Right, it’s here. Sort of. It’s not officially here, but we’ll come to that later. This is the new, eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette, the C8 Corvette Stingray, and, for the first time in its 67 years, this all-American hero, beloved by everyone from blue-collar workers to astronauts and presidents (Joe Biden owns a 1967 model), is being sold with an engine in its middle.
It will also – late next year at the earliest – come with a steering wheel on the right-hand side. More on that later, too. If you want a C8 now, you can have one, but your options are limited to importing one yourself or sourcing one via a UK importer.
That’s quite tempting on the face of it, because the base Corvette price in the US is less than that of the Porsche 718 Cayman, at just under $60,000 (about £44,000). But the reality is that it doesn’t work out that way once you’ve done the maths and added the premium, taxes, shipping and then some more taxes. But if you do, the car you end up with might look something like this.
This is a Corvette with a few options, of which there are many available. It’s in the 3LT trim level (about $11,000 more than standard), which means it’s top-spec, but more pertinently it’s equipped with the Z51 performance pack ($5000) and more, which all add so much to the price that it’s quite easy to end up with an $85,000 car even in the US.
Every Corvette has a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre pushrod V8 engine mounted in its middle. There’s an aluminium monocoque with aluminium subframes front and rear and composite bodywork, with double-wishbone suspension all-round and magnetic adaptive dampers (another $1895).
Specify the Z51 kit and power is raised to 495bhp, plus you get bigger brake discs, more aerodynamic addenda and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres in place of all-season rubber, a sports exhaust and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. So you definitely want the Z51 pack. But whatever spec you choose, the C8 comes with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox; there’s no manual for the first time ever.
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It is curious that it has a non-turbo engine which is old-school wonderful, but only an automatic gearbox, which is tragic, and totally deal breaking.
A used Corvette for £12k? Seriously?
You would be lucky to spend less than £20k to get a decent one.
As for the new one, well it's a car to get you looked at, but not a serious competitor for Porsche or Ferrari.
The 911 is more practical and uses a cooler font. The Corvette is otherwise superior. A supercar at an amazing price. It's a MONSTER with forced induction.