Community Question: What Should The Mid-Engine C8 Corvette’s Benchmark Be?
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The mid-engine C8 Corvette is becoming a more common sight in spy shots and new information has become more readily available about the revolutionary new model.
Ahead of its launch, we felt it was proper to ask: what do you think the C8 Corvette’s benchmark should be? Exotics from Lamborghini and Ferrari? Sports cars from Porsche? Something else?
Part of our inquiry comes after Lamborghini smashed the Porsche’s Nürburgring lap record with the upcoming Aventador SVJ. The high-performance Italian supercar managed to scoot around the circuit in 6:44.97. Previously, Porsche set the production-car lap record with a 6:47.3 time and the 911 GT2 RS.
We don’t know how quick the 2019 C7 Corvette ZR1 is around the famed track, but a mid-engine car will certainly improve upon the front-engine car’s performance. The ZR1 may also be the pinnacle of the Corvette team’s work with a front-engine car. We doubt its 755 horsepower and aero trickery will be enough to claim the ‘Ring’s top time. We could see the Corvette name dip under seven minutes for the first time, though.
The C8 mid-engine Corvette has been spotted testing alongside other Corvette variants, but also Porsche 911s, too. The team clearly has its long-time rival in its crosshairs, and eventually, we may see the new car go head-to-head with more exotic machines; rumor has it a Corvette Hybrid could push close to 1,000 hp and boast an all-wheel-drive system.
So, what do you think? Talk to us down below and vote in our poll.
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Interesting that Ferrari is leading the pole, yet Porsche I feel is the real competitor to C8. Just look at the performance the latest 911’s are offering, and the luxury they offer as well. IMO, main target Porsche (911), secondary is Ferrari (488).
I think we should just take note that GM has the Porsche, Audi and McLaren on the Warren proving grounds that are being used for benchmarking. That kind of takes opinion out.
The car will target everything from the Boxster on up to a Audi R8 price wise.
There are a number of Mid engine sports cars at $150-$200K that the Vette can easily take on for half the price.
As for Ferrari they may be able to make something close but the $325K price adds many things that the Vette can not challenge but it should still be competitive performance wise with the high end model will see later.
You serious about Ferrari being a competition to the Corvette? No way!
Corvette = Quality
Ferrari = Fake
Y’all know Chris Harris of TG, and I know you believe him way more than you believe this old pharting lefty loony. Well this is what Chris had to say in 2011:
Chris Harris, Ja Lop Ski 2011:
“Sad to say it, but the ecstasy of driving a new Ferrari is now almost always eradicated by the pain of dealing with the organization. Why am I bothering to tell you this? Because I’m pissed with the whole thing now. It’s gotten out of control; to the point that it will soon be pointless believing anything you read about its cars through the usual channels, because the only way you get access is playing by its rules.
“One English magazine went along with all the cheating-bs because the cars did seem to be representative of what a customer might get to drive, but then during the dyno session, the “standard” tires stuck themselves to the rollers.
How bad has it been? I honestly don’t know where to start. Perhaps the 360 Modena press car that was two seconds faster to 100mph than the customer car we also tested. You allow some leeway for “factory fresh” machines, but this thing was ludicrously quick and sounded more like Schumacher’s weekend wheels than a street car. Ferrari will never admit that its press cars are tuned, but has the gall to turn up at any of the big European magazines’ end-of-year-shindig-tests with two cars. One for straight line work, the other for handling exercises. Because that’s what happens when you buy a 458: they deliver two for just those eventualities. The whole thing stinks. In any other industry it wouldn’t be allowed to happen. It’s dishonest, but all the mags take it between the cheeks because they’re too scared of not being invited to drive the next new Ferrari.
“What does it say about a 458 if the only way its maker is willing to loan it to a magazine is if a laptop can be plugged in after every journey and a dedicated team needs to spend several days at the chosen test track to set-up the car? It says they’re completely nuts
“It’s the level of control that’s so profoundly irritating and I think damaging to the brand. Once you know that it takes a full support crew and two 458s to supply those amazing stats, it then takes the shine off the car. The simple message from Ferrari is that unless you play exactly by the laws they lay down, you’re off the list.
“What are those laws? Apart from the laughable track test stuff, as a journalist you are expressly forbidden from driving any current Ferrari road car without permission from the factory. So if I want to drive my mate’s 458 tomorrow, I have to ask the factory. Will it allow me to drive the car? No: because it is of “unknown provenance,” i.e. not tuned.
“Ferrari honestly believes it can control every aspect of the media — it has actively intervened several times when I’ve asked to borrow owners’ cars.
“The control freakery is getting worse: for the FF launch in March journalists have to say which outlets they are writing it for and those have to be approved by Maranello. Honestly, we’re perilously close to having the words and verdicts vetted by the Ferrari press office before they’re released, which of course has always been the way in some markets.”
If you buy a Ferrari and it’s not tested-by-journalists, then you bought a dud. Fact. Be for real and Buy Corvette!
Thanks for that, it’s worse than many have suspected!
Totally agree that Porsche is the benchmark for production sports cars, i.e., cars that can be owned and used as daily drivers. If GM can match the best of the 911 series both on the track and on the street as a daily driver then it will be a very special achievment.
Corvette should be the benchmark. For the overpriced underperforming Eurosnob Vehicles.
Benchmarking against unreliable euro-charm crap that the GM mechanics probably have to resuscitate every 1000mi? Fehan and Juechter, please don’t benchmark the brake pad life, or the PS4 cup life, or the exhausts made of tin that must be replaced by the dealer’s aftermarket stealers only minutes after that $200k purchase.
Benchmark against AMERICA! The C8 should be faster than the:
Saturn V stage-1
Morton Thiokol Shuttle solid fuel boosters
Lockheed SR71
Eagle Westlake (actually the C4 ZR1 beat that)
Cadillac DPi
Hennessey Venom GT
And the C8 should be more powerful than the:
USS Gerald R Ford nuke carrier
Atlas warhead
Large Hadron Collider.
I just hope that Juechter and Fehan are busy right now at CERN smashing protons in to quarks that will beat anything from Europe’s breakable fakers!
Benchmark should be the ZR1 c7 just 1 second faster in 0 to 60, 1/4 mile and a major leap forward in every other category the ZR1 competes in
Reliable and affordable.
The demand for a 150K+ Corvette is as dry and a 95 year old women’s private parts.
Affordability is relative, and starting at $55,500USD isn’t affordable for many.
Besides, making it too affordable will erode the Corvettes air of exclusivity and make it common and unremarkable….like the Charger and Mustang are now.
The important thing is that there is a demand for $150K Corvettes. ATP is more important that volume, and if the Corvette can reach into 6 digits, there’s no reason for GM to water it down for the sake of moving more units.
Sure, there is “some” demand about as much as 95 year old PUSSY. The air is very thin up there.
But to survive, Corvette needs to have consistent production at least over 25,000 units, maybe more now with the plant expansion. Porsche will be well over 60K this year. Corvette needs to diversify to survive.
Sure, there is “some” demand about as much as 95 year old P*S*Y. The air is very thin up there.
But to survive, Corvette needs to have consistent production at least over 25,000 units, maybe more now with the plant expansion. Porsche will be well over 60K this year. Corvette needs to diversify to survive.
Lightweight fun to drive. Think Pontiac Fiero with 600 horsepower
With a Chevette front end? (like the Fiero)
“Think Pontiac Fiero with 600 horsepower”
The C8 is going to be a world away from the Fiero. For one, the C8 has a bigger development budget, and secondly the C8 isn’t cobbled together with the front of a Malibu and the front of a Camaro.
I can see the Fiero as a distant but mildly related connection in that they both have RMR layouts, but I don’t expect the C8 to share anything with the Fiero apart from a few nuts, bolts, and washers.
Correction: Much worse than that. The Fiero was cobbled together with the rear end drive of a Chevy Citation X car and the front end of a Chevy Chevette.
Bench mark..WTF..we all know that for the dough there isn’t a better sports car over all than the beloved Vette..Tadge and the rest of the guys will get it right but the real worry is the pricing going to be such that only old baby boomers will be able to afford one…Chevrolet builds and expects volume producing models and with the way c7 sales have fallen off what’s the General going to do. So what about the bragging rights of the Ring or zero to 60…Corvette has been there and done that….it’s not how you feel it’s how you look…..and I’m sure the c8 will look just killer.
The C8 will be good but what is really needed is a true performance SUV. That’s where the real money is and it certainly worked for Porsche where the SUVs pay for the further development of sports cars. Works for me.
The last thing GM needs is a 800 hp SUV! 800, 900, 1000hp Corvette yes! But SUV no!
That’s what people want. Porsche learned that CUV sales can fund the R&D for their sports cars. GM could do the same. It would also give them another car to sell Corvette engines, and the more engine sales the better the engines will be in terms of reliability.
Imagine all the single and childless Corvette owners who would buy a Corvette CUV once they have a family to transport.
Well the ZR1 just set the track record at Willow Springs besting the 911 GT2 RS by a full second in 100 degree weather. The GT2 owns the lap record at the Ring for regular production cars at 6:47.
It is expected the Z will see even better times at the ring in cooler weather.
Now give the car a lower center of gravity and more centralized weight the C8 should see even better times.
So if you are bench marking you had better chose something better than the GT2 RS.
Porsche lost the record for the ring to the Aventador SVJ, it ran a 6:44. The Zr1 isn’t tuned or designed for European tracks, they never benchmark the corvettes on the ring which is why it hasn’t done so well on the ring. But they do test them on American Tracks which is why they dominate on them, and yes the Ring and American tracks are 2 different monsters. Also the Corvette is only sold in America (maybe a few places outside) GM isn’t doing it for the money because all of the other vehicles are international… GM is doing it to prove a point, they can create an America sports car for the price, the Z06 was just as quick as most cars double its price tag but what held it back was the fact it had a big heavy supercharger instead of a turbo. Also, if you do bring your corvette to Europe it is like riding around in a Ferrari, everyone is staring because not many people know what the vehicle is.
Well GM has gone for the record in the past and they do promote the car in Europe quite a bit. While there is no major dealer network they are available there.
They will put more effort into the C8 for global sales too.
Note GM develops the Vette on the Lutz Ring at the Warren proving grounds that take the key elements of the ring and helps them develop the car.
The Z06 press release also was held on the Lutz Ring to show off the tuning.
The weight of a fuel Turbo system with intercooler is not much different. Torque is better in the Turbo.
Yes zgM is doing it for the money. The Corvette has to make a profit or it can be eliminated. This is why it is important to keep volumes up and attract non traditional Corvette buyers.
Why is there even a subject about these other cars?? Who cares!! Let those people have their Europen cars and keep them off the GM websites. We love our corvettes and should be the only topic here. I can’t imagine my life without them!! I want to see and talk about what counts here, the corvette!!! Just stop all this other mess. If you don’t love and want to read about the corvettes, stay off this website !!! I don’t appreciate having to scroll to read what is important
This guy is my hero! He is so right! GM Authority should be about GM only!
The reason we and even GM compare is that steel sharpens steel.
If not for competition with other makes the Corvette would fall to being like it was in 1976 using cheap off the shelf parts like a Vega steering wheel and just being a poser vs a competitor.
The progress of the C4 started when GM decided to take on the world and it has made the car respectable.
Today the Corvette is not only a great car for the money it is just a great car period.
Like the Camaro. If there was no Mustang the Camaro would not be the car it is today.
Because GM is now a small company which must compete aggressively. GM does not operate in a vacuum like it did prior to bankruptcy. Knowing your competition is a great asset.
GM is not a small company they are still one of the largest automakers.
But they did hurt themselves taking their eye off the competition.
They began competing internally and fell behind.
Relatively speaking, GM is now a small company. From the largest and most valuable company in the world in the 50 and 60’s, today it doesn’t even come close to making the list of the largest global companies. Only Toyota in the auto industry makes the list.
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/audit-services/assets/pdf/global-top-100-companies-2017-final.pdf
In terms of market cap. we have GM at 52B, Ford at 39, Toyota at 178. By comparison, Facebook could buy the entire worldwide auto industry at 512 B. Amazon is 920 B, Apple now exceeds 1 trillion and Google is catching-up at 865B.
It is very doubtful that Ford and GM have the necessary resources to survive global competition in the coming years. They are both small companies on the global scale. Sorry to burst your bubble but times have changed.
Let’s talk about the 25 1000 HP Yenko corvettes I only saw one picture of it and very little about it. Why not share more of that car with pictures??? It was like a blink of an eye!!
Chevrolet can follow the same approach they have been doing which is introduce the C8 Corvette with a low entry price that would feature a price just above the C7 Corvette Grand Sport or about $75-80K which would create chaos in the exotic car market then build Z06 and ZR1 models that will increase overall performance and prices ranging from $125-200K.
Right idea but I get a feeling the base car will be even a little more cheaper.
The corvette does not need to be a short squaty looking car. Porsche is just that. Needs it long sleek lines that you want to look at and drive. Makes it mean looking and really sporty!!! Everyone keeps talking about the the Porsche and yes it can run but nothing special to look at! Like a little rounded egg. No curves and aggressiveness. Please don’t even ponder a look like that!
At least a McLaren has some body lines and sport to it. Since we keep bringing up these other cars.
So do I need to go ahead and order a new Z06, 2019 now before they are 150,000??? The C8 is going to be a great car, but always bugs in big changes. I have always chased the HP but the dealers right now with their ZR1’s are too greedy as they always are unless you are someone special or just rich or famous and could care less.
Honestly, I would hate to be the one making the decisions on the C8 because a mid engine corvette is really a whole different world for all of us. I am just Leary of those babies for awhile. But they look GREAT!! Maybe why I have read the C7’s will still
continue on past this year? They are still beautiful to me.
As for the guy named Bert, he is rude and should not be allowed to post on a professional site with some of his words and how he uses them. Thinks he is texting to his buddies!!! Sorry, I am a female and was insulted and had many corvettes for 40 plus years and always will. I was a high level 400+ judge in the NCRS (National Corvette Restores Society) and a lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum since it was just a little store front. Went in the plant several times and to see one of my cars. I would have still been judging cars in the NCRS if my husband had not gotten sick and passed away several years ago. Just wanted people to realize women do have the passion, love and desire for our corvettes too. I am nobody special but not rude I hope. Corvettes are in my blood and always will be!! So I do enjoy reading post here and especially what is going on with our cars. Sorry, it is not just a man’s world here. We buy these beautiful cars too!! I might be to the extreme for the corvettes then most women but I am use to that.
I do know by what is written here the people that post are some professionals by their knowledge but like I said, we all count and have opinions. We are the past present and future of these wonderful corvettes.
I’m not sure why so many here have to bash European cars to feel good about the Corvette, because it’s also a great looking car, especially the C7 Stingray in my opinion, which finally struck the right balance between feminine grace and masculine aggression, the ying yang of sports car design. Out of necessity the Z06/ZR1 have so many bulges and tacky scoops and vents that they’re too aggro for my taste. I believe that because the C8 was designed in the midst of severe C7 cooling problems that it will restore the Stingray’s ying yang by integrating the massive cooling system into the lines and even the overall shape. Of course as a mid-engine car, it won’t need any emergency bulges to make room for the engine.
Anyways, I love how Porsches look, and how they exude a Teutonic vibe. I also love how the Corvette looks, and its palpable American vibe of brash excess and overkill is exhilarating even when the car is parked at a stand still.
Remember, it wasn’t long ago that the Corvette didn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as a Porsche. Now the standard question posed by the car mags is “which is better, Porsche or Corvette?” It’s an exciting time to be an American car enthusiast, and probably even more exciting to be an American car engineer, at least on the Corvette team, which no longer must feel under GM’s couch cushions for change. GM’s upper management not only supports the Corvette team, they view the Corvette as the tip of GM’s technological spear. For the first time since its inception, the Corvette is literally GM’s most prized institution, and they are dedicated to making America proud!
The problem with trying to compare the Corvette to any of the exotics especially Porsche is cost. People will review these performance cars and claim that they have similar performance without paying attention to the price.
2018 porsche 911 turbo s
0 to 60 2.8 seconds
1/4 Mile 10.5 sec/131.5 MPG
Top speed 205
Cost $190,000 coupe
Cost $203,00 convertible
2018 Corvette ZR1
Zero to 60 mph in 2.85 seconds,
0-100 mph in 6.0 seconds
10.6-second quarter-mile at 134 mph
coupe $119,995
convertible $123,995
This is just a example of why the comparison of the two cars are ridiculous. Cars shouldn’t be compared based on performance they should be compared based on price. Within a few thousand of each other.
If you want to talk looks, that subject is pointless because your never going to make everyone happy.
So my question to you is which car would you rather own, the 190k Porsche or the 120k ZR1.
I know which one is going in my garage. ZR1
Porsche, hands down. The ZR1 would be fun for the first week or two until the omnipresent loud noise got to me, while Porsche has models that are more practical (more seats and cargo, quieter, visibility). The decision becomes more difficult if the Corvette Grand Sport is on the table but I think the road noise would still get to me. Of course that’s my own personal bias due to hearing problems.
It’s an example of how numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Corvette has had great performance for a while but most drivers would probably agree that the C7 finally reached a level of refinement that put it in league with the best in the world.
As for the C8, it will be compared to European (and Ford) mid-engine exotics because like them it focuses on track use to the exclusion of all else and would be a ridiculous “daily driver.” We don’t yet know for sure, but it looks like it will have two seats plus *maybe* enough room for a set of golf clubs in the frunk. The exotic 5.5TT DOHC V8 engine around which the car is built will be like the gem in a neckless that is worn on only the finest occasions.
Virtually nobody is going to buy a C8 for track duty. We’ll see them on tracks but most buyers will drive theirs on the backroads once a week and exploit 5% of the car’s potential. The point of owning it isn’t to use it, but to own it.
I will track and drive my C8 like a race car when I have one in my garage one of these days!
So you want a performance car that make little to no noise? That’s the whole point of owning a muscle car, the rumble, the smell, the vibration.
I dont want a pleasant performance car, if I wanted a comfortable sports car I would purchase a CTS-V.
Like I said, it’s a personal bias due to hearing issues. I know I’m in the minority.
But how about a grand touring trim that’s good for road trippin’? Would you be opposed to a Corvette that weighs an extra 50 lbs in exchange for less road noise and better audio accoustics?
Lithium,
That’s why there will be a Cadillac version of this mid-engine platform to directly compete with the Audi R8 which is exactly that kind of car.
The Vette must remain lightweight and performance focused.
I actually agree with Brian on this one, the base C8’s target should be the C7 ZR1. Much improved chassis (car) with less HP, should/could, target/equal the pinnacle of it’s previous iteration. (don’t be embarrassed Brian, “she” can still be your hero!)
Can’t wait to see the conquest rate of those poor GT owners, that 2 year no sell contract should be expired by the time the C8 (base model anyway) hits the streets.
Also, Bert, did you just wake up from a 50 year nap? NOT CLASSY! not that it ever was …Alex?
I dont like when GM looks to other companies to benchmark their future cars and trucks. I wish GM would just make their own vehicles significantly better than the outgoing model!
slowstyle:
“Can’t wait to see the conquest rate of those poor GT owners”
What an incredibly ignorant statement. The total GT production is 1200 cars. They are one of the most exclusive cars on the planet and have already doubled in price.
Your president (who is supposed to set the example) openly brags about assaulting women by their private parts and 50% of Americans approve of his behaviour. Isn’t this mainstream behaviour in the US?
I guess you no longer support the First Amendment?
C8 Corvette is the ‘Benchmark”!
For those who believe the corvette should not be bench marked with other brands are clearly not for competition corvette is a track performance race car / sports car This change is too continue the competition through technology good job gm .
The benchmark should be competitive performance, good looks, and great value. This will place the overpriced Ferrari, Porsche, Mclaren, etc. in their relative standing.