Designed as a replacement to the Corvette C7.R, the track-dedicated Corvette C8.R was built to compete in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Now, the No. 3 C8.R race car has been put on display at the National Corvette Museum.
With an impressive record of 10 wins and 13 poles in 27 starts, this particular C8.R certainly made a name for itself in the GTLM class. Piloted by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Tayler, this beast clinched the class title in 2020 and 2021, while afterwards, Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy won several more races, including the Six Hours of Monza.
As background, the Corvette C8.R is based on the mid-engined Corvette C8, and is powered by the DOHC naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6.R gasoline engine, which provided the basis for the LT6 powerplant found in the Corvette Z06 today. Power is restricted to 500 horsepower per GTLM regulations, while output is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential manual.
Interestingly, the C8.R tips the scales at just over 2,745 pounds, or roughly 850 pounds lighter than a Corvette Stingray equipped with the Z51 Performance Package.
In other National Corvette Museum-related developments, GM Authority recently reported that the facility was recently ranked as the second-best car museum in the United States. Only the Savoy Automobile Museum in Georgia beat out the Vette-focused museum in the top ten ratings. In addition, the National Corvette Museum is now a Blue Star Museum for 2024, meaning that it offers free admission to active U.S. military personnel and their families throughout the summer.
Beyond that, the Corvette Museum recently revealed a wireframe model of the Corvette C5 as part of the Driven by Design exhibit. Highlighting the fifth-gen Corvette’s body lines, this piece played a vital role in the Corvette C5’s design process, and helped transform America’ sports car into the performance machine we’re familiar with today.
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Comment
Oh, to have a six speed manual option in a C8 Corvette. My “only” complaint I have about my 2023 Stingray. The DCT is good, but just not the same as rowing your own gears.