Tadge Juechter, the Corvette executive chief engineer, stepped down last summer after a 47-year career. Neither Simcoe nor Nesbitt was made available for comment, per a GM spokesman.

He ran GM Design longer than anyone aside from Earl and Mitchell and created the mid-engine Corvette as his parting gift in 2016. He was followed by Simcoe and, now, Bryan Nesbitt. "I’m excited ...