This is the most realistic on-road RC car that Traxxas has ever built.

If you like on-road RC cars, you've no doubt heard of Traxxas and its line of officially licensed cars built on the company's 4-Tec 2.0 chassis. We've messed around with the Ford GT model in the past and loved its combination of speed and realism. Traxxas is not a company that sits still, though, and this week it's debuted an all-new 4-Tec 3.0 chassis that's bigger and better than the old one in every way, and the first model to use it will be an officially licensed Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. That's right, the mid-engine C8 now has its own Traxxas model, and it's kind of amazing.

Let's start with the realism, because Traxxas has actually improved its level of scale accuracy by adopting a new body-mounting system that has no clips on the outside. That's one thing we didn't like about the Ford GT model; the body clips looked bad and also scratched the body after so many uses. The C8 Corvette model, though, uses a system that locks the body to the chassis internally using a hidden mechanism and releases using a switch underneath the front of the car.

Traxxas Chevy C8 Corvette Stingray RC car 4-Tec 3.0

Body release switch

Scale recreation of 6.2-liter V8

The sense of realism is further bolstered by the faithful recreation of the Corvette's 6.2-liter V8 underneath the car's rear "glass". All we have to go on right now are pictures, but everything looks accurate from the carbon fiber dress-up kit to the engine cover. The wheels that come with the car also match the real thing, in this case the Corvette's standard set of 19-inch, 5-spoke wheels. There's even an optional lighting kit to make the headlights and brake lights work. The only thing not realistic about this car is the fact it's all-wheel-drive instead of rear-wheel-drive.

Speaking of the hardware, let's talk about the new 4-Tec 3.0 chassis. For one, it's both longer and wider than the prior 2.0 chassis, which means the C8 Corvette model is larger than past 4-Tec cars. It also means the car should handle better and be more stable at high speeds. Speaking of high speeds, this Corvette can do 30 miles per hour out of the box with the supplied optional pinion gear installed, but that's far from its full potential. A few well selected upgrades should get the car's terminal velocity up over 50 mph easily.

Otherwise, the 4-Tec 3.0 chassis is more of the same goodness that came on the 2.0, including fully waterproof electronics, oil-filled shocks, and sealed diffs. Traxxas' website says the Corvette Stingray model will be priced from $349.99 and available in early May. That's a little more than what the company's remaining 4-Tec 2.0 models are going for – the perennially popular Ford GT and Mustang models sell for $309.99. Considering the size increase and new features like the clipless body, the extra $40 seems entirely worth it.