[VIDEO] The C8 Corvette Takes on Europe’s Top Sports Cars in Four-Way Drag and Roll Races – Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle

It’s hard to believe, but Bowling Green is already piecing together examples from the C8 Corvette’s sixth model year! By this point in the C7’s lifecycle, everything was winding down, and customers and the media were completely fixated on the midengined light at the end of the tunnel. During the C6’s sixth trip around the sun, reviewers had the gloves off and were throwing haymakers at that generation’s shortcomings, as evidenced by The Truth About Cars’ inclusion of the following passage in its 2009 Corvette Z51 review: “…such inattention to detail. The seats are crummy, the shifters covered in crummy leather and there are some extremely low-rent plastics in frighteningly obvious places. Like the fake-aluminum steering wheel inserts. This particular car actually sets a new record for tackiness: fake carbon fiber on top of fake leather. Seriously guys, that sucks.”

It’s a testament to the overall greatness of the current ‘Vette that it still feels fresh at the same point in its existence when its immediate predecessors were either ready to tap out or being put under the microscope of scrutiny. We’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention that these circumstances are likely, at minimum, being assisted by the early rarity of C8s due to their very public COVID-related production woes and the changing landscapes of both automotive media and sporting vehicles in general since 2009, but come on, can you imagine someone ever putting the 2024/25 Stingray through the ringer like the passage above did after 1,000 miles behind the wheel of its LS3 ancestor? Neither can we and if anyone dared to do so, they’d immediately lose credibility because nobody has found any glaring issues with the current carrier of the Crossed Flags. Like Liz Hurley, the C8 has thus far proven to be ageless.

To test this apparent Hurley-ness, YouTube channel Sam CarLegion recently corralled three stalwarts from Liz’ side of the pond to see if the C8 has truly retained its fastball. The host, who is the real Sam himself, received RSVPs from a range of the Stingray’s contemporaries from the past six years, including the swansong Jaguar F-Type 575R Dynamic (which, as far as we can tell, is called the R75 P575 in the US), the recently retired AMG GTS, and the familiar BMW M8 Competition that we last saw tangling with a more potent E-Ray.

The ‘Vette on hand is a Red Mist Z51 Convertible. Like the rest of its cohort, it pairs a 495-horse mid-mounted 6.2L LT2 V8 with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and rear wheel drive. It also makes 470 lb-ft of torque, tips the scales at 3,647 pounds, and is capable of consistently ripping off 0-60 sprints in the high 2-second range.

The AMG – the only non-droptop in the race – also features a V8, DCT, RWD combination, but it keeps its smaller twin-turbocharged motivator in front of the cockpit. It eeks out an eight HP and nine lb-ft lead on the American with respective ratings of 503 and 479. It does weigh around 50 pounds more than the Stingray and it carries that weight out front where it doesn’t assist with getting off of the line like the LT2.

The other German takes the same layout but adds driven front wheels and applies it all to a big Grand Tourer. The Bimmer’s 4.4L twin-turbo V8 leaves the ‘Vette and GTS in its wake with 617 ponies and 553 torques that are left to animate a 4,251-pound two-door luxury coupe. In independent testing, the extra traction of the front wheels propels this new-age velvet hammer to 60 in the 2.5-second neighborhood.

Finally, we have… the Jaaaaag. The squinty R75 doesn’t look as good as the original F-Type to our eyes, but it sounds absolutely intoxicating! Its tremendous noise emanates from a Mustang fan-pleasing supercharged 5-liter V8 that peaks at 575 ponies and 516 lb-ft of twist. Even with the inclusion of AWD, it doesn’t take off like the M8 or Stingray, hitting 60 in the mid-3 range, likely due to its 4,134 lb. curb weight.

That’s all on paper, though, and the point of Sam’s test is to, well, test the manufacturer and print claims in a real-world scenario with regular drivers. How does it all go down? Click “play” to find out!

Source:

Sam CarLegion

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