Lucas Bell 
The mid-engine Corvette has been official since June, but that hasn’t stopped the media frenzy that surrounds the C8 from continuing to swirl. We’ve been covering everything from potential price hikes to what engines will find their way into the higher performance models, and the rumors keep on coming. While we can’t confirm all of the suspicions about the C8 Corvette at this time, its 194 mph top speed was made official. And now there’s video evidence to verify just how fast it can go.
While giving a presentation at the National Corvette Museum’s 25th Anniversary celebration, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter presented a short clip of the mid-engined Corvette undergoing its official top speed test run. The 2020 Corvette Stingray was able to claw its way to 194 mph, thanks to its sleeker shape, and a 490 horsepower 6.2L LT2 V8 that now sits in the middle. In order to accurately measure the C8 Corvette’s top speed, highly sensitive GPS devices were fitted inside of the sports car’s cabin. The posted speed of 194 mph is also the “flying mile” average, which means the car ran in both directions to account for the wind’s role in the top speed test. The top speed testing took place at a track in Papenburg, Germany.
The video itself, uploaded by CorvetteBlogger, is 75 minutes long, and is chock full of Corvette content. But if you just are interested in the C8 top speed run, fast forward to the one hour mark.
The C8 Corvette Stingray in the clip is in fact the base model, not one equipped with the Z51 Performance Package. The added downforce enhancements found on Z51 cars reduce the top speed to “only” 184 mph, despite the additional five horsepower under the hood.
The mid-engine Corvette reaching a top speed of 194 mph in a car with a $59,995 base price is quite an achievement, and certainly one Chevrolet is happy to show off. That figure is even more impressive when you consider that the 650 horsepower C7 Z06 was only able to manage a top speed of 185 mph, despite making 160 more horsepower than the C8 Corvette. Seeing as how the C8 Corvette Stingray with the Z51 package is already the quickest base Corvette ever, we can’t wait to see what the upcoming C8 Z06 will be able to do.
