MIDDLE AMERICA
The new mid-engined Corvette is looking beyond the US to global stardom. How does it handle NZ roads?
There have been two headline changes to the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: the engine is now in the middle and the steering wheel is now offered from the factory on the right.
One of these things is momentous, and it’s not the position of the engine. In fact, the desire for a mid-mounted engine has been part of Corvette research and development since the C1 in the 1950s, with many concept cars and a few false starts along the way.
So don’t think of the C8 as Chevrolet over-reaching into Ferrari and Lamborghini supercar territory. Just think of it as the Corvette the way it was always supposed to be.
The fact you can now buy it in right-hand drive, with full factory warranty and local distributor support (GMSV in New Zealand’s case), is far more important.
General Motors could happily sell left-hand drive Corvettes to Americans forever more, but it’s now signaling an ambition for Corvette to cater to global tastes and be an internationally recognised sports car. Especially now we know there’ll be a hybrid version in 2023 and a pureelectric model to follow.
For now, the C8 sticks with an old-school 6.2-litre V8. We say “old-school” because this 2LT motor is still a pushrod design. But it’s also a brand new engine.
It’s also rather brilliant. It feels authentic in a musclecar way, but it’s also linear, responsive and free-spinning right up to 6000rpm. It brings old-world charm right together with modern expectations of how a performance engine should behave.
You might be surprised to hear the eight-speed dualclutch gearbox is faultlessly smooth and generally avoids full-throttle clutch-slamming antics, even in the sportier drive modes. It’s content to do the work, sit back and let the engine be the star.
The C8 is based around a strong aluminium structure, with a little semi-exotic strengthening from carbon fibre down the spine and across the back. It’s a great base to work from, especially with the Z51 Performance Package that comes as standard on the NZ cars: uprated suspension, larger brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, plus extra aero and engine cooling. It’s a track pack, basically.
Sounds serious — and it is. There’s massive grip from the fat Michelin rubber, but not at cost of chassis sophistication. Nor is there any sign of the sudden-death handling that some mid-engined cars are famous for: the C8 actually feels quite playful and communicative, with changes in attitude clearly telegraphed.
Magnetic Selective Ride Control is standard. Yep, just like a Ferrari (or those HSVs from olden times). It provides customisation via the drive modes, but the real beauty
of this technology is its ability to adapt to changing conditions instantly, meaning the C8 maintains a great balance between everyday comfort and stability in extremis, without you having to think a whole lot about it.
If there’s a weak point it’s the steering, although it depends on your expectations. The rack is quick and the nose turns in with alacrity/accuracy, but there isn’t the finesse and communication you might expect from a midengined machine. It’s decent enough for a quick coupe, but falls short of sports-car prowess.
But the Corvette is arguably more the former than the latter anyway, whatever the low-slung styling might say. Practicality has always been key to the model’s appeal.
This one’s actually the targa version, with a single-piece hardtop that easily detaches and can be stowed in the luggage area behind the engine. Said cargo space is quite generous, but of course it’s all but useless with the roof stowed.
The C8 has a frunk at the other end, which is deep and plenty big enough for an overnight case. GM doesn’t quote capacity figures for the two holds separately, but together they’re 358 litres, which is pretty useful. About the same as a Toyota Corolla hatchback.
In tricked-up 3LT specification the C8 cabin is pretty swish: good quality materials and crisp virtual instruments that change configuration depending on the drive mode. The square steering wheel is kinda cool, as well as liberating extra legroom for the driver.
But the switchgear is daunting: the high, narrow line of climate buttons that separate driver and passenger are fiddly and other physical controls have just been thrown at the dashboard and console.
It’s an intimate cabin, but the seating position is strangely high. You sit reclined in truly sporting fashion, but if you’re 180cm-plus the squab height puts your head quite close to the roof. It’s not a deal-breaker; but you can’t help wonder why the driver can’t sit a little lower . . . in such a low car.
It’s probably unfair to be grumbling about small practicalities in such a driverfocused machine, but the genius of the Corvette is that it has a foot in two camps: everyday driver and Sunday blaster. So those little things do matter, because it is indeed a car you might drive every day. So those complaints are a compliment to the C8 . . . in a way.
The Corvette is an enormously loveable car because (a) it’s really great to drive and (b) there’s nothing quite like it. It’s configured like an Italian supercar, but our Stingray 3LT convertible is half the price of a comparable midengined Ferrari or Maserati.
Price-wise, it’s more a rival for fast, front-engined German coupes. A very different thing again, mind, but also a laugh-outloud bargain in relative terms.