Chevrolet Corvette C8 – Mid engine and an attractive price, a proper rival to European supercars

Here you have it folks. The sports car from Michigan has done it again. The new generation Corvette is no longer front engine, and in many ways it looks like a completely new model. The new Chevrolet Warhammer or something utterly American. Jokes aside, the mid-engine corvette has been a dream for Chevrolet since it was concocted in 1950.  Chevrolet themselves say that the limit was reached with the C7 generation and that it was a natural step forward with the mid-engined C8. Well as always, continue reading to find out everything you need to know about the new Chevrolet Corvette.

Apart from the obvious change in appearance, the classic sports car look is now gone and is replaced with the also very classic supercar dimensions. The corvette DNA is still there but I can see some Ferrari 430 in the front with the thin and long front lights. Air intakes everywhere with black details and the recognizable rear lights make for an interesting design which I am not completely sold on. Specifically the rear.

Inside the interior has been completely revamped. Looking best in the all black with red stitching, a huge middle console that effectively divides the interior into two separate cabins. It is obvious that everything, and I mean everything is angled towards the driver. Brushed metal, Alcantara, leather and carbon fiber can be seen throughout the cabin. The line that divides the two seats looks unnecessarily complicated though.

The base model, the Stingray, makes 490 hp and 495 if you equip the Z51 performance package. The power is derived from a naturally aspirated v8 and it catapults the car from 0-100 km/h in under 3 seconds. As quick as the C7 ZR1. That is fast, very fast. The engine is all aluminium and is coupled with an 8 speed automatic transmission. No manual, yet. With the performance package you get Brembo brakes, better cooling and a new exhaust that gives those extra 5 hp. You get advanced coilovers all around but if you want the bells and whistles you can opt for the magnetic ride control.

All above sounds very impressive. But in all honestly, the jaw dropping thing is the price. Chevrolet mentions that the base model Stingray will begin under 60 thousand dollars, or 53 thousand euros. That is spectacular. A huge amount of car for that amount of cash. If Chevrolet want to fight with the big boys in Europe. This is the way to go.