Car and Driver - USA (2019-12)

High expectations are a bitch. Whether you’re anticipating Adele’s

next album, Ron Howard’s next movie, or Christian Yelich’s next

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is high with the 202 0 Chevrolet Corvette.

From the moment rumors surfaced that the engine in the next

Corvette would move behind the seats, the presumption that the car

would be a breakthrough, a revelation, and a revolution has followed

it like a moon shadow. Now it’s here. And it does look more like a Fer-

rari than a Chevrolet, with the same cabin-forward proportions as

every hyperfast, megadollar exotic on the market. And we’ve driven

it extensively. So, has Chev y built a supercar for the masses—an

American Ferrari—or simply a better Corvette?

The answer is yes, but with an asterisk. It’s complicated.

We did our judging by spending a week in a C8 equipped with

the $5000 track-capable Z5 1 Performance package and optional

FE4 magnetorheological dampers (an additional $ 1895 ), the hot-

test version available at launch. We drove it on the road. We track-

tested it to scrutinize its performance capabilities. And we timed

laps at Grattan Raceway outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the

C8 and a similarly equipped C 7 Z51 to see whether the mid-engine

By Rich Ceppos

Photography by Marc Urbano

28 DECEMBER 2019 ~ CAR AND DRIVER

signs

point

to

yes