Tony Roma will be named executive chief engineer of the Corvette program (along with the rest of Chevrolet’s new Global Performance Cars team) in July when outgoing boss Tadge Juechter retires, General Motors announced Friday. Roma previously worked on the Corvette program, but detoured through various Cadillac projects in recent years, including ATS, CTS, Celestiq and both Blackwings.
“As a car enthusiast and racer, I feel a strong connection to the whole Corvette team and our fans around the world,” Roma said. “I have been a part of just about every event our customers bring their cars to: road racing, auto cross, road rally, cross country adventure, car shows, drag racing and more. I know that for the car to be successful, it needs to resonate with the end customer and be good at what they want it to do.”
If you’re worried about Roma’s personal tastes influencing his professional life, well, you’ll probably be comforted by knowing his garage houses a C4 ZR1, C6 ZR1, C8 Z06 and a CTS-V Wagon; he’s already made room for a C8 ZR1 too. He holds GM’s highest test driver rating and is certified to drive on the Nürburgring circuit during Industry-Pool sessions.
“I’m approaching this opportunity with deep respect and admiration for the hard work from those who came before me, going back to the first-generation Corvette in the 1950s up to this day,” Roma said. “Corvette earned and continues to earn its place in American car history thanks to the people behind it, like Tadge Juechter. These are big shoes to fill, but we will work every day to continue the strong legacy this nameplate deserves.”
Juechter has operated at the highest levels of GM Performance since his promotion to chief engineer on Corvette in 2006. While his exact title changed since then, he’s been the face of the program for the better part of two decades — a significant portion of his 47-year career with General Motors.