While many performance cars are starting to become more and more muted due to their use of forced induction engines, entry-level versions of the C8-generation Corvette will remain naturally aspirated – which means no turbos or superchargers to muffle their sound with hisses and whines.

The video below gathers together some of the best clips of mid-engined Corvette prototypes out and about during testing both on public roads and on racetracks. There’s no mistaking the supercar’s engine as anything other than a good, old-school V8.

According to a number of reports, the new C8 Corvette will initially be unveiled in ‘Stingray’ guise with a new-and-improved 6.2-liter, naturally-aspirated V8 pumping out roughly 500 HP – or about 50 more than the C7. Power will be sent to the rear wheels exclusively through an automatic transmission which appears increasingly likely to be a dual-clutch.

You have to do something very, very wrong to make a high-performance V8 sound bad, and GM’s engineers don’t do such mistakes. However, we will say that a C7 Stingray does sound even nicer, at least on video. It is quite possible, though, that the C8 prototypes featured don’t feature production-ready exhausts and the finished road car may be even more satisfying to listen to.

The only sticking point is whether the C8 ‘Vette will be offered with a manual transmission or not. In 2017, approximately 20 per cent of C7s sold were equipped with the seven-speed manual. That’s one in five; not great, not that disheartening, either, so there’s hope that Chevy won’t ditch it entirely in its new supercar.