C8 Corvette: Blurring the Lines of the Hardtop/Vert Debate
C8 Exterior
HTCs are cool, but are generally heavy as hell and you often times feel that weight, especially while cornering. I’ll touch on this later, but for now let’s talk about aesthetics. Visually-speaking, HTCs are usually dead giveaways–the segmented portions of the roof tells all. When you look at the front end of the C8, the differences are near impossible to discern; move toward the backend and the changes are more sublime.
As tested, this vert has “Carbon Flash” painted nacelles ($1,295) and a body-colored roof. Without the black accent nacelles, and without intrinsic knowledge of the body lines between the coupe and droptop, chances are you’d never be able to tell the difference. That is, until you open the top.
Even still, the Targa look remains, and it is loads better than the awkward, truncated look of the FR layout droptop Corvettes of yore.
C8 Drivability
Oh boy, this is where I may get in hot water. Alas, I shall continue.
Like I mentioned earlier, there is virtually no difference. And with most things automotive, I know there’s an aggregate of coupe purists collectively shaking their heads (and fists) at me for such a claim. First, let’s remind everyone that the coupe weighs 3,647 pounds, while the vert weighs only 102 pounds more.
If we go by the “100 pounds = 1/10th of second” rule, then the vert’s 0-60 would only be approximately 0.1 seconds slower than the coupe. And honestly, the extra weight is negligible. You don’t feel the difference at all. That is an achievement, no matter how you slice it.
Moving along, taking off from a dig (with the eLSD) is just as good as the coupe. Traction control on or off, it’s a little challenging to get squirrely on the backend. It hooks nicely, mostly because the Pilot 4S tires of course, but also because of the carefully-tuned power modulation to the wheels.
Acceleration
The Corvette isn’t a grassroots machine like its Camaro cousin, and while you generally don’t have a super stout, low-ratio rear axle in the base level Stingray, the Z51 performance package gives you a final drive ratio of 5.17.
This seems really short, but if you look at the transmission ratio breakdown, you’ll see how overdriven the first two gears are (for MPG, obviously), with a pretty reasonable transfer ratio. You also see how quickly you get to 1:1 gear by fourth. What this essentially means is that the C8 feels fantastic from a dig, and you get to your top speed rather quickly from there.
Like the coupe, the differences between the driving modes are noticeable (throttle mapping, transmission tuning, braking feel, steering feel, etc). But what ties them all together on the C8 platform is the tightness of the Z51 performance suspension. It makes the car sit visibly lower, though I’m not exactly familiar with the specifics of the geometry. Best of all, you can actually adjust your suspension on the fly if your C8 has Z51.
This is exclusive only to the Z51 owners. However, if you have the Front Lift Adjustable Lift option ($1,495), you will not be able to adjust height, even if you do have the package installed.
