2020 Corvette Stingray Impresses in Motor Trend Shootout

C8 Corvette Stingray isn’t dramatically quicker than the C7, but Randy Pobst loves it.

The C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is, without question, the hottest car of the 2020 model year. As the best-performing “base Corvette” of all time, it comes as little surprise that it is one of the contenders in the Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car competition. The new mid-engine Stingray is being pitted against the Ferrari F8 Tributo, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the Lamborghini Huracan Evo, the Porsche 911 Turbo S, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe and the Porsche Cayman GT4.

We do not yet know which car will be named the best of the best, but the C8 Corvette is being compared alongside some very stiff competition. The Motor Trend YouTube channel recently shared their footage of the new Stingray being tested at Laguna Seca Raceway. The C8 doesn’t beat the best C7 Stingray time by as large a margin as you might expect, but pro driver Randy Pobst has nothing but high praise for the first mid-engine Chevy sports car.

Best Driver’s Car Testing

If you aren’t familiar with the Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car proceedings, a key component is lap times with a professional driver at the wheel. In this video, the crew is testing the cars at Laguna Seca Raceway in California and Randy Pobst is the pro wheelman. Pobst has become well-known for his involvement in the Motor Trend competition and in track testing new cars in general. He is also a successful racer, all of which makes him a great choice for his on-track prowess and his ability to voice his input on the vehicles.

The car in question is a 2020 Corvette Stingray 3LT with the Z51 package. It is powered by the LT2 V8 with 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque and, of course, that power is sent to the wheels by means of a dual clutch transmission. It is riding on the standard Michelin tires.

Pobst and the C8 Corvette

When Randy Pobst takes to the track in the 2020 Corvette Stingray, he immediately begins to praise the C8. He points out that it is “much more sophisticated than the C7” and he loves the “Corvette exhaust note”. As he continues to rocket around Laguna Seca, Pobst is clearly enjoying the C8 Stingray. He states that it is a “much more refined car than the C7 ever was”, going on to say that this new car offers “real handling”.

Towards the end of the in-car portion, Pobst crushses on the dual clutch gearbox, calling it faultless and beautiful. He even goes so far as to compare it to the Porsche PDK, which is one of the best-performing self-shifting transmissions in the global performance market.

After his seat time, Pobst proclaims that the C8 Corvette offers “world class handling for the first time”.

The Lap Time

After the lap, Pobst speaks with Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman about his time in the C8. Along with plenty more praise for the new platform, Lieberman shares the lap times for this Stingray and the C7 Stingray. In the C7, Pobst ran a 1:38.28 while in the C8, he ran a 1:37.83, so he was just shy of a half-second faster around Laguna Seca in the new Stingray.

Pobst thought that he was turning in a better lap than that, but Lieberman points out that the Corvette is the only vehicle in the Best Driver’s Car competition that isn’t riding on R-compound tires. The standard Michelins are a bit of a disadvantage, but the C8 still turned in a great lap.

The winner of the 2020 Best Driver’s Car competition will be announced on December 30.