Unfiltered Thoughts on the 2020 Stingray from a Muscle Car Enthusiast

Dream Car

What car would you own if the price wasn’t an issue?  We’ve all asked and answered that question since we were kids playing with Hot Wheels sets.  This writer has always had a top-five: a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang, a 1969 Oldsmobile 442, a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, and a 1971 Corvette Stingray LS5. For me, it’s never been about Lamborghinis and Ferraris—it’s been about Detroit muscle.

Reinvention of a Classic

There’s no denying the quality of an Italian supercar.  Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alpha Romeo—all brands that evoke images in our minds of massively powered mid-engines in low to the ground, streamlined automobiles.  They’re fast, expensive and extremely cool, but they aren’t everyone’s dream of street performance.  So, is General Motors letting fans of American muscle cars down with their reinvention of the Stingray? 

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Shocking Departure

The 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray is a shocking departure from the long front end design that Corvette is known for.  The powerplant has been switched to a mid-engine design, abandoning the long flowing hood, placing the LT2 V8 engine in the center of the car, behind the driver.  This redesign complements the styling of the 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray, which is clearly intended to look more like an exotic import than a modern evolution of automotive Americana.

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The Right Fit

Is it the right look for the Corvette?  For some, the new design is undoubtedly cool.  An American-made answer to the Italian supercar that can be bought for a fraction of the price.  General Motors has announced that the base 2020 C8 Corvette Stingray will have a price tag of $60,000.  That’s an attractive number for supercar enthusiasts considering some Italians start at the quarter of a million-dollar mark.

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Exotic or Muscle Car?

Sportscar, supercar but not a muscle car.  What is a muscle car?  Most of us immediately think of big body 1970s era cars with massive powerplants like GM’s heavy Chevy powerhouse, the 1970 Chevelle or the Pontiac GTO; pre-catalytic converter gas guzzlers with breakneck speed.    

Some may argue that Corvettes are sportscars but not muscle cars.  The car’s design has always been a bit more elevated than its American competitors, with a lighter, low-to-the-ground body and racecar curves.  The classic Corvette can be considered as sort of a classy sister to the big body monsters like the Chevelle and GTO.  The 1971 C3 Corvette rolled out with a 454-cubic inch engine capable of 425 horsepower, a huge engine in a lightweight, aerodynamic car.  The horsepower rating is remarkable considering the 2020 C8 Corvette is pushing 495 horsepower, a close gap between performance considering nearly fifty years of technological advancement between the C3 and the C8.

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Heading in the Right Direction?

Is Corvette heading in the wrong direction?  The C8 is an amazing car.  It’s sexy, streamlined, and cranks out the kind of horsepower that anyone born with a lead foot dreams about.  My problem with it is that it doesn’t hold fast to Corvette’s roots.  The C8 looks like a car that should be rocketing down the autobahn, not day-tripping down Route 66 or taking a Saturday night cruise. 

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Leaving Corvette Purists in the Dust

So, the question may really be, who is the car for?  This is where Corvette is taking a gamble.  The average age of a new Corvette buyer is 59.  A 59-year-old car aficionado is usually someone that has grown up with the love of cars and either previously owned a Corvette or always wanted to have one but was forced to wait for various reasons.  Does a sixty-year-old man want an American answer to a Lamborghini? I’m sure that some will.  Others want the nostalgia of a Corvette with modern technology and performance.  That’s where design departures are risky.  Some of us have a passion for classics but don’t have the mechanical ability to upkeep an old car.  That’s why retro styling is so important, it gives drivers the best of both worlds. Corvette may be losing the crowd of car lovers that want that classic, retro-cool merged with modern technology. Although the C8 is something to admire, it may be leaving loyal Corvette fans in the dust.

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