The New Corvette C8: A Dream Car 67 Years in the Making
Erica Mueller
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Driving a Corvette C8 is a dream come true.
Five years ago, a long time dream of mine came true when I got to drive a Corvette for the first time. It was a bright Laguna Blue Stingray and it stole my heart. I seriously felt like it was an experience of a lifetime, and it’s something my husband and I have talked about ever since. Fast forward to the year of perfect vision and I’m living the dream again, only this time in a 2020 Corvette Stingray. Yes, the new C8 mid-engine Corvette is a departure from Corvettes of the past and has the engine placed behind the driver for a perfectly balanced drive experience. It looks more Lamborghini than American sports car but is still distinctively Corvette. I was especially excited to learn my test drive model would also be bright blue, and while I wouldn’t get to take it cruising on the beach or speeding around a track, I knew it would be a bright spot in a rather cloudy time of our lives. I was right.
Here’s the thing about this car. No matter the year, it is undeniably a Corvette. The body style has evolved over time, but the DNA is strong and the car has remained a sought after sports car for over half a century. The 2020 Corvette is still an all-American piece of muscle; an icon in the car world.
In 2020, some really big changes came for the Corvette and the new C8 entered the arena of supercars thanks to its new engine placement. With 495 horsepower, this new mid-engine Corvette is ready to run with the big dogs.
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Driving a Corvette brings out the kid in all of us. ?Erica Mueller
2020 Corvette: Why the Mid-Engine and Why Now?
Corvette fans have been clamoring for years for a mid-engine version of the sportscar. Most exotics and supercars have their engines placed just behind the driver. This results in better handling, thanks to a balance of weight. When GM redesigned the 2020 Corvette to be a mid-engine car, they gave the exterior an upgrade too, and now the C8 has earned its place beside the Ferrari. The fans are ecstatic. And once we had a chance to drive it and feel the results of that 50-50 weight distribution, we became fans too.
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Visible just behind the seats, the new mid-engine can be heard (in a good way) every mile of your drive. ?by Erica Mueller
The C8 Corvette: 0-60 in 2.9 Seconds
Not having access to a track is pure torture when you’ve got access to a car of this caliber. Fortunately for me, I live in the middle of nowhere with some pretty nice stretches of mostly empty highway. When it is safe to do so I’m able to open a car up a bit and see how it handles the curves, feel the power kick in when I pull out to pass and listen to the engine roar behind me when I step on the accelerator. There is nothing like the feeling you get when this car performs the way it was designed to. The closest thing I can compare it to would be riding a great horse and being able to feel the animal’s power and delight as it runs.
Supercar Performance at Sportscar Pricing
One of the mind-blowing things about the new Corvette is the price. Starting at just $59,000 you’re looking at almost half the price of an exotic supercar. Even decked out with the 2LT preferred equipment package, like the model we drove, you’re looking at just $78,170 which is still less than a Ferrari 488, which is a semi-comparable car, mechanically speaking and runs around $252,800.
Even in the sportscar segment, the 2020 Corvette is significantly more affordable than the Porsche 911, Lexus LC 500, Audi R8 and others.
“You just get so much car for the money!” is what I heard over and over again as I showed the car to friends and acquaintances. And they are right. Corvette has done an amazing job with the redesign of not only the engine but the exterior so that you feel like a real rockstar driving this car. It’s one you could be proud to have the valet park right in front of the restaurant or hotel for everyone to stop and photograph on their way in.
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Corvette calls it a “driver’s domain.” I call it a cockpit. ?Erica Mueller
What You Need to Know About the 2020 Corvette C8
- Starting Price: $58,900
- 6.2L LT2 V8
- 495 Horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque
- 0-60 in 2.9 seconds
- Top speed 194 mph
- 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels
- Racing inspired steering wheel
- GT seats designed for long-distance comfort and support
- Drive mode selector with up to 12 performance variables
- 8-inch diagonal color infotainment touch-screen
- 12-inch diagonal reconfigurable digital instrument display
- Bose sound system
- Available 4G LTE Wi-Fi
Disclosure: This Corvette was lent to me for a week so that I could experience it and write about it. All opinions are my own.
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