The 1972 Chevy Corvette Stingray has always been my favorite. It was the last year Corvettes featured both a front and rear chrome bumper. Black or Ontario Orange with T-tops is my dream car, but I digress.
Full-bodied colored bumpers of later models have never been my thing, but hey, I’m an old soul and love the look of sparkling chrome. In general, I really loved the look of the 1970s Corvettes.
After that, Corvettes just really didn’t excite me at all. They lost a lot of luster and looks of the classic car and its predecessors.
New Chevy 2020 Corvette Stingray
Now for something completely different—a true transformation! Cue the music, drum roll, violins and/or heavenly harps for the intro because this one is epic. Everything about the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray C8 is different and, in my opinion, exciting.
The look, design, speed, and technology are all different. It seems every aspect of Chevy’s new 2020 Corvette has been thought through. This new iteration of, and in “Corvettedom,” is shocking the automotive world.
Appearance
It also seems that the good people at Chevrolet want to tickle everyone’s interest by making the C8 available in 12 different colors. Interior trim options will be crazy, to say the least. And how about a squared-off steering wheel in the driver’s seat cockpit-style? What in the name of George Jetson is that all about?
So, let’s talk about the mid-engine design. What? Chevy went radical! It’s cool and it makes me wonder if we will start to see non-sports cars make this transformation.
I do like the feature that shows the heart-sputtering engine through a clear cover on the rear hood. It’s different and draws your eye immediately. The body design reminds me of a Ferrari, but it’s still got vette-shaped rear lights and is boxy-sleek enough to say All-American.
One thing—and a very minor complaint on my part—is that I hope to see a bit of a redesign in future models with the rear hood. I don’t like exposing both the engine and the trunk when lifting it up.
I like to see the engine, not dirty gym socks or a dumped bag of groceries rolling around next to a premiere engine. Trunks and engines? Bleck! But let’s face it, this car isn’t designed for a long road trip, so who cares about a tiny exposed trunk?
Speed
So enough about the look. This puppy is about speed: 490 horsepower with a 6.2-liter pushrod V8. Hit the gas and the 2020 Corvette can go 0-60 mph in three seconds.
It’s got an aluminum chassis, and still like a true Corvette, fiberglass body panels keeping it light.
It’s got an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and no option for a manual transmission. Yup—no stick. Is this another signal to the dinosaurs like me that our time on earth is coming to an end? Let’s face it: Most kids don’t even know what a manual transmission is, and have never seen one, never mind learn how to drive one.
Technology
So, what about the bumps on the road? Well, Chevy’s 2020 Corvette features a hydraulic nose lift that raises the car 1.5 inches when going over some bumpy conditions, and allows you to geo-track locations, a feature that automatically activates as you drive.
Oh, and how about the Corvette Performance Data Recorder that will record your time on the track? Yes—pretty cool, and it also doubles as a dash cam.
This base Stingray will start at $60,000. I suspect the low starting price (low for sports cars of this historical, flashy, hot rod beefy badass magnitude) will drive demand and entry for many into the sports car world.
It’s a historical year for Corvettes and possibly a historic purchase for a lot of car enthusiasts without a millionaire’s budget. Do it if you can. Drive it, but don’t be surprised to see many of these put away and stored for future generations to ogle over. Transformational design year plus innovation plus historical cool equals Classic!
