There’s a tendency for Europeans to look down their noses at American automobiles. The gentleman’s Jag, the stately Range Rover, the reliable and effortlessly luxurious German marques, the slightly anachronistic but oh so desirable Italian badges. They hark back to days of grand tours, romantic drives in the countryside or painlessly pounding out the miles. The American marques are all bark. They’re loud just to look at, let alone start up and drive. There’s a perceived yee-haw lack of sophistication to them; cars for rednecks who can fill up on an endless supply of cheap petrol. Europeans want sophistication, class and elegance. Or at least so we tell ourselves. We like curves and edges, not just monotonous racing round an oval making as much noise as possible. Understated rather than in your face, the European and American cars speak to the stereotypes of both people. You’re unlikely to find Randy cruising his Corvette along the French Riviera. He’ll be leaving 11s in Alabama whilst firing the pistol he just brought from his local liquor store into the dry desert air. That’s what they do, right? Stetson, cowboy boots, spurs, thick moustache? Anyway, the Corvette C8 Stingray.
Now, is this the car to bridge the gap? On the face of it, no. The press car, as you can see, is bright orange. It has a 6.2-litre V8 engine and looks like nothing else you’ll see on the road. It doesn’t exactly scream subtlety. Yet, scratch beneath the surface and the Corvette C8 Stingray is a quantum leap forward for Corvette.
The C8 is, as you may have guessed, the eighth iteration of the Corvette. To many, however, it might as well be the first. Gone is the front engine layout and the leaf spring suspension. Gone, in the UK, is the left hand drive configuration. It even has a dual clutch transmission. This is Corvette leaping into the 21st Century. To the enthusiast, it’s Corvette stepping into the unknown.
“People were up in arms when the C7 came along with square tail lights,” explains Oliver Gavin, five-time winner of Le Mans with Corvette, when we turn up to collect the press car. “They weren’t round and a lot of people didn’t like that. The C8 is a whole new direction.” The best Corvette yet? “Oh definitely,” he responds. No pressure, then.
Adaptive suspension, steering and individual drive modes bring the Corvette C8 Stingray into the realms of European rivals in terms of what you’d expect to find in a modern car. Yet identifying those rivals is a somewhat tricky task. Is the Corvette C8 Stingray a sportscar or a supercar? It has supercar performance, which we’ll come back to, yet lacks the outright purpose of a McLaren, Lamborghini or Ferrari. The other thing it lacks in comparison to those is the price tag. I’m always reluctant to state that something costing c.£110,000 represents great value, but the Corvette C8 Stingray kind of does. Good luck getting a 720S, Huracan or 296 GTB for that money. Fair to highlight it, those cars are also quicker than the Corvette C8 Stingray, but not by so much that you’d lose any sleep over it.
Old stereotypes are difficult to shake off. “What’s it like in the corners?” was a common question. So, let’s address that first. The Corvette C8 Stingray is highly capable on the twisty stuff. Being rear wheel drive and fitted with winter tyres, cloth had to be cut accordingly. I’ve no doubt that on the intended Michelin Pilot Sport 4Ss, things would improve a great deal. So soft were the winter tyres that you could feel the car squirming on them under heavy acceleration. They were also conducive to moments of under steer. More on them shortly.
There’s limited body roll and the Corvette C8 Stingray flows pleasingly along B-roads. In a straight line, there’s nothing to complain about either. 482hp, 613Nm of torque. 0-62 in 3.5secs. The only thing to get used to is the distance the accelerator has to travel. You think you’ve floored it, but there’s always an extra inch before you reach the floor. Something you get used to quickly.
Playing with the drive modes also alters the feel and complexion of the Corvette C8 Stingray. It starts up in Tour mode, with Sport, Track and Z being available via a rotary dial or the Z button on the steering wheel. Z mode is a handy shortcut to accessing the more aggressive modes you desire.
I found myself rolling along in Tour, before swapping in Z with everything dialled up when I needed it. The suspension and steering set to all out attack are a little overbearing, so I never wanted them completely dialled up, but engine noise, gearing and throttle response demand full attack mode at times. It’s well mannered when you need; a savage when you want. One thing it doesn’t fail to deliver is a smile.
Having spent a week wishing the model tested was fitted with Pilot Sport 4Ss rather than the winter tyres it was on, the morning came to return to the Corvette C8 Stingray. I opened the curtains and there was snow everywhere, including a good couple of inches on the car. I immediately retracted my lament of the winter tyres and praised Chevrolet for their foresight.
And you know what? It was absolutely fine. 482hp being sent to the rear wheels in such conditions wasn’t the most enticing driving prospect – and it drew a fair few curious glances as I crawled through Walton towards Virginia Water – but the Corvette C8 Stingray was, well, normal.
As it is in most conditions. It cruises along the motorway with the effortlessness of a GT. Speed bumps and potholes pose few issues and I only felt the need to use the nose lift functionality once. Even on the commute to work, crawling into London everything was easy. It has a very comfortable ride which is complimented by the cabin.
Leather and alcantara are present in abundance. Bose audio, heated and ventilated seats, phone mirroring, heads up display, parking cameras; all mod cons. You don’t even have to turn the lane keep assist off every time you start it up because it doesn’t have it. Hurray!
Practicality isn’t even that bad. The model tested being the convertible, you may expect limited boot space, but front and rear storage provide flexibility for weekend adventures/cricket bags. Okay, there’s a massive blind spot over your left shoulder, but the wing mirrors alert of any approaching objects.
The square steering wheel I got on fine with, although it’s not for everyone. And the roof can be put up/down at up to 30mph.
The Corvette C8 Stingray surprises in many regards. It’s more refined than you expect, yet also retains a healthy dose of the yee-haw appeal. The design is unmistakably Corvette, which is great, but the lay out is a massive break from tradition. The C8, however, more than justifies the dramatic re-write of a time-honoured script.
There are times when you long for a little more old-school Corvette. The engine note is a bit quieter than you might want from behind the wheel, but the trade off is a quieter, more comfortable cabin, even with the roof down. You can cruise along, top down at 70mph, and hold a normal conversation with your passenger. It’s not silent by any stretch, the V8 makes itself heard, but sometimes you’d like to hear it just a smidge more.
The most important factor with a car like the Corvette C8 Stingray is how it makes you feel. It made me feel good. I felt excited before each drive and I smiled each time I caught a glimpse of it on my drive. There’s a school on my road and the reaction of passers by is always telling. You could hear people talking about it, see people taking photos of it and got the general sense that people loved it. It drew questions when parking up or filling up (19mpg across 500 miles of driving since you ask) and retains an approachable charm.
This extends to behind the wheel, with nothing overly aggressive unless you make it so. The Corvette C8 Stingray is a thoroughly modern take on an historic brand. It should certainly give European buyers pause for thought. Right hand drive, refined, powerful and at a very competitive price. It certainly lives up to the claim of being the best Corvette yet.
