2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8

TG readers have voted for the Corvette ZR1 as 2024’s best performance car

Honourable shout-outs for a few other V8s, like the Vantage, 750S and swansong F-Type

It's been a relatively quiet year for performance cars, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any worth mentioning, and that’s exactly what we wanted to find out from you lot: which has been 2024’s best?

Let’s begin with Paul Esthete’s comment, the most upvoted of last week: “Corvette C8 ZR1: V8 thunder, not a drop of EV nonsense and over a thousand horsepower. It’s hypercar fast at 233mph, and you decide if you want to spec it with or without the goofy aero package, unlike the previous gen. There’s no limited production or guest list requirement either, so Chevrolet can build as many as people want. It doesn’t get much better, especially in 2024.”

Sticking with the U.S. of A for the next one, here’s Al Kim’s vote: “Since we’re allowing facelifts to enter as new cars for 2024, I'll go out on a limb with the Cadillac CT5 Blackwing. It doesn't stir me quite like an old CTS-V wagon, and I'm torn to pieces by waving my flag for such a dinosaur, but I'll be b*ggered if an old-fashioned American V8 isn't a welcome breath of fresh air.”

American V8s weren’t the only eight-cylinders to get recognition in 2024, as Rover Official penned: “My vote is for the final edition of the Jaguar F-Type, the R75. It’s something more than a car and could be considered the last ‘proper’ Jag, especially now that the entire range is in the process of being wiped out by EVs. It’s a worthy finale, especially because a car that costs 20 times as much as something like this can never be 20 times as fun.”

 
Brits can now get a fresh right-hand drive C8 Corvette Z06 for £180k

Alternatively, you could spend about half on a boggo spec Stingray

Want a new supercar but don’t fancy one of Europe's finest? It’s good news day, because Shropshire-based Lumen Automotive is now the first dealer to officially sell right-hand drive versions of the C8 Corvette Stingray and Z06.

Price? That’ll be £94,625 for the entry-level Stingray and £179,791 for the snortier Z. It sounds expensive, but you do get an awful lot of car in exchange; one that’s been red-facing a fair few European alternatives since its launch back in 2020.

Opt for the cheaper one, and you get a 6.2-litre ‘LT2’ V8 pumping out 490bhp and 465lb ft - good for 0-62mph in 3.4s and a top speed of 194mph. And since the engine’s been repositioned to the middle for the C8 gen, giving its designers more freedom in the process, you’re buying arguably one of the best-looking supercars on sale right now.

Other basic amenities on the Stingray include a 12in infotainment screen (pivoted in the driver’s direction for easier use), a 14-speaker Bose audio system and many leather upholstered seat finishes to choose from.

 
Yikes, the Corvette ZR1 does 0-60mph in 2.3 seconds

Most powerful factory Corvette ever also becomes the quickest accelerating factory Corvette ever

Good grief, the Corvette ZR1 really is very quick. Of course, we expected as much given the 1,064bhp twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 that was announced back in July, and we got a glimpse of it from the 233mph top speed run in October, but now Chevrolet has confirmed the ZR1 does 0-60mph in 2.3 seconds when equipped with the ZTK Performance Package.

Yep, just 2.3 seconds to get from zero to 60mph. That puts it level with a Bugatti Chiron for crying out loud. And it'll be loud. We point you back to the whole 5.5-litre V8 thing.

The ZTK pack includes the humungous rear wing you see above, as well as stiffer springs and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tyres for proper on-track performance. Chevy said the ZTK-equipped ZR1 ran the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150mph.

Without the ZTK you’re looking at 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds and a quarter mile in 9.7 seconds, although without that wing you’ll be doing 152mph as you cross the line. All tests were done with 93 octane pump fuel on a non-prepped drag strip surface. So yeah, the ZR1 is pretty nippy.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X