Corvette Stingray Steals the Spotlight at Washington Auto Show
Chevy Forum checked out the auto show, and to the surprise of no one, we found the revolutionary 2020 C8 Corvette stole the spotlight.
Out of all of the automobiles on display at the 2020 Washington Auto Show, none seemed to garner the type of attention and fanfare as the 2020 Corvette Stingray. And this was no small feat. The Washington Auto Show in D.C. features some of the newest, hottest, and most thrilling autos. Marques on display represent the spectrum of domestic, exotic, import, high-performance, and luxury rides: Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Dodge, Mustang’s Mach-E, to name a few.
Set off by itself, the Rapid Blue Corvette drew a constant stream of onlookers every day of the show.
There is a good reason why it was such a hit. The 2020 Corvette Stingray is a departure from the prior seven generations Chevy has produced throughout the model’s 67 year history. And it starts with what’s under the hood. Or, what used to be under the hood, might be more accurate. As the first mid-engine Corvette in history, it not only broke the rules, it re-wrote them.
“What makes this Stingray so special is this is the first year that Chevrolet has actually put the engine in the rear,”notes D. Anthony Carlton, auto vlogger for the YouTube channel D’z Ridez. “This is their new mid-engine design for 2020. If anyone has followed Corvette for any amount of time, you know that you’ve always seen the engine in the front.”
The Stingray designers made this move for one important reason: Competition
“In order to be able to compete with exotics and other European brands, and also to be able to put the power down from those powerful engines that Chevy usually puts out, they decided that they needed to go to a mid-engine design,” adds Carlton.
Despite moving the engine to the rear, it still has a 6.2-L V8 that can push out 495 horsepower, with the new ‘Vette capable of hitting 0-60 mph acceleration in 2.9 seconds. Other features include 8-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission.
“The more weight you have in the rear, the more planted the car will be,’ says Carlton. “So, it allows it to be able to put that power down a lot more efficiently than it would if the engine was in the front.”
The design of the new Stingray is also different than the past generations. It has a distinctive European flair. Some at the Washington Show compared it to a Ferrari.
The Corvette comes in a hardtop for $59,000, and the convertible for around $67,000.
“The big thing with this is this is the first time they’ve had a retractable hardtop,” said Carlton. “And the hardtop is able to retract, 16 seconds, and you’re able to put the top down as you’re driving, up to 30 miles per hour. So, that’s really, really special. But like I said, the special part really about the hardtop retractable roof is you are not compromising any type of cargo space.”
The retractable hardtop–a very cool feature–slides in automatically behind the seat, so there is no need to take up any added space.
“This is unique to Chevrolet. Normally when you have a mid-engine design car, you have a front, basically a cargo area, but then you don’t have anything in the rear,” says Carlson. “On this one, you actually have a rear trunk along with the mid-engine. Actually I think they’re the only manufacturer that has that option as far as a retractable hard roof in the mid-engine design.”
From the 12 exterior colors to choose from and nine interior colors customers can go online or walk into a Chevy dealership and create the perfect Corvette for themselves with the online visualizer.
But the people have spoken. Judging from the crowd’s reaction at the show, the 2020 Corvette is the real deal; a sports car with looks that stop you in your track, and a pure exhilarating performance.
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