Tadge Tells All: 30 Years of Stories from the Corvette’s Chief Engineer, Part One

Corvette Interview Tadge Jeuchter part 1
Hagerty Media

There’s no doubt that the Chevrolet Corvette has long been embraced by many Hagerty readers, and it’s also one of the most popular models among those who insure their cars with Hagerty. And for good reason—aside from what the car actually delivers, the storylines woven throughout the history of America’s sports car provide no shortage of automotive intrigue.

At the center of the last three decades of the Corvette’s lows and highs—from having to save the program from near-cancellation and the unfortunate delay of the mid-engine layout to the C5’s resounding sales success and the debut of the 1064-horsepower C8 ZR1—was one man in particular: Tadge Juechter. Recently retired from his position as executive chief engineer of the Corvette from 2006 to 2024, Juechter has no shortage of Corvette stories to tell. To help explore the past, present, and future of the Corvette, we organized a roundtable with Juechter and Harlan Charles, Corvette’s marketing manager since 2001, for a beyond-candid discussion of the brand.

Larry Webster, Hagerty Media editor-in-chief, moderates the discussion, along with Corvette Hall of Fame member Jerry Burton, who also writes for Hagerty and was the founding editor of Corvette Quarterly magazine.

We’ve divided the discussion into three meaty portions—this is part one; part two will appear on Thursday, and part three will be released on Friday.

In part one, Juechter and Charles outline the path of the Corvette and its “evolution from America’s sports car to the world-beating performance machine that we know today,” as Webster characterized it, “including just how close the Corvette was to being axed during the 2008 financial crisis.”

Indeed, that “world-beating” Corvette, the current and long-awaited mid-engine C8, was for customers who wanted “an attainable dream car,” Charles said. And when it was unveiled for 2020 with a base price of $59,995, he was asked, “’How did you guys make it [for that]? Why is it so cheap?’ And I’d go, ‘Ask those other guys why their car is so damned expensive.’”

Tadge Juechter interview
Cameron Neveu

It was a long and bumpy road to get to the C8, though. Juechter and Charles were especially forthcoming about the General Motors bankruptcy, which was filed on June 1, 2009, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. “We had already started the C7 as a mid-engine car, and things weren’t going well,” Juechter said. It would have debuted as a 2012 model. “The housing crisis and everything eventually caused such financial stress that General Motors went bankrupt. And shortly before that, actually, it was about eight or 10 months before that, we got the call.

“We were in the heart of the development. It was early, but in the heart. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll do this, maybe we won’t.’ We were designing parts. We were designing our own transmission. We had a model lineup,” Juechter said. “It was around the day before Christmas, my boss calls me and says, ‘Sorry, you have to stand down on the C7 and start thinking about extending the C6. We just can’t do it.’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about? This wasn’t even on the agenda.’”

That meant, Juechter was told, no mid-engine. “At the time, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, did we just lose it? Did we just lose the chance?’ Because we had no idea what bankruptcy meant.”

By then, the value of the Corvette to Chevrolet and GM had already shifted, Juechter said. “A long time ago, when we did Corvettes in the C4 era, they were to drive showroom traffic at Chevrolet. You did it as the tip of the technology spear. You did it as a halo for your brand—all these non-financial reasons. But starting with C5, it got hardcore. It was like, ‘We need to turn this into a bread-and-butter car. And if it doesn’t make money, it’s going to die eventually.’” Chevrolet “had to hit a price point that people can afford.” It did, well before the bankruptcy, but the future of the Corvette was still a major part of the discussion.

And even prior to that, Corvette was on the block, with the transition from the C4 to the C5. Juechter was charged with justifying the redesigned car before GM’s board of directors, a high-pressure situation if there ever was one. “Only Corvette’s future depended on it,” he said wryly.

Tadge Juechter
Cameron Neveu

Central to the discussion was a bargain-basement model, encouraged from the Chevrolet general manager on down. “A lot of people at Chevrolet said, ‘You’ve got to bring it in under $30,000. At $29,995.’ We had a model that had manual mirrors—you had to ask your passenger to roll down the window and push the mirror in place. ‘Oh, a little left, a little right.’ It had cloth seats.”

What happened to the $29,995 C5 Corvette? Watch the video to hear Juechter and Charles tell the story. There will be lots more on Thursday in part two, and Friday in part three.

To listen to the interview in full, check out the Never Stop Driving podcast:

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Comments

    Great interview. Looking forward to the rest.

    If anyone wants the full story on the C5 get the book All Corvettes are Red. It tells the entire story and even if you are not a Corvette fan it is a very educational look at development and the damaged culture in GM.

    GM is full of sone of the greatest minds but too often they are held back by the weaker management. No not always bean counters.

    The car really was killed by management and they hid the program and finally won approval as the prototype was every bit as good as Tadge said.

    The C5 did save the Corvette.

    While it was disappointing the delay of the C8 gave them the money and time to get it right. Lutz knew if they rushed it the car would be compromised by post bail out spending.

    The Corvette was and still is the obtainable dream car.

    Even with the C8 the cost to maintain it is just a fraction of what the supercars cost. Many can buy an old Ferrari but few can maintain them in running order.

    I can attest to the c5 stiffness and every bit of what he said on good suspensions starts at the chassis or space frame.

    Cool interview. I remember the Corvette coming close to being discontinued a couple times. Glad that never happened and a great discussion.

    Outstanding interview. I’ve heard both Tadge and Harlan speak many times at various Corvette events and always interesting. The reference hyperv6 above makes about All Corvettes are Red is exactly why Larry, Tadge and Harlan need to write a book with all the great stories. Have a chapter on Cody Buckley and Cyclones in E-Ray and Rockefeller Ice Rink.

    Larry, your way of interviewing is exceptional. It makes me feel like I’m there asking questions. Nice job

    Hey hyperv6, couldn’t agree more about the book, “All Corvettes Are Red”
    Great background into the backrooms and workings at GM. Great read

    I owned 3 Vettes,2 73s,1 74.Lot of problems,crankshaft bearings gone at 200 miles on 1st 73 convertible,transmission on 74 convertible ( 4 spd). However, I had no problems getting rid of them at a profit.
    I still want another one. Am I crazy?

    I bought a 96 Collector Edition back in 2000 with 120, 000 miles. I use it in the summer as a daily driver. It now has 163,000 miles and she has had 1 rear wheel bearing replaced by me. My Girl will outlast me and my successors. Greatest car I have ever owned and I have owned many through my fifty years of driving. I hope GM will never stop producing the ultimate American Sports car. Long live the Corvette.

    I find it too odd that, as much as an iconic car the Corvette is, GM has tried almost since it’s very inception to kill it. Corvette’s own worst enemies were/are not on the racetrack but on the GM Board of Directors. Story of it’s life.
    Reminds me of the Dread Pirate Roberts line in Princess Bride, “Good work, well done. Most likely kill you in the morning” or something like that.

    I worked at the Marion, Ind. Fisher Body plant when Joe Spielman was plant manager. I drove my 66 convertible to work nearly every day and parked it outside his office window so we became acquainted. He was the best plant manager we had during the 40 years I worked there. No foolishness in his management style. Said what he meant and meant what he said. He was passionate about the Corvette and it showed. “All Corvettes Are Red” is a great read!

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