LOS ANGELES, Calif. When did the good folks at General Motors become such wizards at PR?Ham-handed at times, and occasionally downright counterproductive they can be, but when it comes to the mid-engine Corvette, The General has been playing us you, the consumer, and we, the media like a Stradivarius.Dribbling out information like pronouncements from the mount, the unveiling of a Chevrolet-badged mid-engine supercar has turned July 18 into the automotive media event of the year.So, never mind that theyve been spooning out details like were toddlers in high chairs. Or that we all already knew, thanks to the most easily-accessed spy photos in the history of new automobiles, every angle of its silhouette. Ignore the fact that, even though Driving was given a super-secret, hush-hush advanced briefing by none other than Tadge Juechter, the C8s chief engineer, we still dont know all the performance metrics of this new Corvette.Yes, all that aside, heres what we know, what we think we know and even to paraphrase the immortal Donald Rumsfeld what we dont know we dont know about Chevys new C8 Corvette. They really were worried Corvette loyalists would hate the C8Rumours that GM execs were worried the Corvettes traditional audience old, male and shirtless, according to one brutally honest wag would hate the new mid-engined C8 were absolutely spot-on. Indeed, according to Juechter, rumours Chevy would produce the C8 and C7 simultaneously as a sop to all those hairy-chested geriatrics were at one point true, GM execs hedging their bets in a fine example of Detroit mawkish indecision.But, as Juechter tells it, as soon as they saw the first rendition of the new C8, all plans for a C7 continuation were dropped. According to Automobile magazines 2014 Man of the Year, thats because the new mid-engine Vette is stunningly gorgeous. But I also suspect a large measure of newfound confidence came from the fact that, from the front or rear dead-on, the C8 looks very much like a refreshed mildly refreshed C7. Oh, some angles and creases have changed, but from directly behind or ahead, theres no mistaking the C8 for anything other than an evolution of the Corvette.From the side, however, the C8 looks all genuine mid-engined supercar, and a truly gorgeous rendition at that. From almost every perspective, the new Vette looks purposeful in its aerodynamics, subtle in its proportions and positively dynamic in its stance.Oh, there will be critics. A few nay-sayers will compare it to a McLaren-cloned this or deride it as an NSX-derived that. Then there will be those who will call the styling too American-centric, as if that were insult.They would be dunderheads. The new C8 is, in a word, stunning.The (base) engine is another ode to Corvette’s pastThe only truly solid powerplant information we have is about the base 6.2-litre small-block V8. Juechter cites compact dimensions (important for space considerations in a mid-engined car), a low centre-of-gravity (c-of-g is allegedly right around the drivers inner hip to allow better steering feedback) and sufficiently attractive looks all those hide-bound loyalists will no doubt be thrilled by the large 3.2-mm-thick glass panel in the rear hatch shows off the LT2 as reasons to stick with the small-block.Its unlikely anyone will be disappointed with the performance. Thanks to a new intake system and a wild set of immaculately crafted individual equal-length up-and-over headers, the LT2 pumps out 495 horsepower (at 6,450 rpm) and 470 pound-feet of torque (at 5,150 rpm), the most horsepower and torque for any entry-level model in Corvette history. It will be mated to a new Tremec-sourced eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle. No, there will not be a manual offered, the new C8 yet another resounding admission the stick-shift transmission is all but dead.As with previous Corvette gearboxes, 7th and 8th gears are essentially overdrives, the LT2 loafing as low as 1,200 rpm on the highway. Second through 6th, meanwhile, are track-ready close-ratios, for minimal rpm drop between shifts. Most impressive, however, says Juechter, is how short first gear will be. You wont believe how hard this car launches, still talking about the base small-block.In fact, if Chevrolets testing is right, the new Corvette is going to be scary-fast. Officially, GM claims the new C8 will break the three-second barrier to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometres per hour). That would indicate even the slowest C8 will be a genuine three-second zero-to-100-km/h supercar. On the spec sheet at least, the base C8 would seem a real challenge to lesser McLarens and Lamborghinis.Were basically certain Chevy is sticking with the overhead-valve layout, at least in the base car, so loyalists will be comforted by the rhythmic clickety-clack of the pushrods know and love. As Juechter puts it, its a true big-bore Corvette sound. If you dont like the sound of the small-block, youre not going to like this one, because it sounds just
Origin: First Look: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray