Esquire published photos ahead of the official reveal.
After months — scratch that, years — of waiting, it’s finally time to see the next era of Chevy’s signature sports car. The C8 Corvette will be revealed this evening, starting around 8:00 P.M. PDT. Before that, though, Esquire leaked information just hours ahead of the reveal, so we know much more official information about the new C8 Corvette. The article has since been taken down, as it broke Chevrolet’s official embargo.
This information is technically unofficial for about another hour (as of this update: 7:00 P.M. PDT), but this is more or less what to expect. The C8 Corvette Stingray set to be revealed packs a 6.2-liter V8, now dubbed LT2. It’s an updated version of the engine in the C7 Corvette, which puts out 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. For the entry rung on the C8 Corvette ladder, that’s an impressive amount of power. There’s also a Z51 Performance Package, which reportedly can lower the 0-60 time to “less than three seconds.”
Yeah, less than three seconds. In a base model C8 Corvette. What a brave new world we live in. The outgoing C7 Corvette ZR1 will make that sprint in 2.8 seconds, according to Chevrolet.
However, there is one major down side, as we expected. Those who want the same seven-speed manual transmission will have to stick with the old model. This new C8 Corvette is eight-speed dual-clutch or nothing. However, the paddle shifters certainly add to the car’s ferocious turn of speed. Apart from that sheer speed, the Z51 package reportedly adds upgraded cooling, brakes and exhaust system.
For now, we do not have official pricing. Esquire pegged the entry point at around $70,000, which is a hefty increase on the old C7. Mind you, this car is mid-engined and, if the numbers are accurate, a hell of a lot faster than the old versions. This could well be a performance bargain if those numbers hold up when journalists get their hands on the first production models.
TFL’s own Roman Mica is on location at Chevrolet’s reveal venue, and we’ll post updates from the event very soon!
This is a developing story. Check back to TFLcar.com soon for more updates!
