Ace of Base: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 1LT

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

You knew this Ace of Base would happen eventually. Ever since the dawn of time (or the moment Don Sherman started working at Car and Driver, whichever came first), speculation had been rife of an impending mid-engined Corvette. The shoe finally dropped last month, with the debut of Chevy’s eighth-gen Vette.

One huge detail? Its starting price of $59,995. For less than sixty grand, one will soon be able to plug themselves into the driver’s seat of America’s hot rod. What’s included (and not included?) in the base 1LT?

Standard equipment on the 1LT of course includes the 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine, lashed to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Note that the standard suspension is fitted to the base 1LT, with GM’s natty Magnetic Selective Ride Control costing an extra $1,895. The performance exhaust system is also a $1,195 option.

The main feature that will hoover extra Simoleons from your bank account? That would be the $5,000 Z51 Performance Package. This group fits the 1LT Corvette with the aforementioned performance exhaust, a performance suspension with manually adjustable threaded spring seats, and an electronic limited slip diff. Also onboard a Z51 are spoilers and splitters, larger-than-standard brake discs, Pilot Sport 4S summer rubber, and an ambiguous “enhanced cooling” ability.

Despite this, a no-options 1LT is hardly a stripper. All versions get a removable body color roof panel, 8-way power GT1 leather seats, Pilot Sport runflats, and all manner of interior comforts like dual climate control and a Bose 10-speaker sound system. That fabulous 12-inch configurable cluster display is included on all cars as well.

If you’re springing for a C8, this author heartily recommends the Z51 pack, as it imbues the car with the much talked about 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque and retina-detaching acceleration. However, the base car is a remarkable achievement for less than $60,000 so its nameplate definitely earns a spot in the Ace of Base trophy case. But — if rumors are true — next year’s car will be the recipient of a price hike, so it is likely that only the 2020 model will boast a sub-$60k pricetag.

Best to get in on the ground floor, folks.

[Images: GM]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments and feel free to eviscerate our selections.

The model above is shown with American options and priced in American Dollars. Your dealer may sell for less.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Zhahn Doe Zhahn Doe on Aug 22, 2019

    I live in Ann Arbor, MI and we see a lot of autos in camouflage undergoing testing. I've seen the C8 a few times with the black and white camo wrap the last month or so cruising I94 and some some side roads. I think the style is an improvement on the C7 and C6, but of the models in the last 20 years I think the C5 is still the most well done aesthetically. This will draw a lot of attention, though, and definitely stands out in traffic (even with the camouflage I saw there were cars speeding up to check it out, including me!) If this does half as well as advertised, Chevy will have hit a big homerun.

  • SuperCarEnthusiast SuperCarEnthusiast on Sep 14, 2019

    Non Z51 0-60 time of 3.0! So it is .1 seconds slower! LOL!

  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
  • Lorenzo Are they calling it a K4? That's a mountain in the Himalayas! Stick with names!
  • MaintenanceCosts It's going to have to go downmarket a bit not to step on the Land Cruiser's toes.
  • Lorenzo Since EVs don't come in for oil changes, their owners don't have their tires rotated regularly, something the dealers would have done. That's the biggest reason they need to buy a new set of tires sooner, not that EVs wear out tires appreciably faster.
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