The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette was launched on Thursday night and has already set the world of sports cars ablaze. It’s got a very interesting set of specifications that aims it squarely at Porsche’s iconic 911 for about the price of Porsche’s 718. It’s unlikely that the interior or driving dynamics will be quite as refined as the Teutonic champion, but with 495 horsepower, an engine mounted in the middle of the car, an 8-speed dual-clutch, and a zero-to-sixty time in under 3 seconds, and a price tag starting under $60,000 will you really care?
In comparison to the 992 base Carrera specifications, the Corvette is up 125 horsepower, runs to 60 in 1.5 seconds quicker, and costs at least $31,000 less. That’s an intense difference.
Chevrolet has had the Carrera in its sights since the 1960s, and the pair have been fighting it out on the street, and on the race track every since. While the Corvette has frequently had the upper hand on power and acceleration, the 911 has traditionally had a higher quality feel to the interior and a more engaging driving experience. In that way, the 911 has punched above its weight for quite a while. As the Corvette reached the upper limits of what was possible with an engine mounted ahead of the driver compartment, the engineers in Bowling Green decided to move the engine to keep up.
Both models have lots of history, tons of provenance, and an ability to lay down some serious lap times. Is this new Corvette enough to draw you away from the Porsche faithful? Weigh in below in the comments section with your choice and reasoning.
