Manoli Katakis 
After leaks, teasers, and backdoor confirmations, details on the 2021 Corvette Stingray have been made official, almost a year to the day of when Chevrolet officially debuted the C8 back in July 18, 2019. As expected, the 2021 Corvette will retain the same pricing as the 2020 Corvette, with an MSRP starting at $59,995 for the coupe and $67,495 for the convertible. It was originally stated from GM officials that the ’21 Corvette would breach the $60,000 threshold, but with the UAW strike, COVID-19 pandemic, and supplier constraints getting in the way of the C8’s original launch timeline, Chevrolet figured it would be best to just carry the pricing strategy over.
Chevrolet officials previously went on record in claiming that many 2020 Corvette orders wouldn’t be fulfilled. That might have bummed some customers out, but with tons of new content coming in for the 2021 Corvette Stingray coupe and convertible, it means that their C8 is now going to be better than it would have been, had it been built the model year prior. Let’s dive into what’s new and different:
NEW FOR 2021 CORVETTE STINGRAY
- Magnetic Selective Ride Control suspension available without Z51 (FE2)
- Standard Wireless Apple CarPlay/Wireless Android Auto
- Red Mist Metallic Tintcoat exterior color
- Silver Flare Metallic exterior color
- Sky Cool Gray/Yellow Strike interior color
- New Full Length Dual Racing Stripe Package colors: Blue, Orange, Red and Yellow
- Stinger Stripes in three colors: Carbon Flash/Edge Red, Carbon Flash/Edge Yellow and Carbon Flash/Midnight Silver
- Driver mode on-screen visualization and new track digital tachometer
- Standard Buckle To Drive, a safety technology that, when active, can prevent the driver from shifting the vehicle out of Park if the driver’s seat belt is not buckled for up to 20 seconds; this feature is designed to help remind all drivers to buckle up before driving
ENGINE & CHASSIS: The next-generation LT2 is paired with Chevrolet’s first eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which provides lightning-fast shifts and excellent power transfer.
- Engine: 6.2L LT2 V-8 with Direct Injection, Variable Valve Timing and Active Fuel Management
- Transmission: eight-speed dual-clutch with manual and automatic modes
- Driver Mode Selector – six modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, and MyMode and Z Mode customizable modes
- Brakes: four-wheel antilock, four-wheel disc, four-piston calipers (12.6-inch front rotors, 13.3-inch rear rotors)
- NEW: Available Magnetic Selective Ride Control suspension without Z51 (FE2), which reads the road better, providing more precise data through suspension-mounted accelerometers
- Available Z51 Performance Package: Z51 performance brakes, Z51 performance suspension (FE3), performance exhaust, performance final drive ratio, electronic limited-slip differential, Z51 rear spoiler, front splitter, 245/35ZR19 front and 305/30ZR20 rear summer-only, high-performance tires and heavy-duty cooling system
- Z51 Performance (FE4) with Magnetic Selective Ride Control, includes Performance Traction Management
- Front lift: adjustable height with memory
DESIGN: The Stingray’s exterior has a bold, futuristic expression with mid-engine exotic proportions, but it is still unmistakably Corvette.
Exterior
- NEW: Red Mist Metallic Tintcoat exterior color
- NEW: Silver Flare Metallic exterior color
- NEW: Full Length Dual Racing Stripe Package colors: Blue, Orange, Red and Yellow
- NEW: Stinger Stripe in three colors: Carbon Flash/Edge Red, Carbon Flash/Edge Yellow and Carbon Flash/Midnight Silver
- Painted brake calipers: available in Black, Bright Red, Edge Red and Yellow
Interior
- NEW: Sky Cool Gray/Yellow Strike interior color
- GT1 bucket seats
- Mulan leather seating surfaces with perforated inserts
- Available GT2 bucket seats
- Napa leather seating surfaces with perforated inserts
- Napa leather seating surfaces with perforated sueded microfiber inserts
- Two-tone
- Available Competition Sport bucket seats
- Performance textile
- Napa leather seating surfaces with perforated inserts
- Napa leather seating surfaces with perforated sueded microfiber inserts
- Available heated and ventilated seats; power bolster and power lumbar
- Available heated steering wheel
- Available custom seat belts: Black, Orange, Natural, Tension Blue, Torch Red and Yellow
- Available custom interior leather stitching: Adrenaline Red stitching on seats, instrument panel, doors and console; Yellow stitching on seats, instrument panel, doors and console
- Available Sueded Microfiber-Wrapped Interior Package: headliner, visor, trim above windshield and rear window, and A-pillar trim in color-keyed sueded microfiber
- Available head-up display – color with readouts for Tour, Sport and Track modes, vehicle speed, gear, engine rpm, shift lights, turn signals, high beam headlamps, turn-by-turn navigation, g-meter, speed limit and lap times
- Available Bose Performance Series 14-speaker audio system
INFOTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY: The Stingray benefits from GM’s new digital vehicle platform, an all-new electronic architecture that enables the adoption of the company’s next generation of technologies.
- NEW: Standard Wireless Apple CarPlay/Wireless Android Auto
- Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus system with 8-inch diagonal HD color touchscreen, AM/FM stereo, HD Radio Bluetooth audio streaming for two active devices, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, voice recognition and in-vehicle apps
- Available Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Premium system with Navigation, includes Plus system features listed above, Connected Navigation, enhanced voice recognition, additional memory for in-vehicle apps and Performance Data Recorder
- 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot for up to seven devices
- Standard HD Rear Vision Camera (1LT) and HD Front and Rear Vision Cameras (2LT/3LT)
- Available Performance Data Recorder
- Available wireless charging
SAFETY & SECURITY: An available suite of active safety features.
NEW: Standard Buckle To Drive, a safety technology that, when active, can prevent the driver from shifting the vehicle out of Park if the driver’s seat belt is not buckled for up to 20 seconds; this feature is designed to help remind all drivers to buckle up before driving
Air bags: four driver and passenger frontal and side-impact air bags with Passenger Sensing System
Available Rear Camera Mirror: rearview auto-dimming with full camera display (coupe and convertible)
Available Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Rear Park Assist
Available Side Blind Zone Alert
Teen Driver technology
Available theft-deterrent system: engine immobilizer and audible/visual alarm electrical, unauthorized entry, vehicle inclination sensor, vehicle interior movement sensor; activates horn.
If you were expecting a Corvette Z06 for 2021, sorry. As we previously reported, the flat-plane-crank-revving, bald-eagles-ripping, Porsche-911-GT2-fighting, big-tire-having, active-aero-wielding, center-exhaust-mounting, encrypted-ECU-operating, carbon-fiber-wheeling, All-American-Supercar will debut in 2022.
