The New 2020 C8 Corvette Will Debut As a Stingray

Chevy has just officially announced that the mid-engine 2020 Corvette C8 will debut as a Stingray on July 18^th, 2019. It is said that GM Corp has reported as much over the recent past thanks to information provided by sources familiar with the matter.

The Stingray name originally came to be when the second-generation Corvette debuted as a Sting Ray in 1963. This nameplate ran until 1976, at which point the base Corvette dropped the Stingray name.

However Chevy revived the Stingray name in 2014 for the seventh generation Corvette, aka Corvette C7. Hence, today’s announcement that the 2020 Corvette C8 will use the Stingray name is confirmation that the name will live on. The name is generally well-received and liked within the Corvette community.

GM also has also told inside sources that the 2020 Corvette C8 will be powered by a 6.2L V8 engine called the LT2. The naturally-aspirated eight-cylinder is a slightly-reworked LT1 currently used in the Chevrolet Camaro SS, the new Camaro LT1, as well as the current Corvette C7 Stingray and Grand Sport.

The C8 will offer the LT2 with an updated Active Fuel Management via an Eco driving mode, as well as new valving changes that help lower friction and provide smoother, more-efficient operation. In the mid-engine Corvette, the LT2 is expected to make somewhere in the vicinity of 480 horsepower. Chevy recently shared a sound clip of the engine starting up and revving.

While the Stingray currently serves as the C7 Corvette’s base trim, the name’s return remained in question due to Chevrolet’s decision to switch from a front to mid-engine layout for the next-generation sports car. Late last week, Chevy unveiled the C8 steering wheel, which closely resembled spy shots of the car’s interior from months before. Still unconfirmed is nearly all of the car’s technical specs, including engine choice, although prior reports suggest that the C8 will use a reworked version of GM’s LT1 push-rod V8, perhaps named the LT2. Horsepower is expected to be up from the current Stingray’s 460 ponies, with over 500 horsepower as a possibility.