And for anyone curious, here's the window sticker for the C8:
Photography by Tim Suddard
I finally got my hands on a new Corvette. We have had a few visit here over the last few years, but I guess I was out of town or too busy to take the wheel.
For some reason, the first thing I thought when I saw it: “Is there any way this car can have anything in common with my 1965 Corvette?”
Even though they don’t share a single part, 60 years later, could there be any similarities?
The Styling
Back in late ’50s, when our friend Peter Brock styled the C2 Corvette, it was considered a pure, beautiful and stunning shape. As a halo car, the Corvette needed this distinctive styling, and it had it in spades.
Sure, the new car is a bit more derivative, but it still serves the same purpose: It makes one hell of an impression.
Yes, it looks a bit like other supercars from Ferrari and McLaren, but is mistaking your Corvette for a quarter-million-dollar super car really a bad thing?
The Driving Experience
In 1965, when Chevrolet introduced four-wheel-disc brakes on the Corvette, the car finally lived up to its looks. It had class-leading performance.
In higher-horsepower versions, like our L79-powered car, the Corvette was outright fast and had the chassis to match. The 1965 Corvette was truly a world-class car and rivaled anything from across the pond.
Today, the new Corvette is otherworldly. Our test car was a loaded 3LT version with the Z51 performance package, meaning upgraded suspension, the electronic limited-slip diff and improved brakes.
In theory, at 490 horsepower, this 6.3-liter engine produces only 140 more horsepower more than our 1965 model. The horses today must be on crack: This car is mind-bendingly quick. On anything but a race track, you can barely use all the power.
You can say this level of performance is totally different, or you could say that class leading is class leading, but we’re just talking about a different class.
The Practicality and Comfort
Unlike the Cobras of the day and some of its higher-priced rivals, the Corvette is and was practical and comfortable. While I found the interior a bit more cramped and confining on the new car, it is definitely comfortable and would be good on a long trip.
The 1965 model sits you a bit more upright and had a curvaceous dash area that was unrivaled by almost any car in its day, but, still, both cars do the same thing: transport you in total comfort at insane speeds.
From a practicality point of view, just like back in 1965, you can get a Corvette fixed at any Chevrolet dealer in the country. You don’t need a mechanic named Luigi and you don’t need to fly in parts from Italy or Germany.
So, prices. In 1965, our new Corvette cost $5200. We bought the car from the original owner, and the bill of sale was still in the glovebox. Adjusting for inflation, this would be about $52,000 today.
Today, Corvettes start at about $68,000, and our heavily optioned loaner lists for just under $100,000–specifically $98,145.
While that’s an increase, once you factor in the amount of active and passive safety, and advances like fuel injection, ABS and even a feature that raises the car’s nose for increased clearance, are today’s prices that different? Again, class-leading pricing then and now.
So, yes, two cars that seemingly have not one thing in common have everything in common. Congrats to Chevrolet for keeping the flame alive and keeping the spirit of my ’65 burning brightly.
And for anyone curious, here's the window sticker for the C8:
I’m always surprised how civil the C8 Corvette is on the road. It’s comfortable and quiet. It’s easy to get in and out of. Good visibility, too, especially for what it is.
Unlike the Cobras of the day and some of its higher-priced rivals, the Corvette is and was practical and comfortable.
When I started my first real job out of college in 1979, one of my coworkers daily drove a 1967 Corvette. He'd even put snow tires on it and drive it in the winter, in Minnesota. He kept up on maintenance, so while it wasn't in showroom condition it was still a pretty nice car.
Displaying 1-3 of 3 commentsView all comments on the CMS forums
You'll need to log in to post.
