Who doesn’t love a mid-engined V8 sports car with supercar style? It’s easy to be wowed by the Chevrolet Corvette C8 and quite right too: it looks incredible and goes fast. It’s a real poster car.
But it’s also a worthy and significant winner for a whole bunch of reasons. This is a landmark car for the likes of us: the first Corvette in the near-70 year history of the model that has been engineered for right-hand drive by the factory, as well as being the first mid-engined model.
If you think the Corvette is all show and no finesse, think again. Sure, it has a rorty 6.2-litre V8 delivering the power, but we’ve been blown away by this car’s powertrain sophistication and chassis finesse.
The Kiwi model comes as standard with the Z51 track package (uprated brakes, cooling and suspension) but is also magic on the road, with Magnetic Selective Ride Control that adjusts the handling depending on the driving situation. Just like a Ferrari.
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In fact, that Ferrari comparison is useful, because it’s what emphasises what great value this car represents for the enthusiast. Sure, it starts at $155k, but there’s nothing anything like it for anything close to this price.
Watch the whole COTY show on Zooming with DRIVEN
Runners up: BMW M240i, Hyundai Kona N.
CHEVROLET CORVETTE STINGRAY
ENGINE: 6.2-litre petrol V8
POWER: 369kW/637Nm
GEARBOX: 8-speed automated dual clutch, RWD
CONSUMPTION: 12.1l/100km (WLTP)
PRICE: $154,990-$184,990
