Photo: Carlton Phillips on Facebook
We’ve often talked about the performance figures of the C8 Corvette on autoevolution, and truth be told, the mid-engine sports car with a small-block V8 is pretty good value for money too. While it may not be perfect due to quality issues that plague General Motors since the latter part of the '90s, the Stingray also happens to be a very safe car as well.
Carlton Phillips had to make a tough decision a few days ago in his Z51 with the high-wing spoiler and Zeus Bronze paint. More to the point, he had the choice to hit a pole or T-boning another vehicle in the guise of a full-size SUV.
“I chose the car,” he explained to fellow members of the C8 Corvette Owners (And Friends) group on Facebook. “In a split second, it came to me. If I could hit the front right wheel of the car and hold my line, we would both ended up facing the same direction and my decision worked.”
Our protagonist felt as if the impact with the full-size SUV was more like bumping a curb instead of a serious crash. “I've been in a more violent impact in bumper cars at an amusement park,” said Carlton. After three airbags were deployed, “all I could say was ‘Wow! That wasn’t that bad!”
Phillips ends his story by giving the “structural design and engineering team at General Motors a 15 on a 10-point scale” for the safety of the mid-engine Corvette, “a 10-star crash rating on a 5-star scale for crashworthiness. If I had to be in a C8 crash again, I’d do it without a second thought.”
The way Carlton talks about his potentially life-threatening incident speaks louder than any controlled crash test from the NHTSA, don’t you think?
While on the subject of safety, General Motors has added a new standard feature for the 2021 Corvette in the guise of Buckle to Drive. This system ensures you can’t shift the vehicle out of park until you’re buckled up.
“I chose the car,” he explained to fellow members of the C8 Corvette Owners (And Friends) group on Facebook. “In a split second, it came to me. If I could hit the front right wheel of the car and hold my line, we would both ended up facing the same direction and my decision worked.”
Our protagonist felt as if the impact with the full-size SUV was more like bumping a curb instead of a serious crash. “I've been in a more violent impact in bumper cars at an amusement park,” said Carlton. After three airbags were deployed, “all I could say was ‘Wow! That wasn’t that bad!”
Phillips ends his story by giving the “structural design and engineering team at General Motors a 15 on a 10-point scale” for the safety of the mid-engine Corvette, “a 10-star crash rating on a 5-star scale for crashworthiness. If I had to be in a C8 crash again, I’d do it without a second thought.”
The way Carlton talks about his potentially life-threatening incident speaks louder than any controlled crash test from the NHTSA, don’t you think?
While on the subject of safety, General Motors has added a new standard feature for the 2021 Corvette in the guise of Buckle to Drive. This system ensures you can’t shift the vehicle out of park until you’re buckled up.
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