THE MID-ENGINED CORVETTE HAS A STRIKING,
ANGULAR DESIGN AND ATHLETIC PROPORTIONS
TOP
GMrevealedonlythe
newCorvettebase
model,whichwill
employthehistoric
Stingrayname➜
thesametimethesteering
ratiohasbeenquickened
bythreepercent.
Corvettehaslongbeen
knownforitsuseofrearleafsprings,buttheC8’ssuspension
isthoroughlymodern.Eachcornerhasdoublewishbonesand
coilovers.A front-axleliftsystemisfittedasstandard,butwith
thisCorvetteit’sGPS-enabled,automaticallyliftingthenose
atyourregulardrivewaysandspeedhumps.
PerhapsinspiredbytheCorvetteC7.RLeMansracer,the
steeringwheelisa two-spokedesignthat’ssquared-offboth
topandbottom,formingmoreofanoblongshape.
Thewheelincludesa topcentremark,helpfulfortrackwork
orthoseunintendedskids,anda handfulofbuttons.Thereis
alsothesignature‘Z’button– itsnametakenfromtheZ06and
ZR1– thatworksmuchlikethe‘M’and‘N’buttonsfoundin
BMWMsportscarsandHyundaiNhothatches.Witha quick
pressoftheZbutton,theCorvettecaninstantlyswitchto
preferredindividualdrive-modesettings.
The driver sits low in the chassis, and another benefit
of the C8’s aluminium construction is a low sill height,
makinggettinginandoutofthecabinaseasyaspossible.
Three different seat styles
are available, from mild
to aggressive in terms of
style/comfort, and the
interior colours and patterns are both modern and attractive.
Facing the driver is a 30cm digital instrument cluster that
can be configured to suit individual tastes. Atop the centre of
the dash is a 25cm infotainment screen and, like the rest of the
cockpit, it’s also angled slightly in favour of the driver.
By the numbers, the Corvette has a 2722mm wheelbase,
measures 4630mm long and 1834mm wide. By comparison,
the current Porsche Cayman is shorter by 25cm in both
wheelbase and length, and is 13cm narrower.
According to GM, the C8 tips the scales at 1530kg dry. We
estimate the official kerb weight will be closer to 1630kg,
which is 134kg more than the C7. Some of that additional mass
is undoubtedly derived from the front-mounted radiators and
associated cooling lines that run through the chassis.
This is one sports car that is unjustly treated by the camera.
In person, its proportions are right, and its street presence is
clear – this is an unadulterated American sports car prodigy.
It’s Corvette for the modern age.CHEVROLET CORVETTE
BODY2-door, 2-seat coupe
DRIVErear-wheel
ENGINE6162cc V8, SOHC, 16v
POWER369kW @ 6450rpm
TORQUE637Nm @ 5150rpm
TRANSMISSION8-speed dual-clutch
WEIGHT1630kg (est)
PRICE$175,000 (est)54 september 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor