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The new Corvette C8 - now for the first time with a mid-engine and a thoroughly European driving behavior.
Photo: GM
The first impression:
Viewed in isolation, the Corvette looks terrific.
Similar to a McLaren, Ferrari or Lamborghini.
But that is the problem.
Until now it was unmistakable, now it has become a supercar like any other.
What the manufacturer says:
Whenever General Motors speaks of the Corvette, the term »US icon« is often used. General Motors President Mark Reuss even compares the sports car with the Apollo rockets, a stealth bomber or the moon car: "This is one of those technical marvels that turn children into engineers who build something, want to construct something."
That is perhaps a little over the top. Nevertheless, Reuss can be proud. After almost 70 years and almost two million copies built in seven generations, the Corvette is the world's most successful sports car in this class. A Porsche 911, on the other hand, is a niche model; the car has not even had half as many sales since 1963. In addition, there is no other car in the USA - besides the Ford Mustang a league below and the Ford GT one above - that can even come close to rivaling Ferrari or Porsche & Co. in terms of reputation.
However, the Corvette had not been able to keep up on the slopes for a long time. "At some point it became clear to us that we had exhausted the front engine concept," admits chief engineer Tadge Juechter. After the first Corvette studies in the 1950s and many sketches of ideas afterwards repeatedly revolved around a mid-engine, there was now money and capacity to make the "dream" come true: less load on the steering, but more weight and traction on the rear axle - and the driver very close to the center of gravity of the car. "That allows us to make a quantum leap in terms of driving dynamics," says Juechter and finally sees himself on a par with the European competition again.
We noticed that
you need a pilot's license for this car.
After getting in, you sit almost at street level with a cockpit arching around the steering wheel, as if from films like »Top-Gun«.
Clear, detailed and focused on the driver.
All around it is posh, which is unusual for a Corvette.
While the jet on wheels was long a cheap plastic bomber, the dashboard now boasts lacquer and leather.
One advantage quickly becomes clear: where an endlessly long bonnet used to be seen, it is now much easier to estimate the beginning of the car behind the short front end.
This allows the driver to find a fast line better and hit the corners more precisely.
When it came to the C8, chief engineer Juechter was primarily concerned with precision.
The fact that the US sports car is fast on the straights and that it could leave many competitors behind in quarter-mile races was not enough for him.
With the new layout, he wanted to keep up with the Europeans in the curves - or even overtake them.
And that worked.
The C8 turns as if you were sitting in a bumper car.
The new Corvette comes around the corner faster and shoots away faster.
Especially because the C8 has a double clutch and ensures a seamless flow of power.
But as fascinating as the car is to drive, the overall experience is sobering.
The former underdog has arrived in the establishment with the mid-engine - and has lost a lot of its character.
Suddenly everyone can drive the Corvette.
And anyway: who needs a US sports car that makes for Europeans?
After all: More than any European super sports car, the Corvette retains a certain degree of suitability for everyday use.
The trunk in the bow and stern hold a total of 360 liters, almost as much as a VW Golf.
Because it is difficult to see the rear, Chevrolet has replaced the rear-view mirror with a camera.
In the six driving programs there is a comfort setting for long-distance driving that is hardly conceivable in a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
The body concept of the Corvette, which is mostly bent from sheet metal instead of baked from carbon, is unusual. The Coupé is actually a Targa with a roof element that can be removed. Nevertheless, the Corvette is also available as a convertible - for the first time with a retractable hardtop, which is supposedly stiffer, lighter and faster.
You have to know that:
the engine is as American as ever.
The Corvette C8 also drives up with an eight-cylinder, whose nickname "Small Block" sounds like irony to European ears.
After all, the engine, which is draped under glass, has a displacement of 6.2 liters and does not require turbocharging.
Even so, the power plant has an output of 482 hp and mobilizes 613 Nm of torque.
That catapults the car in 3.5 seconds to 100 km / h and up to 296 km / h.
This is faster than any previous entry-level Corvette.
Consumption is out of date.
Despite cylinder deactivation, it is 12.1 liters and can easily be doubled.
Those responsible in Detroit are therefore working on a fully electric alternative.
That was betrayed by Joe Biden as a US presidential candidate.
He owns a 1967 Corvette.
The current Corvette C8 has been on sale in the USA since spring 2020 and is now coming to Germany.
The price: from 86,900 euros for the coupé and from 93,400 euros for the convertible.
This means that the C8 still offers more "Bang For The Buck" than any other sports car in this league.
The Porsche 911 is around 20,000 euros more expensive and for McLaren, Ferrari or Lamborghini the price list starts at double these sums.
We won't forget that: the
kind of wall that towers between two inmates.
It triggers the feeling of being a jet pilot and is paved with numerous switches.
This keyboard can still be played at full throttle because the Corvette now drives so stable - thanks to the mid-engine.
