Making American Grunt Again

OZ-BOUND Corvette is finally a bonafide mid-engined supercar, but germany’s evergreen icon is not going down without a fight

- Scott Evans

Last Corner. Hairpin, zero camber. Be patient with the throttle, or it will just push. Start to unwind the wheel, roll hard into the throttle. Let all that weight in the back dig in and put the power down hard. Front straight, lap Vmax will be the instant before you brake. Keep your foot in it, keep your nerve. A little farther, a little farther, now maximum brake. Too far, too late. Not slowing fast enough, briefly fixate on the weeds you’re destined to meet. This can’t end well.

No, knock that off. Look where you want to go, turn but don’t lift, hope ABS does its job and lets you brake and steer at the same time – or else. Like magic, it’s turning! However, new problem; the rear end is coming around, fast. Countersteer before the engine passes the driver…

A year ago, there would be no doubt it’s a rear-engined Porsche we were talking about. Then Chevrolet went and put the engine behind the driver. The mid-engine Corvette is headed for Oz in 2021, and I’m driving it here in the USA. Or am I driving the new 992 edition of the 911 Porsche? They’re the same shade of red, and they’re nearly identical in performance. They even have similar rear weight biases. And that’s just to start. But one thing that remains entirely separate is the price.

When it goes on sale in Australia next year, we expect the Corvette to be around $170,000, massively cheaper than the Carrera S which is $274,600, to which most owners add at least $20K in options. Yet quite a few key stats about the Chevrolet Corvette Z51 and Porsche 911 Carrera S are similar – on paper. The Corvette is 110mm longer, 80mm wider and 60mm lower, but you would barely notice with the two parked next to each other.