2020 Chevy Corvette Convertible full of firsts
Chevy will peel back the top from its new mid-engine Corvette to mint the new 2020 Corvette Convertible.
The eighth-generation C8 Vette has been the most hyped vehicle of the year, if not the decade, for good reason. After decades of rumors and outright anticipation, America’s supercar finally got a supercar-style mid-engine layout, but still has that element that makes it so beloved: a base price of less than $60,000.
Now with its convertible edition, the Corvette returns to its roots. When it was first launched in 1953—nearly 70 years ago—it was available only as a convertible. But that was a soft top, while the new convertible has a power retractable hardtop.
The hardtop comes at an additional cost of $7,500 over the base 1LT coupe. The outgoing C7 convertible soft top was only $4,500 more than the base Stingray.
The entry-level C8 starts at $59,995, that’s still about half the price of the other mid-engine roadsters out there. The only other vehicles that can compete at this price are the diminutive Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, which is an adult-size go-kart causing equal parts fun and fatigue, and the Porsche 718 Boxster, which is the entry-level Porsche sports coupe.
Porsche’s flat-4 engines don’t come close to the similarly priced supercar chops of the C8’s new 6.2-liter V-8 LT2. It’s the only free-breathing V-8 in the space, and the convertible makes it all the better to feel and hear that 495-hp American thunder with the top down.
The two-piece hardtop retracts with the push of a button at speeds of up to 30 mph in just 16 seconds, similar to the C7 convertible. Instead of hydraulic retraction, the C8 uses six electric motors to raise and lower the top. The 77-pound weight gain over the C8 coupe exceeds the 64-pound gain of the C7 convertible over the coupe. Heat shields and lightweight composite panels are used to deflect heat and keep the V-8 breathing when the top is down.
A power-operated divider glass between the seat backs limits wind buffeting, and Chevy says when the hardtop is up, it has the same drag as the coupe when equipped with the rear spoiler on the Z51 Performance Package.
The most magical thing about the C8 Corvette is that two sets of golf clubs can still be stored with the top down. In the C7, small carry golf bags were needed, and the drivers needed to be taken out and wedged on the taillight side of the trunk. Trunk space in the C7 went from 15 cubic feet to 10 in the convertible.
The C8 coupe has a front trunk, or frunk, and rear trunk, which together make 13 cubic feet. Convertible specs have not been announced.
With the top up, the hardtop should make the ride quieter than a soft convertible top. Body color roof is standard, while Carbon Flash roof is optional.
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