TRUCK? THANKS BARRY S HARRIS DALLAS GA….
Mr. Lutz,
I finally got my shot to work for GM. While it may only be an internship this summer, I expect my work to aquire me a second internship, and then hopefully land me a career. I may be small and unknown now, but Im persistent and hardworking. My goal is to someday have worked hard enough that I can shake your hand and hear “I’ve heard about you, keep up the good work”. An ice cold brew and a nice cigar would top it off, but that would be pushing my luck.
Thanks,
Brady S. Turley
I guess you can’t do it all Mr Lutz, you’ve accomplished a bunch. I saw that new GMC concept on the Zeta, right platform to car like. That hunkered down look is too much car and not enough truck. Get a more trucklike styling and a crossover SUV on the same platform and you’d have a winner.
MR.LUTZ, First let me say THANKS, A person at your level who takes the time to post on the blog, THATS GREAT.I realize thats its a plus for you, getting feed back even though sometimes its bizarre. Makes me think of that old saying: BETTER NOT TO SPEAK AND HAVE PEOPLE THINK YOUR AND IDIOT, THEN TO SPEAK AND RELIEVE ALL DOUBT!
Anway lets talk cars, Since you asked what we all think, I believe G.M. is in a total renaissance, But thats my opinion a 59 year old car nut who hasn’t been a big G.M. fan, until now. The CAMARO has my attention, but here’s my two cents, Since I’m 59 my first choice is a V8 but I don’t need 400 plus HP, Example and R.S. model with a 330 hp 5.3 flex fuel all power 6 speed manual, leather, 18 wheels, and a sport suspension package 30/31K, I WOULD BUY THIS CAR.
Another vehicle I would buy is your COLORADO with and 5.3 flex fuel 6 speed auto, with 4/wheel disc brakes.
Speaking of E85 since G.M. is working with companys to make E85 has G.M. considered selling it a the dealerships, Since big oil isn’t inbracing it.
About BUICK when hear INVICTA, I think BUICK, RWD BUICKS! The new G8 rocks!
Again thanks, Hope to be making comments on your blog ten years from now.
MIKE in CALIFORNIA