Compared to the c7 corvette, the c8 now feels like it rotates around your hips instead of your sternum. The zr1 is listed with 750hp and as a coincidence, this just happens to be the 750th issue of car and driver magazine. I cant put my finger on it, but its just not a gorgeous car. The outgoing c7 had a pronounced driver centric bend to its dashboard, but if youre the passenger, this new c8. First drive of 2020 corvette stingray convertible z51. Watch 2020 chevy corvette stingray fly in our first track test. As an allround sports car its a killer drive and more than. The internet was abuzz over the past few days with the revelation that water gasp. Still, this is a base car, and its technically quicker than the z06 i just stepped out of thanks to an extra. The lt1 engine the lt1 designation was first used by. For the first time, chevy corvette can be left or righthand drive from the factory. C7 corvette stingray was nothing short of magnificent.
With a fresh exterior, upgraded interior, great driving vibe, and irresistible price, jaguar and porsche hatwearers have much to fear. C3s are awesome, but theyre old school to a much greater extent than the c4 and later, both in how they were put together and how they are to drive. This is a great looking car, and im glad i held out after selling my c6 as i see this as the c7 to own. Okay, it wasnt actually called that, but it may as well as been. The 2020 chevrolet corvette stingray is a midengine supercar with naturally. It was introduced for the 2014 model year as the first to bear the corvette stingray name since the 1968 third generation model. Heres why the 2020 chevy corvette c8 is the hottest car of the year duration. The 2020 chevrolet corvette doesnt drive like other mid. As we said in our first test, this is a car you can drive anytime, anywhereincluding clear across the countrywithout it tiring you out. The chevrolet corvette c7 is the seventh generation of the corvette sports car manufactured. The c8 corvette doesnt have a water leak problem says car. Corvette generations are all based on the letter c, so c1 is the first corvette, c2 is the.
The c8 corvette is, without question, the most significant car of the year. The real criteria for evaluating the c8 as a driver s car comes. I dont have the z51 package, but i cant imagine it would give you issues. Cd took a 2020 midengine chevrolet corvette c8 and a 2019 frontengine corvette c7 to grattan raceway in west michigan for testing. C7 stories, dozens of archived tests, comparos, and more. For car enthusiasts, an allnew corvette is a big deal. As zhamilton mentioned, the biggest issue is really how other people will treat your car, things like openingclosing doors and such.
The midengine corvette c8 upends the supercar landscape and drives like no corvette before it. The seating position corroborates the message the doors send. The 2017 corvette grand sport felt absolutely ferocious under me as i powered through the curves and straights of the atlanta motorsports park, a privately owned 2mile track in the rolling hills of north georgia, the site of the corvette grand sport ride and drive hosted by chevrolet. The 2020 chevrolet corvette stingray is a midengine supercar with naturallyaspirated 6. Jul 17, 2015 i drove every corvette ever made, all in a row, and this is what i learned. First drive more the michelin pilot 4s tires 245 front305 rear, meanwhile, feel grippy enough, but theres a touch too much body roll for a car benchmarked against perfectionists like the porsche 911 and audi r8, among others.
Roadkill roadkill garage dirt every day hot rod garage adam carolla goes racing engine masters best driver s car week long road to. First, a bit of a refresher on the most relevant specs. Yes, its the only transmission available on the midengine corvette. Goes racing engine masters best driver s car week long road to. Development for the seventh generation corvette started in 2007. Oct 15, 2019 after decades of anticipation we finally get to drive a midengine corvette. On a testdrive in nevada, we found the bornagain corvette stingray still has some. Car and driver says the corvette c8 z51 is faster than the. I drove every corvette ever made this is what it is like.
The c7, like pretty much all corvettes, looked stunning at first, but time and the fact that you see them everywhere eventually made it look kind of meh. The new gm 8l90 eightspeed automatic, which will also go to work in the 2015 fullsize trucks and suvs equipped with the 6. Watch 2020 chevy corvette stingray fly in our first track. The c8 is the first corvette to offer a dualclutch automatic, an eightspeed unit designed by tremec. Of course, this first drive occurred on reasonably wellmaintained georgia roads, so well wait to see how it fares as a daily driver for those. The idea was to compare the c8 corvette z51 againsta c7 corvette z51 on a racing surface and see which one was faster. With the turn of a dial, five distinct driver modes zr1 has three electronically calibrate up to 12 variables, optimizing everything from steering to throttle control for peak performance in every. Nov 08, 2017 the december 2017 issue of car and driver is now out and it features the 2019 corvette zr1 on the cover.
The chevrolet corvette c7 is the seventh generation of the corvette sports car manufactured by american automobile manufacturer chevrolet. The 2020 corvette stingray is really good, but not great. Pic the 750hp corvette zr1 makes the cover of car and. Jul 19, 2019 2020 c8 corvette first look first drive. The december 2017 issue of car and driver is now out and it features the 2019 corvette zr1 on the cover. Id actually run both the c7 generation corvette z06 and zr1 around it in 2018 and noticed that the formers rear tended to kick out while. The car has always been part of my family ever since my dad purchased his first new corvette in 1963, a red split window coupe at age 20. C7 vs c8 corvette track battle front engine vs mid. The 2015 chevrolet corvette stingray offers an eightspeed automatic, but how has the transmission changed the way it drives. The new midengine c8 corvette may end up being be a better car, but a last drive in the c7 shows what a fantastic sports car it is as the. Jun 18, 2016 2017 chevrolet corvette grand sport once a race car, then a special edition, the grand sport has become the corvettes topselling trim. Introducing the 2020 corvette midengine sports car chevrolet. July car and driver s first drive article on the gs.
I mean, the car started production in september 20, and the performance shop gave it supercar comparable speeds and. Read on to learn more about the 2014 chevrolet corvette stingray first drive here. First drive of 2020 corvette stingray convertible z51 jay lenos garage duration. Nv the 2020 chevrolet corvette stingraythe front engine car that went midengine and broke the internet.
Positive except for the mistake on the rotor sizes i think theyre the same size as the z06. In everyday and even sporty driving, they get the job done fine. Bought first year nsx without test drive and was best driving car ive owned. Jun 2016 by daniel pund car and driver magazine the 2017 chevrolet corvette grand sport is probably not what you think it. Id recommend owning some other car s first, and not having a c3 as your only vehicle when you do buy one.
Never owned a vette but my best friend lets me drive his 63, and 15. That appears to be the case with a manual z51 corvette loaned to car and driver magazine, which recently reported that the engine blew on their longterm c7 at around 6,000 miles of course, the stingrays 6. The 2020 corvette offers a firstever production retractable hardtop. Gm says that a pro driver will turn the fastest laps with everything off, but a driver whos merely really. Why the 2020 corvette stingray is really good, but not great yet on a testdrive in nevada, we found the bornagain vette still has some growing up to do. Pic the 750hp corvette zr1 makes the cover of car and driver. Oct 16, 2019 2020 chevrolet corvette c8 stingray nearly 200 pounds heavier than outgoing c7 thats like having an extra passenger in the car at all times. Gm is still owned by the government, blah, blah, blah. Corvette chief engineer tadge juechter says gm will retest the car next year with an extra 2 psi in the tires. The saving grace is that this is the first corvette with a.
Aug 14, 20 2014 chevrolet corvette stingray first drive the daytoday theres some tire noise, and the car is pretty low to the ground, but those are the only real grumbles most people should have with the car. Aug 24, 2016 i didnt expect this corvette to be so good. I am of the mindset that pretty much every car, at least with 2doors, would be. So good, in fact, that it earned a 2020 10best award right out of the gate. The business once a race car, then a special edition, the grand sport has become the. After a drive in the c7 version, we understand why. The publics first glimpse of the car, in april, supported the corvette. Corvette racings oliver gavin along with former corvette and cadillac driver andy pilgrim. Nov 24, 2014 2015 chevrolet corvette z06 first drive. Driver mode selector allows drivers to tailor virtually every aspect of their corvette based on road conditions and their driving preferences. The 2020 corvette stingray has moved its engine behind the driver and passenger.
What we found during our 2014 corvette stingray first drive is that the c7 empowers the driver to determine what level of computerized oversight best suits his or her skills and current motoring. I can really drive it almost the exact same way as the racecar. The first c7 corvettes were delivered in the third quarter of 20. Hell, even the best of the best have a bad day sometimes. To purists, this may seem like an abandoning of principles.
I drove every corvette ever made, all in a row, and this is what i learned. Poll will you buy a c8 corvette without first taking a. Sales are hot when a new model arrives, as they certainly have been for the c7 stingray, but then. After decades of anticipation we finally get to drive a midengine corvette. Car and driver, however, isnt so concerned about water touching the new stingrays 495. For the first time since the very earliest days of the model, you cant get a manual transmission in a new corvette. If a quiet personality is the biggest knock they can come up with after having two cars for a week, this is not just the greatest corvette ever, but the greatest car gm has ever produced. Car and driver put the 2020 c8 corvette z51 up against the c7 z51 on a 2. The long wait is finally over, and the new midengine chevy corvette is as good as we could have imagined. Z06badged c7 silhouette car in the tudor united sportscar championship. My first experience driving a corvette was my dads red 1979 when i was 14. After twice experiencing overheating in our 2014 chevrolet corvette stingray during extreme driving, we brought the car to bunnin chevrolet in culver city for a. Dec 22, 2019 i still remember my first fast ride in a corvette. Toggle the drive mode selector into sport and the car snaps to attention.
The outgoing c7 had a pronounced driver centric bend to its dashboard, but if. The good news is that the corvette s first ever 8speed dualclutch automatic moves the car off the line smoothly, and shifts are executed with less of a delay than with the old 8speed automatic. But then there was a very, very bad one by car and driver, entitled race track hot throwdown of all throwdowns. Its kind of mindblowing to think about how fast they adapted to the new eneration corvette. Chevy now has its famous small block v8 located behind the driver and ahead of. Ill save everyone the trouble, gm is terrible, the c7 s reliability is awful. My 1st c8 drive at the ron fellows corvette driving school. The car itself is fine, i have never had issues with it. Apr 23, 2018 2019 chevrolet corvette zr1 first drive. Once a race car, then a special edition, the grand sport has become the corvette s topselling trim. Really, how quick is the 2020 chevy c8 corvette stingray.