The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette isn’t the first mid-engine car developed by General Motors. The 1960 CERV I masterminded by Zora Arkus-Duntov paved the way for the Pontiac Fiero, and there’s also the Opel Speedster – also known as the Vauxhall VX220 - which features a Lotus chassis.
A mid-engine setup makes handling that much better in the twisties, but that’s not all. More weight over the rear axle means better traction off the line, which makes the Stingray a surprisingly fast car on the quarter-mile.
The Stingray, which is the entry-level variant of the Corvette, is much obliged to make 11.2-second passes without the Z51 Performance Package that includes a more aggressive rear-axle ratio and summer-only performance tires. Pretty good for a $59,995 sports car with pushrods and natural aspiration, don’t you think? The beauty of the eighth-generation Corvette, however, is that even the lowliest Stingray has a lot of potential.
Carlos Rios of Action Auto Care dipped into the 10-second range with the bone-stock Michelin all-season tires and only one modification in the guise of stainless-steel American Racing Headers. Since then, he ported the intake manifold and 95-millimeter throttle body in the pursuit of bigger bangs.
The finishing touch comes in the guise of Hoosier P335/30R18 drag radials for the rear axle, which cost approximately $500 for a pair. Thanks to super-sticky rubber making the most of the blacktop, Carlos has improved his quarter-mile performance to 10.55 seconds at 129.17 mph (208 kph).
For reference, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 runs 10.7 seconds with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires while the Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock needs 10.5 seconds with Demon-inspired Nitto NT05R drag radials. On a less positive note, the Corvette Stingray does have a problem that hampers down the 6.2-liter V8 that General Motors refers to as the LT2.
The engine control unit is the culprit. Often described as unhackable, the ECU is encrypted like nothing else in the automotive industry. GM has effectively locked out tuners from calibrating the engine for a force-fed upgrade such as turbos or a blower, but fret not. ProCharger, for example, offers a bolt-on upgrade package that unlocks 200 additional horsepower on premium fuel.
Going forward, General Motors intends to improve the mid-engine sports car with a flat-plane crankshaft V8 mill for the Corvette Z06 and a pair of turbochargers for the ZR1. The hybridized E-Ray and Zora will play in a different league if the electric all-wheel drive rumors turn out to be true.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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