Luxury wheel tycoon Forgiato has unveiled their latest custom creation. This is not a fancy new set of forged 18 inch wheels, but a custom grille designed to further enhance the Corvette C7’s performance. Forgiato’s Active Grille is capable of opening and closing on demand. It starts out open like a typical grille would, but as the Corvette reaches higher speeds it shuts itself allowing air to flow around the hood and fenders thus reducing vehicle lift and improving aerodynamics. In theory this will improve the C7’s top speed as well as fuel economy and downforce.
Moving air away from the LT1 engine and around the body of the C7 raises a few questions however. We wonder if taking more air from the LT1 is a good thing? In the simplest sense, the more air an engine inhales the more power it produces.
Forgiato states their Active Grille works in conjunction with the factory computer, by using the throttle position from the LT1. So, the more throttle you give the Corvette the further the grill closes which redirects the air and should result in better overall aerodynamics.
Forgiato’s Active Grille has 3 different operating modes that work as follows:
1. Active Mode – Uses the LT1’s throttle position to determine the amount of air flow allowed through the grille.
2. Demo Mode – To demonstrate the grille operation while the car is parked, the grille cycles through its functions.
3. Off – Self explanatory, off mode will keep the grille blades open at all times.
The grille is in the final stage of testing and should be out on the market by next year. Currently Forgiato has no price or order details listed for the Active Grill so stay tuned. Would you consider further improving the C7’s Aerodynamics with aftermarket parts?