Chevy to unveil Corvette Stingray Convertible at Geneva show

Chevy’s all-new Corvette Stingray will spend a little time studying abroad in early March.

The automaker announced Thursday it would be unveiling the all-new Corvette Stingray Convertible at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5.

The car will be a drop-top version of the seventh-generation sports car that made its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Power isn’t expected to change from that car’s 6.2-liter V-8 engine that makes 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. The transmissions will likely be the coupe’s seven-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

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Chevy hasn’t announced pricing for the coupe or the convertible, but the current soft-top Corvette starts at about $7,000 more than the coupe. Thus, a 2014 convertible could start around $60,000.

Chevy has made it clear it has global ambitions for the new Corvette. Releasing this new model at a European car show known for high-dollar luxury cars from brands like Ferrari and Rolls Royce, demonstrates how seriously Chevy wants this Corvette to be taken.

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There’s also an inherent risk of being overshadowed by million-dollar supercars at the Geneva show, but Chevy isn’t worried about that.

“It’s great company for the car to be in,” said Chevy spokesman Monte Doran. “The Corvette is truly a world-class sports car, so it’s not a bad thing to be talked about in the same breath as Ferrari and Bentley.”

Though Chevy won’t confirm it, American audiences will probably get their first look at the Corvette Stingray Convertible at the New York Auto Show at the end of March.

Buyers looking to be the first to own such a convertible will get their chance in early April. Chevy says the first production Corvette Stingray Convertible will be auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach car auction on April 4-6.

Just make sure your pockets are deep enough. The world’s first C7 coupe sold for more than $1 million at an auction in January. Like the earlier auction, all proceeds from the convertible’s sale will go a charity, in this case the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Buyers not looking to spend seven figures on the Corvette Convertible will probably have to wait until late 2013 or early 2014, when the car will hit Chevy dealerships.

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