RE: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7): Spotted

RE: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7): Spotted

Tuesday 21st June 2016

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7): Spotted

A manual Stingray for the price of an M2 - fancy it?



It happens every year. Each time PH visits Le Mans for the 24 Hours I return with a deep longing for a Corvette. It’s the livery, the stance and - above all else - the noise. The rollicking V8 thunder that physically hurts if you’re close enough and makes a mockery of every other car for aural theatre. Yes, even the Astons sound a little apologetic in the face of the mad, bad Corvette.


The best thing is that, in 2016 and the car’s seventh generation, the Corvette is better than it’s ever been as a road car. This means fewer excuses are needed to justify wanting one, or so I’d like to think. It was even Dan’s car of the year back in 2014. Funnily enough I didn’t get a reply from my dad on confessing my Corvette crush…

Because something of an image problem continues to linger over the Corvette, doesn’t it? Despite the current Stingray’s advanced tech, it will still be seen by many as a bit rudimentary and lacking in finesse. It isn’t any more, but would your resolve be strong enough to stand those people who don’t know better?

Let’s hope so, because there’s a lot to like about the C7 Stingray. Its moment in the limelight may have gone with the arrival of the Z06 (plus rival muscle sports cars like the Mustang GT350), but a light, rear-wheel drive sports car with a V8 and a manual gearbox will always appeal. It’s rare, too.


With the Corvette having been available for a couple of years now, prices have begun to drop. This red coupe will have cost the first owner more than £60K, yet it’s now priced at £46,500. The M2 comparison may not be entirely valid, but in the used market the Corvette of course faces all sorts of competition. This C63 AMG 507 Coupe, for example, is the same money and packs an even more potent 6.2-litre V8. But it has considerably more miles than the Corvette, and there’s no manual option. You could have an Aston V8 for £45K, to continue along the Le Mans theme, but it’s will be much older than the Corvette and the original 4.3 version too.

Yes, the advert for this car isn’t great, but there shouldn’t be too many concerns with a two-year-old car that’s covered 6,000 miles. Get that windscreen sticker off, ignore the naysayers and have some fun!


CHEVROLET CORVETTE STINGRAY Z51 3LT
Engine
: 6,162cc, V8
Transmission: 7-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 460@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 465@4,600rpm
MPG: 25.2
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 6,000miles
Price new: $70,145
Yours for: £46,500

See the original advert here


 

 

 

Author
Discussion

Fartgalen

Original Poster:

6,630 posts

206 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
On my 'to do' list.

British Beef

2,191 posts

164 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
Personally I think this represents the toughest competition for the new TVR.

All the ingredients are there, great V8, RWD, manual, cracking looks and terrific noise.

Big plus on these is the targa roof, reliability and range of upgrade options available.

LHD only is the only deterrent for some (myself included), I would still love one!!



PetrolAholic

141 posts

181 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I know a lot of people can put up with LHD in a RHD country, but to me it just loses the sale. I just can't imagine driving an LHD car on our british roads, perhaps if I spent 8 months of the year in Europe then I would definitely have one but generally speaking I drive RHD in europe perhaps 3 weeks of the year and it's a pain in the arse then too!

PistonBroker

2,406 posts

225 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I was looking at this exact car over the weekend on the Auto Trader app as we strolled back to Tetre Rouge campsite after a trip into town. Needless to say, I developed a Corvette crush over the last week as well!

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
The Corvettes at Le Mans do the same to me as well. This year they were available for on-board channel on the WEC stream as well... cloud9

ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Nqf0-P6b8

thirsty

726 posts

263 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
British Beef said:
Personally I think this represents the toughest competition for the new TVR.

All the ingredients are there, great V8, RWD, manual, cracking looks and terrific noise.

Big plus on these is the targa roof, reliability and range of upgrade options available.

LHD only is the only deterrent for some (myself included), I would still love one!!
As a former owner of a TVR, I would have to say it was pretty much rubbish. It was built from OEM parts bins, somewhat unreliable and forget driving it in the rain. I regret the day I sold it however, and I am not sure the Vette could give me the same grin factor.

D-Angle

4,467 posts

241 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
PetrolAholic said:
I know a lot of people can put up with LHD in a RHD country, but to me it just loses the sale. I just can't imagine driving an LHD car on our british roads, perhaps if I spent 8 months of the year in Europe then I would definitely have one but generally speaking I drive RHD in europe perhaps 3 weeks of the year and it's a pain in the arse then too!
Some of the RHD conversions carried out on these in Australia are of an impressively high standard. Horrifically expensive though, and that's before you've paid to import it.

Artey

757 posts

105 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I'd prefer a late 2013/2014 C6, can't get over how bland the C7 looks like especially the rear.

macky17

2,210 posts

188 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
Strange how we are all different; I prefer the back to the front.

Having owned a c6 z06 for a year, I have no problem with vettes or LHD. You get used to it and it only adds to the theatre. Of course mine wasn't a daily - I'd hesitate as a dd. As a weekend car it's a terrific proposition. I'll wait until it's lost a little more but can see myself owning one of these.

trip ferguson

4 posts

164 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I bought a C-6 in 2008 and it is still a blast.
Just keep the fluids and brakes fresh; take it to the track on weekends. Think of it as a faster Mazda Miata.

trip ferguson

4 posts

164 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I bought a C-6 in 2008 and it is still a blast.
Just keep the fluids and brakes fresh; take it to the track on weekends. Think of it as a faster Mazda Miata.

PaHansMD

3 posts

97 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
I had a 2006 C6 that was my daily driver for a decade, it was a blast and I miss it every day. I went from a 6-MT vette to an auto 640 bimmer, unfortunately my wife wouldn't let me mount a child seat in the trunk. However, it is a nicer place to sit in traffic smile

mikeg15

286 posts

199 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
Original price $70,145.My converter makes that £47,844.19 and they are asking how much for a two year old car ?!!!

tim milne

344 posts

232 months

Tuesday 21st June 2016
quotequote all
mikeg15 said:
Original price $70,145.My converter makes that £47,844.19 and they are asking how much for a two year old car ?!!!
Shipping, duty and VAT would have made it more like £60-65K when new

MrNoisy

530 posts

140 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
quotequote all
I went to Le Mans in 2004 for the first of many trips and fell in love with the crazy yellow cars, nothing comes close in aural pleasure.

Work sent me stateside for a year in 2011 and I bought a C6 as a daily. The selfish gits then forgot I was there for almost five years so I clocked up a lot of miles on the beast.

Meant to sell it but somehow it ended up on a ferry and is sat in my garage as a weekend and occasional track toy. I've always considered it to be the thinking mans TVR. Mass produced reliability and an abundance of spares/cheap upgrades. Of course you end up on the right side of the cockpit when you make the pilgrimage too biggrin

James Junior

827 posts

156 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
quotequote all
PetrolAholic said:
I know a lot of people can put up with LHD in a RHD country, but to me it just loses the sale. I just can't imagine driving an LHD car on our british roads, perhaps if I spent 8 months of the year in Europe then I would definitely have one but generally speaking I drive RHD in europe perhaps 3 weeks of the year and it's a pain in the arse then too!
Interesting - my experience is the opposite.

I have never driven a left hooker in the UK, but have started doing a fair bit of European driving in RHD cars lately. Within a few minutes of driving on the right I find my brain is reprogammed and never find driving a RHD car to be any sort of hindrance.

kbee540

197 posts

207 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Whilst not as pretty as my F-Type, I have much man-love for the Vette. It's got a lot of charm, is quite mean and aggressive looking, and has performance to shame many an exotic.

Having spent 12-yrs with an LHD daily driver, it's not too much of an issue being on the wrong side of the car. At least until you get to a car park where you need to press a button and take a ticket. That sucks. The issue of visibility when overtaking is pretty easily overcome, drop further back from the vehicle in front to improve your view and trust the mighty V8 to sling you past in plenty of time. It's easy enough to get used to.

AMGJocky

1,407 posts

115 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Want
so
much.

dzernski

122 posts

93 months

Tuesday 28th June 2016
quotequote all
Love these - always will remember my first le mans and the contrast of the basso profundo rumble if these beasts with the ghostly swoosh of the victorious audi diesel and the swarm of angry wasps out of the lambo....
Re LHD in the RHD world, I'm presently driving a camaro (couldn't quite get a 'vette past the wife on practical grounds). After a thousand miles the issue isn't the steering wheel placement - it's the sheer width