When the Chevrolet Corvette C8 first came out, everyone was impressed with its transition from a front-engined sportscar into a mid-engined, highly-balanced sportscar that could give the more expensive stuff that Europe produces, a run for their money. In the case of the even more potent Z06, its high-revving 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated flat-plane crank V-8 was the stuff of exotic dreams and not of an American sportscar, and it even outpaced a more powerful Ferrari 812 Superfast in a quarter-mile drag race. For this run, though, we're about to witness what a normal C8 Corvette and its 6.2-liter cross-plane crank V-8 is like in full blast as it hurtles down a de-restricted section of the German Autobahn.
Spoiler Alert, It's Impressive To Watch
In the first part of the video courtesy of AutoTopNL, the Corvette C8 starts off in a rest stop somewhere in an unrestricted section of the Autobahn, but rather than merging with the rest of the traffic with the car already rolling, the driver decides it's best to do a launch from the entry ramp as a way to join the rest of the traffic flow. No 0-60 mph times were indicated, but it did look ferocious once the rear wheels found their traction after the launch.
But A Bit Of Traffic Somewhat Held Back Its Full Potential
Of course, the Autobahn is still a public highway, which means you'll still encounter a bit of slow-moving traffic. But once the overtaking lane has cleared in the 2:10 mark of the video, the C8 Corvette's eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) impresses due to how quickly it's able to downshift from sixth to third gear in a matter of milliseconds and without even upsetting the car's balance on the highway. It then easily hit 266 km/h (165 mph), but it could've easily hit a higher speed if the Autobahn was clearer and much straight.
At around the 3:40 mark, the driver then gets off the Autobahn and into some twisty sections of roads, wherein you get to enjoy how the C8 Corvette is able to corner without fuss and drama and that DCT doing such an amazing job delivering the right gear at the right time--even in pure automatic mode. We then witness the C8 Corvette doing a couple of acceleration runs thereafter, even hitting 265 kph (164 mph) at the 6:54 mark of the video, of course until a bit of traffic started to appear from afar which necessitated the driver to slow the vehicle a bit.
As a recap, the standard C8 Corvette's 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V-8 produces 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque that's sent to the rear wheels. When equipped with the optional Z51 package, Chevrolet says the C8 Corvette can sprint from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, while it's rated top speed is 194 mph. However, expect its top speed to be slightly lower when equipped with the Z51 package due to its aerodynamic add-ons.
Since then, the C8 Corvette has spawned the Z06, and more recently, an electrified version called the Corvette E-Ray. The standard C8 Corvette's 6.2-liter V-8 has been mated to electric motors, thus giving the electrified Corvette E-Ray a total of 650 horsepower--nearly matching the Z06, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds--likewise quicker than the Z06.