2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8's Impressive Nürburgring Lap Time Finally Drops
The new mid-engine Vette breathes down some pricey exotics' necks around the 'Ring.
We've driven the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8, we've compared it to rivals, and we examined every inch of its massively improved interior. But there's still one thing we didn't know about the first-ever mid-engine Vette until now: How quickly can it lap the famed Nürburgring circuit in Germany? A new video finally answers the question of how the Corvette performs on the benchmark track's hairy undulations and blind corners: 7:29.9.
CNET's Roadshow site first reported the news after discovering an easter egg Chevy had buried in a trailer for an upcoming documentary about the C8 Corvette. In the video, the 7:29.9 lap time is shown for a brief moment while the camera shows the Nürburgring racetrack. Automobile has confirmed the lap time with Chevrolet, which had this to say:
"The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe with Z51 Performance Package clocked an un-certified lap time of 7:29.9 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife last summer during vehicle development." Chevrolet added: "Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin drove the lap supported by Corvette development engineers."
In case you didn't know, Gavin is Corvette Racing's five-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Corvette's 'Ring lap time places it amongst some fairly elevated company. Both the McLaren MP4-12C and the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 notched 7:28s, and the 650-hp 2017 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is right behind at 7:29.60. The wilder, more aero-equipped 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE, a track-focused animal, beat all of these times with a scorching 7:16.04, and the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, the 'Ring's current record-holder, smokes them all with a 6:44.97 performance.
Given how the C8 Corvette's time was set by the "base," 495-hp Stingray model, it'll be exciting to see how hotter versions such as the new Corvette Z06 might tear up the track and perhaps edge out the Camaro ZL1 1LE, if not other, spicier competitors. Sport Auto recorded a time of 7:13.9 for the 650-horse previous-generation C7 Z06, after all . . .