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By Jonathan Crouch

The Corvette Stingray is probably the best super sportscar you've never considered. Jonathan Crouch explains why.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 57

The Corvette used to be a sportscar that cynical Europeans tended to dismiss. Since it got rather serious in eighth generation C8 Stingray form though, they've all had to shut up, for this Chevy really does have genuine talent. If you thought all the fun had gone out of sports cars, you simply have to try one.

Backgroundword count: 213

Think of an American sportscar and the chances are you're picturing this one, the Corvette. For over seventy years, this has been the dynamic definition of the US motor industry, a car that demands to be treated with respect. Trouble is, this side of the Atlantic, it rarely has been. Over the years, European and Japanese enthusiasts have largely dismissed the 'Vette as powerful but ponderous, brawny but bulky, likeable but low-tech and, most importantly, though swift on the straightaways, comparatively slow through the corners. But it's time to think again. Ever since the launch of the C8 eighth generation model in 2020, those who know their super sports cars have been starting to take the Corvette more seriously. For Europe, it no longer has a Chevrolet badge, now known only as the Corvette Stingray. And this MK8 design is like no other car in this model line's extensive back catalogue. Yes, power still comes from a throbbing normally aspirated V8, but that powerplant no longer sits beneath the bonnet thanks to the adoption of a mid-engined format which led to the complete redesign that's allowed General Motors to offer the tiny band of UK Corvette enthusiasts something they've never previously had with this car; right hand drive. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 297

Chevrolet has long talked about giving the Corvette a mid-mounted drivetrain, but only with this C8 generation model was that actually delivered. As part of a clean sheet concept incorporating a new backbone-style aluminium spaceframe chassis. You don't expect a super sports car designed in such a way to be powered by heavy old V8, still less a normally aspirated one, but that's what this Stingray model still has, a unit linked to a new 8-speed dual clutch automatic plumbed into a torquey drivetrain that sends power to the rear wheels. The power in question amounts to 475bhp, enough to dispatch 62mph in 3.5s en route to 184mph. That's quick, but not excessively fast by super sports car standards; a rather less exotic base Porsche 911 Carrera records similar figures, aided by being around 150kg lighter. But what'll be more important for 'Vette enthusiasts will be the aural fireworks that accompany the acceleration, a melodic V8 bellow that no more modern turbocharged engine can replicate. No need for stereo speaker embellishment here. All European-market versions of this car get Chevrolet's Z51 pack, which includes an electronic limited-slip differential, a shortened axle ratio and updated suspension, brakes and exhaust. But unless you take to the track, you might struggle to get the benefit of all that, so big and wide does the Stingray feel on a typical British secondary road. If you've owned a Corvette before, one pleasant surprise will be the supple ride quality, a key ingredient in allowing this model to tread the delicate line between being a GT and being a super sportscar. That's because the transverse leaf spring suspension that's characterised the Corvette for generations has finally been ditched here in favour of rear double-wishbone axles with adjustable coilover suspension and magnetorheolgical adaptive dampers.

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