Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7): Spotted
A manual Stingray for the price of an M2 - fancy it?
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
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!!
ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Nqf0-P6b8
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!!
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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