If you’re an automotive design enthusiast, GM Design’s Instagram presence is an invaluable resource, offering an inside look at the process behind some of today’s most popular vehicles. The people behind it are also fond of going into the archives, and every once in a while that results in a stunning view of what might have been. And this month, they offered exactly that — a model for a proposed four-seat version of the Corvette dating back to 1962.
According to the caption, this was developed as a response to the Ford Thunderbird. It doesn’t seem to have made it past the modeling stage, but the images GM Design shared offer viewers a take on what a Corvette designed to take a quartet out for a night on the town might look like.
Writing at Autoblog, Byron Hurd provided even more historical context for this version of the Corvette. Hurd detects a bit of a Ferrari influence on the model, noting that “the split-window-based mock-up looks like a cross between the Corvette on which it’s based and some notable European grand tourers.”
It has a sleek design for sure, and the windows overlooking the back seats make for a particularly striking touch. Did car culture lose something invaluable when GM decided not to move forward on this? It’s possible — though the blend of sports car styling and a semi-spacious interior does boggle the mind somewhat. File this one under “what might have been.”
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