The short video starts with footage of what appears to be the CERV I — a 1960 prototype that started Chevy on the road to a mid-engine Corvette. It then cuts to shots of a camouflaged version of the 2020 Corvette — or C8, to fans — with a big rear wing testing on a racetrack, followed by some static shots of the 2020 Corvette convertible. A caption reads “to be revealed Fall 2019.”
It’s not a surprise that Chevy is developing convertible and racing versions of the C8 to go along with the already-revealed coupe. The race car — likely to be dubbed C8.R — will replace the current Corvette C7.R in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Corvette will narrowly miss out on a chance to battle another mid-engine American car — the Ford GT. Ford has already announced that it won’t return to Le Mans in 2020, and is expected to withdraw the GT from the IMSA series at the end of the current season as well.
No details on the C8.R have been made public, but it will likely feature the usual raft of race-car modifications, including more aggressive aerodynamics and a stripped-out interior. The C8.R powertrain may also be modified to conform with racing rules. For example, the current C7.R uses a 5.5-liter V8 — a configuration not found in any road-going C7 — that actually makes less power than some versions of the road car.
The convertible’s specifications will likely reflect the 2020 Corvette Stingray coupe. That means a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 making 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque with the optional performance exhaust system. Chevy quoted a zero to 60 mph of under three seconds for the coupe when equipped with the Z51 performance package, so expect the convertible to be somewhere in that ballpark. The convertible will likely have a slightly higher base price than the coupe, which Chevy has said will start at under $60,000.
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