Road test: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 proves it can be worth tweaking a beloved formula

Radically altering a tried-and-tested formula is fraught with danger. Get the mix even slightly wrong and the magic is lost. Many people don’t like change; keep giving them what you’ve always dished out and they’re happy.

However, on the other hand, experience can help you turn a successful recipe into something substantially more delectable.

Luckily, the C8 generation Chevrolet Corvette falls into the latter camp.

Design overhaul

The new model throws tradition out the window by ditching the familiar front-engine format, relocating its V8 motor behind the passenger compartment. Chevrolet execs have justified the move by saying they took the old configuration as far as it could go, and that this was the only way to make the Corvette into the car they had always envisioned.

A scroll through the gallery above is probably enough for you to glean the C8 doesn’t embody the long-snout-short-tail proportions that have been a hallmark of every Corvette since the 1953 C1. In fact, if the new-gen sportster was stripped of its badges, many may be clueless about its identity.

Although there are a few vaguely familiar Corvette styling cues in there – such as the tail lights – the C8 basically comes across as an amalgam of Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren design elements. The C8 isn’t a classical beauty, but still a visually striking car that drips aggression.

Powerful performer

The real magic happens when you slide into the low-slung seat and fire up that V8. It may have moved aft of the cabin, but the 6.2-litre LT2 V8 still sounds every bit as good as its predecessors, especially when you bury the throttle and get it bellowing at full song.

It’s rapid, too, as reflected by a 0 to 100 kilometre per hour sprint in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 312kph. When you factor in that the C8 Corvette starts at just Dh317,671, it’s clear you get ample bang for your buck.

Its performance is within sniffing distance of the Ferrari F8 Tributo, Lamborghini Huracan Evo and McLaren 570S, yet the Chevy costs about a third of any of this trio.

And now for the really good part: the C8 isn’t merely a straight-line bully that turns to blancmange when you fling it at corners. UAE-spec cars come standard with the Z51 Performance package, which includes goodies such as Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, firmer suspension, bigger brakes, enhanced cooling, sports exhaust, electronic limited-slip diff and an aero package that adds downforce. Also standard in the C8 is a new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with paddle shifters.

A driver’s car

So, that’s the recipe, and what it adds up to is an absolutely cracking driver’s car that delivers far more than I had ever expected. The winding and occasionally patchy roads around Hatta seemed a fitting test lab for the new Corvette and – having dialled into the car after covering 100 or so kilometres – it became clear there are eye-opening levels of grip to tap into and great balance in the chassis.

The slightly odd hexagonal-shaped steering wheel relays plenty of feedback to your fingertips, encouraging you to really lean on the car and get it dancing on its tiptoes. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is also quick and seamless, especially when you’re pressing on, as opposed to pootling around.

The test car I drove was fitted with optional Magnetic Ride Control dampers, whose firmness can be adjusted by selecting either Tour, Sport or Track mode. The first of these settings provides a nice, supple ride, which was a bonus when I inadvertently ended up on a lumpy gravel road for about 20km after a navigational bungle. This off-road excursion demonstrated that the Corvette is well suited as a daily driver, rather than being a harsh-riding one-trick pony.

Three days with the C8 seemed too few, and it was with a pang of regret that I handed the car back to its minders. I’m still not sold on its looks, and may never be, but the latest ’Vette knocks it out of the park in almost every other respect. It’s proof that dramatic change can sometimes be for the better.