When the Vette came out in 1953, it took the world by storm. Sales weren’t all that great in the beginning, in fact for the introduction year, only 300 polo-white Vettes were hand-built and sold. Code-named Project Opel, the furor created by the prototype let GM foray into Chevy’s first sports car – dubbed the EX-122 Corvette.
The nameplate was inspired after a small battleship, and the Corvette was exactly that – an aerodynamical beauty on wheels designed to take on the roads. Now in its eighth generation, the 2020 Corvette Stingray promises to be somewhat extra special as well. Let’s count the ways.
10 The 2020 Corvette Is The Fastest
If you take the Z51 optional package, you get to zip in the fastest Corvette to date that goes 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds flat. But that’s not all. A quarter-mile 11.2-second run can be managed with both the Z51 package or without it, and top speeds of 194mph can be realized with the standard model, meaning the base trim.
And this is largely due to the base models reduced downforce, because it is 400 pounds lighter than the upper trims. The Z51 package may be sportier, but has a top speed of 184mph, despite coming in at a higher cost.
9 All That Power May Soon Be Electric
The beastly 6.2-liter V8 in the 2020 Corvette Stingray punches out a cool 490 horses and a 465 ft-lb torque. With a performance exhaust, you can pony this up to 495 horses and 470 ft-lb torque. So the engine is as tuned as tuned can be. But that’s not all.
Chevrolet has already indicated that the C8 Corvette has been designed with future electrification in mind – and while this may not happen in 2020 itself, a gentle hint says it may happen the hybrid way when it does. While Chevys is not divulging details, they are willing to say yes to the electrification plans and have no problems letting the world know it.
8 The Wrong Side Of The Road
The Vette is also expected to reach European and Asian markets, responsibly equipped with a right-hand drive when needed. So the All-American sports car is willing and able to go to foreign lands and conquer the sports car markets there as well.
Not only that, the C8 is the first Corvette, ever, to come factory-equipped with a right-hand drive to fit into places where, as the Americans say, drive on the wrong side of the road. We mean Australia, UK, Asia and such places. And it only took Chevrolet 66 years to achieve this feat – but we are sure the world is waiting with open arms to see what the Corvette fascination is all about.
7 A Mid-Engine Setup And More
The C8 Corvette has another first – in 66 years of Corvette production, this is the first mid-engine Corvette to ever be rolled out. Which means this power mill has both power and weight aligned over the rear wheels – so clearly, driving this will fall into another kind of fun.
Another cool thing about this Corvette is the cargo space. And this space has been created by the engine move from the front to beneath/behind the seats. Front and rear storage compartments combine to make a 356-liter space with the rear compartment having enough girth to hold in two gold club kits. This Corvette can carry.
6 It Sits Different Than The Rest
If you get the chance to sit inside the Corvette 2020, you will realize how different it is from the previous models. Not only does the driver sit a little closer to the dash than before, but the view from the windscreen is also a lot different as well.
The steering wheel is more of a squared circle than an actual wheel, and with the hood shorter than the previous Vettes, you don’t get to peer at the nose anymore. Instead, the top end of the fenders brackets the road up ahead. This makes it pretty clear that the road is where the action will unfold into a breath-taking need for speed.
5 Speed Bumps? The Corvette Looks Down Upon Them
And we do mean that in the literal sense of the phrase because the Corvette 2020 has something called a hydraulic suspension lift. At speeds of up to 24mph, the Corvette will automatically lift its nose by 1.6 inches in just 2.8 seconds.
This added height on the nose will protect the underside and the suspension from road irregularities like speed bumps, steep inclines or declines, curbs as well as potholes. Many cars do have this function, but what they don’t have is a GPS-enabled system that remembers over 1000 locations and can then automatically lift and lower the car as need be.
4 No More Stick Shift In This
Now if you were looking forward to driving the all-new 2020 Vette with a stick shift, hate to disappoint you folks, but the manual is out. With the engine shift and stars and sprinkles they put in 2020 Corvette, something had to be taken out.
So the manual option was thrown out in favor of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that is all-new, again, and manages to propel the Vette from 0-60mph in 2.9/3 seconds flat. It takes just 100 milliseconds to shift and provides continuous power and torque, so zooming in the Vette will now be in a whole new dimension.
3 Your Car, Your Choice
The 1LT is the base trim of the Corvette and you can have it at $59,995 with the destination price added in. Remember though, the base trim is the fastest of the lot so if you are all about drag racing your cool new Vette, getting the first rung may just prove to be your lucky streak.
The second base trim has the optional Z51 package that adds another 5 ponies to give you 495 horsepower and boasts better tires, larger brake discs, and an electronic limited-slip differential. This can cost you $67,295. Finally comes the 3LT package that all that is 2LT but also possesses rather unconventional shocks for superior road handling along with other things – for a cool $71,945 plus other costs.
2 The Base May Be Better Than The Top Trims
Again, for the first time, this is one car that does not equal more money with more speed. At a 0-60mph sprint, the base Corvette dashes in 3 seconds while the optional Z51 package does the same in 2.9 seconds. So unless you are racing, that 0.1-second “lag” is meaningless.
Also, both the base and Z51 trim can do a quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds – what is surprising that the base manages a top speed of 123mph, while the Z51 lags at 121mph – and that’s simply because the base trim is lighter. So here, more money does not always mean better speed because a lot of the performance is actually in the standard model as well.
1 The Wait Just Got Longer
The 2020 Vette is as cool on the inside as it is on the outside – the interior was inspired by the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets so obviously, the cool factor just went up. And if you can’t wait to get your hands on this, sadly, the wait just got longer.
The production of 2020 Corvette just got delayed to February and this is because all work was stopped because of a strike by the Auto Workers Union (UAW). But as they say, the worst part of life is waiting. The best part of life is having something worth waiting for – and the 2020 Corvette is so worth it. Of course, this may be a good time for us to tell you that the 2020 Corvette is nearly all sold out.