C8 Corvette Looks like It Might Come with Advanced Active Aero

Latest GM patent reveals that the C8 might be able to raise and lower itself as well as manipulate aero bits.

As we painfully inch closer and closer to the C8 Corvette’s actual reveal, more and more details about the mid-engine machine continue to emerge. And one thing’s becoming abundantly clear – the latest Corvette is going to look and perform a lot like the world’s best supercars. At a much lower price, of course. The latest evidence of this comes to us via Mid-Engine Corvette Forum, which recently discovered a very interesting C8 Corvette patent filed by General Motors.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen patents from GM surrounding the many aerodynamic features of the C8. But this one does feature something new – dubbed vehicle ride-height dependent control of air deflector. Or, in layman’s terms, a system that uses sensors to monitor the position of active aero pieces on the front and rear of the car. But these sensors also monitor the car’s ride height, not just various vents and spoilers.

That’s where things get interesting. The C8 Corvette’s high-tech new systems aim to maximize aerodynamics and performance. But it also raises the possibility that GM could use the systems to add a safety element to the mix. If the sensors detect possible contact with something on the ground, they could raise the car up to clear it. And they are even able to do so with either the front or rear of the car, not just both.

ALSO SEE:2019 Corvette ZR1 Drive Review: 755 Horsepower of American Excess

This is the kind of technology that you typically see on high-dollar exotic cars. So it’s pretty exciting that we could get it on the next Corvette. But of course, like any patent, it might never actually make it to a production C8. These drawings even depict a C7 Corvette, but since production is just about finished that’s obviously a moot point.

If nothing else, we’re pretty much guaranteed to see some sort of advanced active aero on the C8. Just how advanced, well, we may not know for a while. Even when the C8 debuts on July 18, we may not know exactly the depths of which GM is willing to go to do battle with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. But the fact that they’re even in that conversation is pretty special in our book.

Photos: U.S. Patent Office