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Koenigsegg Founder Says the C8 Corvette Is a Mind-Blowing Car

Belgian-born American engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov joined GM in 1953. This gentleman convinced the Biggest of the Big Three to add the small-block V8 to the Corvette in ‘55, but he wasn’t fully satisfied.
C8 Corvette Stingray 18 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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The Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle, better known as CERV I, was unveiled to the public in 1960 with a mid-mounted V8. The Aerovette, also known as XP-882, would have morphed into a mid-engine Corvette with all-wheel drive. Unfortunately for Zora Arkus-Duntov, the big wigs said no. He never saw his ambitious idea for the C4 come to fruition, retiring from GM in 1975 when Dave McLellan became chief engineer of the Corvette.

Be that as it may, General Motors found itself between a rock and a hard place in 2013, right after the C7 made its debut at the North American International Auto Show. The golden bowtie knew that it couldn’t push the Corvette’s performance any further due to the inherent limitations of the front-engine-rear-drive layout, and that’s when Zora Arkus-Duntov had the last laugh. GM decided on a mid-engine-rear-drive layout in 2013, starting development of the C8 with a Holden ute and a Porsche-sourced gearbox.

The production model subsequently premiered in July 2019 with a direct-injected small block and a fast-shifting DCT supplied by Tremec. Capable of getting to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in less than three seconds, one could argue that the midship C8 punches above its weight.

“That GM can do that for that kind of money, with that kind of level of performance is mind-blowing,” said Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg. "What a bang for the buck,” he told The Drive, referring to the Stingray’s suggested retail price of $64,200 sans destination. A few model years ago, the small-block V8 sports car used to cost $58,900.

Chevrolet really outdid itself with the no-nonsense Z06. The second ‘Vette fitted with a DOHC engine after the C4 ZR-1, the C8 Z06 also happens to be the first ‘Vette fitted with a flat-plane crankshaft. Next year, the lineup will welcome a hybrid ‘Vette with an e-driven front axle, something that would make Zora Arkus-Duntov a very proud man of his foresight.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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.
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