How Does Today's Corvette Compare With The Original?

Today's Corvette is a masterpiece. Perfectly weighted handling, excellent responsiveness, crisp and beautiful lines, impressive performance, enjoyable to drive around a track, or even just around town, while only costing $59,999 for a base model, the iconic Vette’ doesn’t disappoint one bit. It has won numerous awards over the last couple years, such as Motor Trend's 2020 Car Of The Year, Motor Trend's BDC, Car&Driver's 10Best, and also winning a spot among Edmund's TopRated, to name but a few. Many were excited when, in 2018, Chevrolet announced it was moving the Corvette’s engine from the front to the back of the car. Enthusiasts also had their doubts: How would Chevy keep the heart and soul of the Corvette, while changing so much? Turns out they had nothing to worry about. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is a success in every possible way. It somehow looks nothing like it's predecessor, while still looking like a Corvette. 

    We now move on to the early ancestor of the 2020 Corvette: The 1969 C3 Corvette. Back in in the early 70's, when the C3 was made available, it was the car to own. It put down Lamborghini-esque lap-times, while costing a fraction as much. Sound familiar? That's because the 2020 version does the same. The C3, to this day, is considered to be one of the best, if not the best American sports cars of the 20th century. While it would be impossible to determine which car was more significant during their time, there are some important things to note when discussing the Corvette. Firstly, both the C3 and C8 were bargains when they came out. Compared to the Maserati Bora, the C3 was a steal. Compared to the Ferrari 488, the C8 is also a steal. While the Chevrolets didn’t necessarily have better performance numbers than the Italians, the Corvettes are definitely a better deal, all things considered. A common gripe from auto enthusiasts is that America never truly made a relevant supercar. The Saleen S7 was a mess. The Ford GT is big and heavy, and cannot handle tough tracks. The Cadillac Cien, promising as it was, never was able to make it to production. However, the new C8 Stingray is changing all that. With outrageous acceleration, unprecedented track times, and a thoroughly beautiful design, Chevrolet have made something special. People are catching on, as the C8 is selling out almost as quickly as the car can spiny to 60 mph. 3.0 seconds, if you’re wondering.