On July 18, 2019, the 2020 C8 Corvette was unveiled to a large group of special guests and the media. When the curtain opened and a Torch Red midengine Corvette came to a stop you could hear the gasps in the audience. The positive reaction was overwhelming and the relief on the faces of the Corvette team present was obvious. This radical design has been under development for at least 10 years. Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and his team not only had a huge development burden building this car, they had to closely guard its existence and development. The pressure from the onslaught of inquiries from rabid Corvette owners, media, spy photographers and the Internet was overwhelming. Public and professional spy photographers used every means available to snap photos of this future Corvette. With so many camouflaged photos of the C8 floating around, fans had a good idea on the car&rsquo;s overall shape, but the big question was how much was it going to cost? When the base price of $59,995 was announced there was stunned silence and then everyone present stood and gave the team a standing ovation. Tadge and his Corvette Team should win an Academy Award for pulling off this pricing miracle. Better yet, we should nominate Tadge for President!The first question that comes to mind is what equipment do you get in this base package. The answer is a nicely equipped high-performance mid-engine sports car that smokes its price point competition. How about a 495hp LT2 engine that propels this coupe to a 194-mph top speed, 0-60 in under 3 seconds, standard suspension and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Buyers can select from eight exterior colors for no additional cost, a standard removable roof panel and Bright Silver open spoke wheels. The interior comes with eight-way power-adjustable GT1 seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless access, pushbutton start, driver mode selector with valet mode, dual zone-electronic climate control, powerlift and telescoping steering wheel, Bose premium 10-speaker AM/FM/XM Bose audio with USB port, Bluetooth phone connection and phone projection, HD rear vision camera, rear park assist and central locking glovebox. The one innovative system that is not available in the base car is the E60 Front Lift Adjustable Height with Memory system. This is an option when you upgrade your car with the 2LT or 3LT trim packages.<img src="https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6262/392719/5dfa14e9aa1c4/1576670422504.jpg"" owidth=507 oheight=601" style="height:601px; width:507px" />So how user-friendly is the C8 for day-to-day driving compared to the C7? After a close inspection we came away with favorable impressions of this Corvette. Its wheelbase extends 0.5 inch to 107.2 inches and it is 5.3 inches longer and 2.2 inches wider (76.1 inches) than the previous Corvette. The doors sills are low and the large doors allow easy entry. Once inside, the center console is narrower and the driver&rsquo;s compartment has plenty of leg and headroom. All of the controls are within easy reach. The passenger compartment is narrower, but still offers plenty of leg and headroom. The driver has a footrest on the left side of the brake pedal that provides welcome support during long drives. The instrument panel layout is intuitive and cabin switches are placed vertically for easy access. Controls for the A/C, seat heating/cooling and passenger temperature controls are located in this panel.The heart of this amazing Corvette lies underneath its sumptuous body panels and is all about the base. The C8&rsquo;s frame architecture is completely different from the previous C7. Transverse leaf springs are no longer used to support the suspension like it has in previous generations. Four high-pressure die castings support the front and rear coil-over spring/shock absorber system. These complicated lightweight fixtures are extruded from large blocks of aluminum at GM&rsquo;s Bedford, Indiana, foundry. The front, side and rear frame braces are connected to these forgings to create a strong, lightweight frame. With the engine now being placed behind the driver, engine and exhaust heat have now been moved to the back of the car. Without an engine up front, the Corvette Team was able to offer leftand right-hand driving versions of the C8. This opens up the new car to global markets. Well done.Now that the engine is behind the driver, the car has a shorter nose that offers a better view of the road ahead of you. In back, the Corvette Team made good utilization of the car&rsquo;s longer rear deck by including a deep vertical storage bin behind the engine. It is deep enough for golf clubs and soft luggage. Lift the hood and you will find a small trunk that can accommodate an airline size carryon bag. The car&rsquo;s dry-weight is listed at 3,366 pounds and early examples we have inspected have excellent fit and finish. Our overall impression is that this is a very well designed Corvette. If you have the budget, Chevrolet is offering you an ample choice of extra-cost options to add to your base C8 coupe. For a detailed list go to: www. chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/ na/us/english/index/vehicles/2020/ performance/zerv-reveal/02-pdfs/C8_ Pricing_PDF.pdf.What can we expect in the near future from the wizards at Team Corvette? Well, we know the convertible has already been introduced. A higher-performance Z06 (or whatever they call it) will be based on the upcoming C8.R race car. We even have heard rumors of a 1,000hp hybrid offering in this car&rsquo;s future. Even in its current base form this Corvette is a world-class addition to the Corvette lineup and its future looks bright.

It's All About The Base!

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