To the daily driver who may wonder just exactly why the mid-engined Corvette exists, the capable and hard-working staff on duty at Car and Driver cooked up a great blog feature this week laying out the various difficulties you encounter during a lap on the VIR trial. Situated in Alton, Virginia on the banks of the Dan River, the track offers six different configurations, while this particular test takes place on the Grand West Course. Featuring 28 challenging turns, there is no other course anywhere in the nation with this consistent and daunting level of difficulty.
The engineers of the new C8 Corvette spent many hours here perfecting their newest creation, and their dire obsession with lap times is one of the reasons the brand-new 6.2-liter V8 now takes up residence behind the front seats. While also helping with acceleration, handling, and a righteously aggressive appearance, but nailing down superior lap times was one of the prominent inspirations for the mid-engined layout. This C8 was able to conquer the VIR 4.8 valuable seconds faster than the C7 Stingray, which possesses the same power-to-weight ratio.
The time is also derived from the toughest corners of the track, and on one particular stretch, there's a point where the new 'Vette is going 15 mph faster than its predecessor. With the C8's amazingly balanced handling, turning in is effortless and the brakes feel as if multiple poundings could still not ever put a damper on the tireless and top-notch performance of the brakes. After thoroughly putting the new Stingray Z51 to the test here, this team claimed that after the addition of the Competition Sport seats and magnetorheological dampers, it's the best value that exists on the market to navigate the difficulties and technical demands of the VIR or any expert-grade track.
The Z51 Performance Package is added on all models and trims here at Chuck Hutton Chevy of Memphis and provides the amazingly-taut Z51 performance suspension, performance exhaust, performance rear axle ratio, electronic limited-slip differential, the Z51 rear spoiler, front splitter, 245/352ZR19 front and 305/30Zr20 rear high-performance tires, and the heavy-duty cooling system needed to chill things down a notch after such world-class blistering activity on corners and straightaways. Production of this revolutionary and respect-commanding model takes place at the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky.
Combining all of the winning elements of Corvette history with the driving experience and performance of a champion-grade mid-engine supercar, new for 2021 are Standard Wireless Apple CarPlay/Wireless Android Auto, the Red Mist Metallic Tintcoat exterior color, Silver Flare Metallic exterior color, and Sky Cool Gray/Yellow Strike interior color. Driver mode on-screen visualization and a new track digital tachometer are new for this year as well, and the Drive Mode Selector allows the choices of Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, MyMode, and Z Mode customizable option.
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