Cork76063

Let me preference this by saying I have yet to see either of these in person. Love black cars and have owed several including corvette, so I know about the dirty as soon as you wash it. My question is, with the C8, looking at it on both the build site and the visualizer, the lines of the car seem to get lost when built in black. Is this an optical illusion from looking at it on a computer screen? For those who own or who have seen a 70th anniversary edition, does the metallic help with the lines of the car or do they still get lost? I have heard that the metallic helps with the issue of looking dirty right after you wash it. I currently have a '23 Red Mist HTC, get tons of compliments, but I'm ready for a change and am first in line for a '24 at my dealership and have been told to get ready to configure my order. Thoughts?

StayinStock

Carbon Flash still has dark car dirty syndrome, most any paint that dark is going to show everything. How much it shows or hides as far as body lines though all comes down to lighting. At night ittl look black, in the right sunlight and angle ittl look metallic grey. Its a cool color for sure. Almost bought a CE Grandsport a few years ago in that color. Its basically having a black car with a little bit of zest. Either way you can't go wrong, should look great on a c8

gmarcucio

I also have a Red Mist color C8 but I have the coupe. When I ordered the C8 I first built it in black and then changed my color at the last minute to Red Mist for the reasons that you mentioned with the body lines. Same here I love the color and get tons of compliments on the Red Mist color but it's time for a change. I'm waiting on an ordered 70th Anniversary Edition in Carbon Flash. If some of the lines seem to get lost it will be a subtle change. The car has enough going on for it to still attract all kinds of attention! I too love black cars!

Ron_Attleboro_MA

Good question I have been debating between my wife. I just submitted my 2024 HTC order yesterday. Hopefully the order goes to GM at the end of July.
I have a 2017 black GS and find it easy to clean. I don't drive in rain so it mostly gets dusty. I use a Calif-Duster and sometimes micro-fiber cloth with detailer.
I considered Carbon Flash just to try something different. In the end, back to black. Black has the shine, depth, and makes the car look menacing.
I find the other colors to be more 'elegant'.
I love seeing my black GS in the garage under the lights. Many don't like high-wing spoilers but that's on the order also( carbon flash $1350).
Everyone has different eyes, no wrong choices. Best wishes to all.

Now:




Coming this Fall:

HTC, 2LT, no Z51 or mag.

BandDirector

…I just finished the factory tour and I got to see black and carbon flash metallic side by side. It is a tough choice! The sparkle of the CFM does almost look like a dusty black car compared to the depth of the regular black though…I like both as well, but will probably end up going with black over CFM…

Jcgreen

I almost bought the red mist but my wife reminded me of the last red car I owned that faded so I stayed with black. After reading the OP and another poster above I am glad I did. Metal flake black has less depth. My last car was a Hellcat, was black and when clean, most of the time it was stunning. Very liquid and deep. I have had several black cars and never found them to be tedious in terms of keeping clean. Always garaged always well waxed and detailed twice a year. My vote is black.

cmonkey713

I went with black on my "23 Z-51 because of the gray appearance of the carbon flash. I like the carbon flash accents but not so much on the whole car. I have had three black Corvettes and have become a pretty good detailer when dealing with black cars. Always remember "Black is not a color, it is a career". You can always PPF the whole car and eliminate most of the maintenance issues with the black.

Michael T*

I have a black 2020 coupe. I think I am going to order the carbon flash, when hopefully my allocation comes up on the 27th. Of the photos I have seen it looks a very dark gray in bright sunlight. I think keeping up a black car is not as bad as portrayed. The metallic fleck is definitely pronounced compared with say Stellar Black at Cadillac. It has some gold overtones in some the photos.

StayinStock

Heres a few good pics of CF under different lighting

ChuckL

This is perfect. Very accurately describes the black ownership experience and mirrors my feelings on the other colors. They are all great but my personal preference is black.

Kevin A Jones

Though IMO, there's nothing more elegant looking than a beautiful sportscar with a perfect gloss black finish, however it will work you to death keeping it looking good as a result of the swirls and fine scratches they pick up.
Carbon Flash Metallic on the other hand doesn't show imperfections near as bad as a result of the metallic content.

Netsinah

I've got the 2023 70th Anniversary Carbon Flash Metallic [CFM] (my current daily driver in "summer months"), plus a "plain black" Mercedes E550 I drive during "winter months". I find BOTH get dirty, just the same. I suppose either of the black blend in the lines more, due to a lack of contrast. However I can still see the lines (moreso when viewed up close) and I love the look of each black vehicle but prefer the metallic flake of the CFM due to that extra "sparkle" in the sunlight or when viewed up close. As with many things, it's a matter of personal preference but this gives the OP the perspective of one CFM Corvette owner, as requested. My first C8 was a 2020 Blade Sliver and I far prefer the CFM to that color.

ZR1Dogan

@Cork76063 @gmarcucio Two Red Mist owners in 12 Posts (actually worse - 2 in the first 3) ready for a change from Red Mist.
I am curious as Red Mist is my Top Choice for a Z06 (hope to get an allocation in next 12 mo). Why? Did you just get tired of Red Mist?

Coincidentally - My close Second Choice is Black and I have been wondering the exact Title of this Thread as well.

gmarcucio

What I meant by it's time for a change is that there are so many nice colors that if I'm getting into another C8 it would be a change of color just to break it up. I'm not tired of the color, I love Red Mist but I also like Riptide Blue and some other colors. But it just so happens with the Anniversary edition I was stuck with the choice of Pearl White or Carbon Flash black. You made a great choice with Red Mist and won't regret it!!!

Cork76063

Let me explain too....Love Red Mist, and it's not totally out of the question for my '24. I purchase new Corvettes every few years, and have yet to purchase the same color back to back. The car I currently have is the total opposite car from what I had originally planned. My plans were non Z51 with mag ride, but due to constraints I had to order Z51 without mag ride. Given that my dealership is a small town country dealership, it would be months before they received another allocation, so I ordered the car, knowing I was on two other list where I would be able to order the car I wanted. Thus, it's time for a change. With that said, Red Mist is a great color, you get a variety of different hues, depending of day/night, sunny or cloudy. and all variations in between. To my eye, it can look orangish, to reddish, to burgundy. @ZR1Dogan , don't let a couple of opinions from this board sway you from what you want. Since I'm from a small town, I had never even seen Red Mist in person before I ordered, I took a chance and it worked. Good Luck, and those 12 months will be here before you know it.

ZR1Dogan

Cork, gmarcicio,
Thanks for the explanations.
It is great that you are able to change out every couple of years - and try new colors.

rodzilla164

Just buying a carbon flash C8, I can tell you just like black, it also gets dusty pretty quickly. This is not my first "black" car as I also own a black Challenger Hellcat. I can say that the metallic content in carbon flash pops more in the sunlight. In my opinion you can't go wrong with black or Carbon Flash. It really is your preference. I got it PPF'd and ceramic coated immediately after I bought it by a detail shop. My C8 was on the showroom floor so unfortunately a lot of people touched it etc. My detailer found some imperfections on the paint including some small scratches that he was able to remove. So like black, if not cared for properly, those imperfections will show up. Regardless of the choice you make, they are both amazing colors. Here are a few pictures for you showing direct sunlight. One shows without the carbon fiber ground effects and one right after the install.

SPACE RACE

I just picked up my 70th Anniversary Stingray in Carbon Flash last week. I previously owned a 2021 Red Mist in 1LT. I have to say that I love the suede interior of the 70th anniversary but I’m no thrilled with the Carbon Flash. It does look good in the sun but in the shade (including in my garage where I see it he most) it seems muted. I haven’t done paint correction and ceramic coating yet so it might improve but I don’t think my opinion will change. I have a gloss black Tahoe and it looks nicer in my garage and at night then the CFM. I think the gloss black hides the lines of the car more than the CFM, and the CFM hides dust more than the gloss black. So if you want to see the edges in the C8 and notice the dust less, then get the CFM. If you want it to look stunning in daylight or at night, get the gloss black. For me the Red Mist is a lot better color. I especially like when I pull into the garage in my Tahoe and see the fire in the reflection of the Red Mist. I don’t see that in my new C8. I will be selling this 70th sometime and my keeper C8 will be Red Mist.

1 STING

IMO if I were to buy a black Corvette, having non-black interior and non-black wheels would be more appealing than having the Batman look, mainly due to the colors' contrast it creates.


George

Myfourth1

In some of these pictures it almost looks like Night Race Blue to my eyes....I like it actually.