2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray laps the Nürburgring in 7:29.9.
General Motors announced the official lap time of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the Nurburgring last July.
The time of 7:29.9 was recorded with the Corvette Stingray equipped with the Z51 Performance Package and Corvette Racing Team member Oliver Gavin at the wheel.
Roadshow noticed the time graffitied on the surface of the Nürburgring in the trailer for a two-part documentary on the C8 Corvette that will soon air on Chevrolet's website. Gavin also hinted at the time in a Twitter post that included the trailer.
Later, Kevin Kelly, PR manager for the Corvette line, confirmed the time as official.
The time is close to the 7:29.6 that Chevrolet set in 2016 with the Camaro ZL1, but the Camaro packs 650 horsepower to the Corvette's 495. Other cars with similar times include the Mclaren 12C with a time of 7:28 and the Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4. Considering that both cars with similar times are considerably more powerful than the Corvette Stingray, it is clear that Chevrolet's mid-engine marvel punches well above its weight. This bodes well for future variants with more power, such as the upcoming Corvette Z06.
The fastest time ever recorded by a Corvette was 7 minutes and 4 seconds, set by the 750-horsepower 2019 Corvette ZR1 based on the C7 generation, but Chevrolet engineers were disappointed with the time recorded on cold tires. The current production car record is 6:44.97 set by the all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.
News of the Corvette Stingray's "ring time" came just as production began. The first customer model went off the line at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Monday. But if you're after the very first example, you're too late: it was sold at a charity auction in January to car collector and NASCAR race team owner Rick Hendrick. The winning bid was a whopping $3 million.