The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a beloved American sports car known for its muscle car personality and noisy engines. For years, Chevy talked about building a mid-engined version, and in 2020, that concept became a reality. While some may have expected this new model to have a new name or strategy, it’s simply called the C8.

The base model is the Stingray, the performance pack is the Z51, and the hottest version is the Z06. However, the C8 is vastly different from its predecessor, the C7. The C7 was loud and snarly, while the C8 is calm and almost silent. It has clear, swift, and linear responses that make it far more accurate. This new version is a better car, but some argue that it loses some of the original charm.

However, the Z06 version still delivers a polished performance with a mighty edge, thanks to a bespoke 5.5-litre engine shared with the C8.R race car. Chevy also plans to release a hybrid Corvette in the future. The Corvette C8 is available in Europe and the UK in right-hand drive for the first time, and the standard car still has a V8 in it, delivering 490bhp and 465lb ft.

The Corvette comes with a choice of three trim levels and a convertible option that folds away on top of the engine, making this a surprisingly practical car. However, the interior has some notable flaws, such as a tall beam that bisects the cabin, separating the driver from the passenger. The Z06 is the hardcore version, and the engine is the star of the show, boasting 670bhp and 460lb ft. It’s a dry-sumped, flat-plane crank motor with titanium intake valves and conrods, forged aluminum pistons, and sodium-filled exhaust valves, making it the world’s most powerful naturally aspirated production V8 ever built.

The verdict is that the C8 is a great car that lives up to the performance that Chevy promised, but some argue that it has lost some of its original charm. The Z06 version is the hardcore option, and Chevy plans to release a hybrid version in the future, so there’s still plenty more to come from this model.