Party In The Back

THE C8 CORVETTE KEEPS ITS PROMISES

- Scott Evans

This far, no farther. Chevrolet’s Corvette engineering team has been clear: They had taken the front-engine, rear-drive sports car platform as far as possible. The only way forward was to move the engine backward. After pulling the pin and blowing up 65 years of history and heritage, the mid-engine C8 Corvette made its debut to incredible promises.

And after decades reporting rumors and false starts, we can finally confirm: Chevrolet keeps its promises.

You’ll forgive any skepticism. Chevrolet told us moving the engine back a few feet, adding 35 horsepower (give or take), and employing a dual-clutch transmission would make the 495-hp C8 Corvette Z51 quicker to 60 mph than the 755-hp C7 Corvette ZR1, despite the C8’s considerably worse power-to-weight ratio. Plus, they said, it would come within a tenth of a g or two on the skidpad while wearing all-season tires. Oh, and it’ll do all that for half the price, give or take.

That’s quite a target to aim for. With launch control engaged and 61 percent of the weight on the rear tires, the C8 Corvette Z51 shot to 60 mph in a staggering 2.8 seconds on the way to an 11.1-second quarter mile at 123.2 mph.

Let’s geek out on these numbers for a hot minute. The best the C7 could ever manage is 3.0 seconds to 60. That 2019 C7 ZR1 weighed only a few dozen pounds more than this 3,622-pound C8 Z51 but had to launch just 4.8 pounds per horsepower to the new car’s 7.3. The best a C7 Z51 could ever do was 3.7 seconds to 60, with the same power-to-weight as the new car thanks to a slimmer curb weight. Even the C7 Grand Sport, with its stickier tires and Z06 suspension, only managed a 3.6. The quickest factory Corvette ever is the new base model with a sport package.