Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Performance from roaring V8. Handles pretty well too. Should be well equipped and good value
Doesn't feel as well built as a 911. Left-hand-drive only. Manual gearbox industrial, auto 'box poor. Interior quality not up to European standards.
A proper sports car with a lot of character. Practical enough for daily use.
In many ways, this is America's Porsche 911. Not just because it's a 180mph kick-ass supercar that's easy to use everyday, but in the way it keeps getting better with each generation while retaining essentially the same character and look. This all-new version is the sixth generation of 'Vette.
Its all-alloy V8 has grown to 6.0 litres (it's still called the Chevy 'small-block' V8, by the way, but that's an American definition of small) and now kicks out 398bhp. Smooth-road handling is better than ever, while the suspension and wind noise are a lot more refined. Cabin finish used to lag a long way behind European rivals, but Chevrolet has closed the gap a little on this version.
True to its roots, the Corvette sticks with the classic front-engine rear-drive layout. The body comes in coupe (with removable Targa panel) or convertible forms. For better agility the overhangs have been shortened considerably, and the rear tapered in for a more compact look. Under the glassfibre body, the gearbox (manual or automatic) is mounted back with the differential to improve weight distribution. Called a transaxle, the same system is adopted by Ferrari and Maserati. The chassis frame uses a mix of materials: aluminium, steel, even a composite balsa-wood core for the floor.
