Jay Leno has just about the best retirement gig that any auto enthusiast could ask for: he gets to sample all sorts of interesting cars, both old and new, and share his thoughts and opinions on them with fellow passionate car fans like us.
Considering the popularity of both Jay himself and his car show Jay Leno’s Garage, it was really no surprise that he was the first non-General Motors employee to get a good look at the new 2020 Corvette Stingray and film a video with it.
So, what did Leno think of the new mid engine, eighth-generation Corvette? We won’t ruin the entire segment for you, but Leno loved the fact that the 2020 Corvette Stingray had a sophisticated dual-clutch transmission and not a torque converter (especially considering the price), lots of luggage space, the airplane cockpit-inspired cabin, squared steering wheel, easy cabin ingress/egress and of course, the sound of the 6.2-liter LT2 Small Block V8 engine.
Joining Jay to present the new 2020 Corvette Stingray for this clip is chief engineer for the program and longtime GM performance car engineer, Ed Piatek. Leno jokes that this is probably the first time Piatek has been outside since work on the vehicle began, and while funny, we’re sure that Piatek is quite relieved that his creation is finally seeing the light of day.
Leno will probably get a better, more in-depth look at the 2020 Corvette Stingray when the new season of Jay Leno’s Garage debuts on August 28. For now, though, you can hear what his initial impressions of the new mid-engine car were by checking out the video embedded above.
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Comments
I saw this video last week. Leno seems to be impressed.
The C8 is a game changer.
Looks good in motion
this video was put up by a mechanic who brought up c8 repair concerns.
Not viable.
Most have worked on the present C5-6-7 models know it is not easy or cheap to work on. My Neighbor on his C 5 had to pull the rear end, Exhaust and fuel tank to replace a fuel pump. It was a $3000 job.
Same on clutch.
Pull the engine in a C7 it drops out the bottom just like the C8.
This bearded mechanic is not talking about the degree of difficulty here.
Another thing is the cooling system even on a front engine needs to use a machine to flush it out and remove the air. Even my truck now requires this.
What it boils down to he assumes just moving the engine is making it worse. I am sure some things will be worse but not all.
Even on my Fiero everyone thinks it to be a difficult car to work on but it really is not.
Note the engine drop out is common on the C7 now,
I would wait to see just what GM has put into this as I am sure it will be fine.
My 2009 Chevy Equinox needs a machine to flush its cooling system, too. But It was done after ten years of ownership, and just cost $50 at the GM dealer. So even if repairs will cost more, they will be fewer. And guess what the imports charge for the same repairs? Over three times more!! Buying and owning any car, even a “supercar” is a lesson in preventive care and repairs. Having done my own since 1967, I know well, Domestic cars cost much less to service than any import.
The labor rates are the same be it a Nox or Vette. The Vette will use the same antifreeze too.
The cost of the imports like Ferrari has been due to excessive cost involved like the 30K mile service of a Ferrari that would entail generally timing belts and even some replacement of suspension parts. These have gotten better on the exotics but still the labor cost are much more as are some of the required maintenance.
Just the required oil is excessive vs the Mobil one the Vette requires that can be purchased for less than $30 at Walmart.
Every car has something that is difficult or expensive. Even a Clutch in a FWD can be expensive because it requires the front suspension and transmission to be removed. But with GM focused on keeping the price down they are not going to make this car anymore difficult than the present car. The C7 is not a walk in the part to work on for many things.
Jay Leno is a great car guy; but you’ve got to sometimes take what he says with a grain of salt because I remember Leno thinking that the Cadillac ELR was a great car and it was a bust.
The ELR was a nice car but just poorly targeted for the segment it was in.
If they had put a 320 HP turbo 4 in it they would have sold many more.
But the hybrid platform at that price and a coupe in a declining market did not finish the car it just did not fit what people were buying or will,I get to pay that much for.
How the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray achieves 0-60 mph time of under 3 seconds
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1124244_corvette-c8-0-60-mph-time-science
Ten Cars That Cost $100,000 More than the C8 but Aren’t Any Faster
https://www.gminsidenews.com/articles/ten-cars-cost-100000-c8-arent-faster/
Wondering it Jay Leno will be purchasing a C8?
Damn how old is Leno now? He’s looking a bit.. stiff.