The mid-engine C8 Corvette has only recently begun testing at the Nürburgring, but test drivers haven’t been taking it easy. We’ve spotted the car ourselves and reported on videos showing the sports car opening up on stretches of the famed race course.
But someone has already timed the mid-engine C8 Corvette around the ‘Ring.
The “someone” is Dale Lomas, the man behind the Nürburgring news site Bridge to Gantry. In a story published to Road and Track on Thursday, Lomas admitted he’s already timed the mid-engine Corvette around the circuit, though he doesn’t plan on sharing the time with anyone. And that’s simply because they’re benchmarks.
Lomas wrote that lap times have become a risky “cryptocurrency” of sorts in today’s world. Lomas is also the man behind the 2019 C7 Corvette ZR1‘s reportedly dismal Nürburgring time, which didn’t dip under seven minutes as many on the Corvette team had hoped for. Yes, a recent report suggested the ZR1 managed a 6:57.00 time, but not for a full and complete lap. Instead, the time was most likely calculated with best sector times and added up to mimic what a full lap time could be.
And we know the ZR1 disappointed in Germany since Chevrolet never bothered to release an official lap time. The times are nothing but an excellent way to garner good press. If we knew what the Corvette ZR1 actually managed around the course with 755 horsepower and some of the finest engineering to ever leave the Corvette team, it wouldn’t do any positive things to perception.
The only clue Lomas gave surrounding the C8 Corvette’s time was that it’s under 11 minutes after noting the time he witnessed was far from a lap record. Will the C8 Corvette one day be king of the ‘Ring? Possibly, but it wasn’t on Lomas’ watch.
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The Nurburgring subterfuge isn’t limited to camo paint and decoy lighting.. I can confirm that GM punked us with slight changes to the scoop area to create awkwardness. The camo paint also incorporates some optical illusions to alter observed proportions.
The final version is still a little too stubby and boxy for my taste, but it’s way better than the Nurburgring ruse. I was surprised at how a few subtle alterations can completely change the look of a car.
The car is being tested. Those times don’t matter at all at this point.
So, why even mention it?!!
Too often horsepower is over glamorized unless of course you’re in a quarter mile sprint. A sports car underpinnings, aerodynamics, electronics, and performance feedback are key factors in a performance package. Hopefully, this will come true in the C8.
Exactly. The C7 Z06 was already at the limit of what the chassis could use in a controlled fashion. The C8 will probably debut with only the 500hp successor to the LT1, but the C8 chassis is designed to harness well over 1000hp.
But first it gets what is basically an LT1 massaged for 500hp, because this lets the team dedicate themselves to nailing the chassis tuning for perfect dynamics.
I’ve been told to expect a scenario similar to the Alpha platform regarding chassis dynamics and handling. Alpha was developed against the BMW E46 3 series as a benchmark and professional reviewers all agreed that the ATS met or exceeded their goal.
The C8 was benchmarked against the 911 Turbo S and word is that Juechter’s team exceeded their goal on raw performance but were (are?) working overtime to get the balance right between compliance and performance.
What people sometimes don’t realize is how invested GM is in the C8. All of the top management team are unanimous in their enthusiasm and determination to go toe to toe with the established European sports car makers. Never before has the Corvette had such wide and deep support at GM as the ultimate halo product, the “tip of our technological spear” as Reuss puts it. That’s why the styling is so conservative – because the more invested GM is in a product, the more risk averse they become. This is great for the engineering side, but not so good for the design side.
Whoa! You mean under 7 minutes but far from a record.
We don’t even know whether that is a base Corvette or one of the higher-up models. Imagine the base car running at under 7 minutes? Wouldn’t that be something?
To have a sub 7 minute time for base model truly would be a beast of a statement.