Lucas Bell 
The Nurburgring’s Nordschleife is an authority when it comes to how capable a performance car is. The Green Hell’s 154 turns spanning a grueling 12.9 miles also make it the world’s most demanding road course, and the ideal place to hedge some bragging rights. Back in 2012, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 held claim to the fastest production car lap time on the ‘Ring, and that record stuck for a while. And despite Chevrolet making a concerted effort to set yet another record, official lap times for the seventh-generation C7 Corvettes were never published by GM. But now that the all-new mid-engined C8 Corvette is here, it appears we will once again get an official lap time for America’s sports car.
In an interview with Motor Authority, Corvette Lead Development Engineer Mike Petrucci confirmed the Corvette team took to the Nordschleife the week before the July 18 public reveal of the mid-engine Corvette Stingray. According to Petrucci, Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin was chosen to make the timed run, though he made no comment about Gavin’s pace.
The 638 horsepower supercharged C6 ZR1 definitely has the power advantage over the C8, but the 6.2L small block V8 internally known as the LT2 that sits in the middle of the C8 is by no means a lump, producing up to 490 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. The C8 Corvette also packs a lightning quick 8-speed dual clutch transmission, making it the quickest and hardest launching Corvette to date.
It is almost certain that the C8 that completed the lap was equipped with the Z51 performance package, which includes a smattering of track-focused goodies like an electronic limited-slip differential, Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, improved aero front and rear, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. While we will have to wait and see how the C8 stacks up on the ‘Ring, we think it just might be the fastest Corvette around the track yet.
