Description
From 1953 to 2019, Chevrolet’s Corvette proudly wore its engine out front, driving the rear wheels in the classic front-engine rear-wheel-drive sports car layout. Come 2020 and the eighth generation, Chevy decided to shake things up and went for a rear-mid engined rear-wheel-drive configuration. Thus, the eighth generation Corvette marked a watershed moment for the model and will no doubt be a historically significant classic in times to come.
Exterior and Interior
Chevrolet designers and engineers had quite a task to re-engineer the car for the new engine layout whilst retaining the iconic Corvette design language and styling cues. They’ve done it well, and this 2021 Chevrolet Corvette 2LT is presented in a rather eye-catching Rapid Blue paint job, accented by Carbon Flash exterior accents and the Carbon Flash Badge Package. A set of black five-spoke alloys offer a nice contrast to the bright blue exterior, and behind these lurk the red calipers for the potent disc brakes. This ‘Vette is also a convertible, featuring a retractable hardtop. If the exterior blue is prominent, the interior’s Adrenaline Red continues the theme, seating two occupants in a suitably futuristic fighter-jet esque interior. You’ve got plenty of creature comforts including a digital instrument cluster, 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, 14-speaker Bose Performance Series sound system, dual-zone climate control, performance data and video recorder, and curb view camera to name a few.
Engine
A Corvette must be powered by a V8 – anything else is sacrilege. Thankfully, this 2021 Chevrolet Corvette 2LT packs a suitable 6.2L LT2 cross-plane naturally-aspirated dry-sumped V8 that puts out an ample 495hp thanks to the performance exhaust installed, as well as 465lb-ft of torque. Drive is to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with manual gear selection available via steering-mounted paddles. Braking duties are handled by four-piston Brembo calipers act on ventilated discs all-round. For added fuel economy, the engine features Active Fuel Management which can deactivate some cylinders when cruising.