Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Chevrolet has been talking about building a mid-engined Corvette for years – decades even – but we’ve had to wait until 2020 for the idea, the dream, the concept, to become a production reality. You might think this landmark centre-engined model’s arrival would herald a whole new naming strategy, but no. It’s simply the next-generation Corvette, so it’s simply the C8. The same applies to all the models so far unveiled by the company. The base car is the Stingray, the performance pack is the Z51. And so on.

But don’t for one moment think that this car bears any relation whatsoever to the C7 it replaces in anything other than name. The C8 is to the C7 what Champagne is to Mountain Dew – a completely different product with a totally different performance offering.

Where the C7 rips and snorts its way down the road, the C8 is a pool of quiet – almost silent – calm. When you speed up, the C7’s brutish, sometimes wayward, mix of under and oversteer is replaced in the C8 by a delicate mix of crystal clear, swift and linear responses which make the ‘Vette’s behaviour far more accurate. So it’s a better car, no question.

But is it a better Corvette? That is one of the questions we have to answer here. If a Corvette is supposed to have muscle car manners and noise yet offer supercar performance, then I suggest it isn’t. Something has been lost, some of it bad but also some good. Then again, everything needs to progress and will always – well nearly always - lose some of the original charm. Look at the uproar that happened when Porsche had the nerve to water-cool its engines in the ‘hated’ 996. By the numbers, that was a better, more capable car than the 993 it replaced. But just look at which ones are worth more today to find out how the market voted. Clue: it ends in 3.

So, should you rush out and buy a C7 now while you still can? Actually, no. Because we’ve only just started with the C8 and there is plenty more to come from this model. The engines will only get stronger. The quality is already on another level, too. So give it a moment and let’s see how the C8 develops. Plus, remember, this one is coming to Europe and the UK in right-hand drive for the first time.