Chevrolet Corvette Stingray debuts performance video and data recorder

The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will be available with a new ‘Performance Data Recorder’ (PDR), giving enthusiasts the ability to video and analyse their time behind the wheel.

Shown for the first time at this week’s 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Chevrolet says the Corvette Stingray‘s PDR technology is an industry-first example of a fully integrated telemetric system that enables drivers to record their driving session in high-definition video. The system then places telemetry overlays on top of the video footage, providing drivers with specific details about their experience.

Developed with the help of British motorsports-engineering company Cosworth and intended for on-track situations, the technology can be used anytime, including during everyday road driving.

Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter said the new PDR combines a professional-level motorsports telemetry system with the ability for drivers’ to record and share their experiences.

“In addition, with the included telemetry software, users can analyse their laps in incredible detail and find opportunities to improve their driving and lap times,” Juechter said.

The system is composed of three components. Firstly, a 720p high-definition camera and dedicated microphone are mounted in the car’s windscreen header trim, recording footage from the driver’s point of view. Secondly, a self-contained telemetry recorder uses a GPS system to record data about each session, as well as information such as the Stingray’s engine speed, transmission-gear selection, braking force, and steering wheel angle. Finally, an SD-card slot in the glovebox allows drivers to transfer and share their recorded data.

Four telemetry overlay options are available for selection, including ‘track mode’, which shows the maximum amount of data (including speed, rpm, g-force, a map, and lap times), ‘sport mode’, which shows fewer though similar details, ‘touring mode’, which videos the drive without any telemetric overlay, and ‘performance mode’, which records acceleration data.

The US car maker says the system will be available on the Corvette Stingray from next year.

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