Jay Leno recently enjoyed the exclusive opportunity to drive the 2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible, becoming the first person outside of GM to do so.
In addition to having a collection of vehicles that would make even the most jaded auto enthusiast jealous, he’s now the first person to drive the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible other than General Motors personnel.
Leno and Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter dig into the details about the C8 and we’ve managed to share everything we know about in this piece.
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Best of both worlds
Production of the drop-top C8 Corvette won’t commence until early 2020 and as such, the car driven by Leno is a pre-production prototype.
Also featured in the video is Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter who walks Leno around the car. Chevrolet developed the new mid-engined Corvette from the very outset with the idea of selling it in both coupe and convertible forms.
Consequently, it didn’t need to make any structural changes to the car to make up for the lack of a fixed roof and the Convertible weighs just 80 lbs (36 kg) more than the hardtop.
Even better looking than the coupe
One of the challenges in developing the new Corvette was designing a retractable hardtop that could be stored above the engine without eating into the sports car’s generous trunk space.
Not only is Chevrolet’s solution practical but it has somehow been able to make the Convertible even better looking than the coupe, in our eyes at least.
Similarities that make it stronger
Like the Coupe, power for the 2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible is provided by a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with 495 hp and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque when equipped with the available performance exhaust.
The engine, code-named LT2, is available exclusively with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission powering the rear wheels. Pricing for the Corvette Convertible starts at $7,500 more than an equivalent Coupe.
