The 2020 C8 Corvette: GM's boldest 'Vette since 1953
By Jack Hanson
GM recently revealed a new design for the C8 Corvette, much to the delight of car enthusiasts.
In 1953, General Motors revealed a shiny new sports car - one that would change the world’s idea of what a sports car could be. They called it the Chevrolet Corvette. Over the following 67 years, the Corvette has earned a legacy as the quintessential American sports car; a front-engined rear-wheel-drive performance-oriented two-door coupe. However, that legacy has now come to an end, with GM’s complete redesign of the Corvette for the 2020 model year which gives the ‘Vette an all-new, mid-engined design.
General Motors’ October 2019 announcement of its new design for the eighth generation (C8) Corvette shocked the automotive world. Indeed, rumors had circulated that the new ‘Vette might make the switch to a mid-engine layout, but few expected GM to follow through with the monumental change. In fact, the redesign of the Corvette from the C7 to C8 generations marks one of the widest generational gaps between iterations of any car in the Chevrolet lineup.
This C8’s design represents such a drastic change thanks to the shift in engine layouts. The vast majority of cars on the road are front-engined, as such a layout is tried-and-true and works well in front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive configurations. Mid-engined cars, on the other hand, are the rarest of all car layouts. You may recognize the distinctive shape of a mid-engined body in supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. However, of the dozen or so mid-engined cars on the market right now, only five cost less than $100,000. And now, the C8 Corvette is one of those five.
With a starting price of $59,995, the 490 HP base-model C8 is nothing to laugh at. A 6.2l LT2 V8 propels the new ‘Vette to 60 MPH in 2.9 seconds, and to a top speed of 194 MPH. Those numbers are nothing short of astonishing for a car that costs nearly $40,000 less than the cheapest Porsche 911. And on the outside, the C8 is sure to turn heads thanks to its streamlined design with wide rear haunches and gaping air vents behind the doors. Onlookers will likely ask the first C8 owner they meet if they’re driving a Ferrari. “No,” the C8 owner might respond, “but it’s just as fast.”
GM seems to have also improved the interior for the C8, with Motor1’s Scott Evans saying, “No longer can we chide Chevrolet for cheap materials, mediocre build quality, and unsupportive seats." Still, no car is perfect, and neither is the C8 according to reviewers who have driven it. Still, most agree that it’s about as close as you can get to supercar performance for a price that can’t be beat. In other words, Detroit has made a sports car worth being proud of.
B-Line
B-Line students write articles that capture what it means to be part of the Barstow community, and record, review and analyze current events.
B-Line's origins date back to 1897, when students published "The School Paper," from Barstow's Quality Hill campus. It was published under various names in following decades, including "The Cornpatch," when Barstow moved to State Line in 1961. Today, B-Line is primarily a digital publication.
B-Line's origins date back to 1897, when students published "The School Paper," from Barstow's Quality Hill campus. It was published under various names in following decades, including "The Cornpatch," when Barstow moved to State Line in 1961. Today, B-Line is primarily a digital publication.
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