Spy photos now reveal the 2020 Corvette Stingray convertible with a fully retractable hardtop.
We knew that the mid-engine Corvette would be getting a convertible option eventually. Removable roof panels are one thing, but there’s nothing that beats the convenience of a mechanical device that simply removes the roof for you. Ultimate luxury is all about never having to be vulnerable to the whims of nature, after all.
There are a bunch of spy photos making the rounds, but we’ll use this video from GM Authority since it also provides a bit of additional non-visual evidence. To start, we’ll go with the obvious: this is a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with a 2-piece retractable hardtop roof covered in ludicrously inadequate camouflage. Frankly, the camo just serves to confirm there is something special about this Corvette and the engineers would have been better off leaving the roof completely stock.
But their failure to blend in is our gain. Thanks to the cameraman knocking on the roof, we know for sure this is a solid roof. We can also tell based on the gaps it’s a 2-piece roof. Although this hardtop doesn’t fold in the video, we can safely assume that it works the same as most other folding hardtops, with the back section tilting up to allow the front section to slide underneath for storage.
One other point to make: there’s a rear-facing camera on the roof. This likely means that the Corvette’s rear visibility is so poor in convertible form that it requires a little extra help. Based on the teaser video that GM published last week, it looks like the rear window might be completely gone or significantly reduced, necessitating the addition of a rear-view camera.
Or it could just be that mid-engine supercars have notoriously poor visibility, and GM wants to try to fix that with cameras. Either or.
This prototype looks quite close to being done, so we probably won’t need to wait too long for the convertible Corvette to show up.