Chevrolet Corvette C8 Goes on a Nordschleife Joy Ride

Misha has turned driving on the North Loop of the famous German race track into a lifestyle. People gladly offer him the keys to their cars, hoping to see how fast they can go in the hands of an experienced driver. It's not all fun and games, as accidents can happen at any time, but then again, he leaves some room for error whenever he drives someone else's vehicle.

I've been rewatching his lap in the FD RX-7 many times recently, and I still dream of the day when I can take my FC to the Nordschleife for at least one or two laps. In his most recent outing, Misha got behind the wheel of a Chevy Corvette C8, which he had driven before. The car should be slightly faster than the previous time, but fighting with heavy traffic might cancel out that effect. It takes the seasoned driver a little over eight minutes to complete the Bridge to Gantry section of the North Loop, which isn't a new record by any means.

But then again, that was never the purpose of this outing. The best lap time we've seen from a C8 Corvette so far was a few years ago during a General Motors-conducted test. Oliver Gavin took under seven minutes and 30 seconds to complete the lap, which is much slower than some of the older Corvettes. I highly recommend you look at my interview with the master of driving the American sports car on the Nurburgring, Mr. Jim Mero! In 2009, he drove the C6 ZR1 to a fast lap of seven minutes and 26 seconds. He didn't stop there, and the story is slightly heartbreaking towards the end but certainly worth reading.

But Misha's lap might have you dreaming about GM's next attempt at a Nurburgring record with the upcoming ZR1. There are all sorts of rumors regarding the final setup of this car, but one thing is for sure: it should be perfectly able to outrun the C7 ZR1. If that happens, the C8 ZR1 could set a fast lap of under six minutes and 50 seconds.

That's fighting in the big leagues, as only seven other production/street-legal vehicles have gone that fast until now. The problem is that by the time the fastest-ever C8 arrives, Porsche and Mercedes will likely develop something new, too. But I've drifted away from the initial topic, as the Nurburgring always tends to send me into a meditative state. Enjoy this medium-fast lap, and stick around for more ZR1 info coming soon!