Ever since the first design drawings leaked out, the world has gone nuts over the 2014 Corvette looking more angular, outlandish, and (dare I say it) ugly than its predecessor. Well, the same guy responsible for the C7's design knows a thing or two about debuting controversial cars.


The man responsible for the design team for the new Corvette Stingray is none other than Tom Peters. Don't believe me? Here he is talking about being in charge of the design team, here he is cited as executive director of exterior design, his LinkedIn calls him the director of rear wheel drive ad performance car design at GM, and his GM profile calls him "Director, Full-Size Truck and Performance Car Exterior Design."

Here he is in an Autoweek video defending the Corvette's taillight design, which he was responsible for approving for the C7.


GM would probably like to point out that Peters designed the classically pretty, understated C6 Corvette. I would like to point out that Peters was the Chief Designer for the Pontiac Aztek.

The Aztek was derided as the ugliest car on sale from the moment it came on the market, and it's remains a regular feature on 'ugliest cars of all time' lists, along with 'worst cars of all time' lists, too.

The truth is that the Aztek was just ahead off the trend for aggressively-styled crossovers. Take a look at any Lexus, Hyundai, or anything else and you'll see the same kind of slashes, creases, and spider headlights that made the Aztek such a monumental flop.


So here's a question for you: will the Corvette Stingray eventually get lionized for its controversial shape (as the Aztek should be) or will it end up resigned as an ugly wannabe (as the Aztek actually is)?


Photo Credits: GM, Autoweek