Napleton News – FIRST VIEWS OF THE CORVETTE STINGRAY C8 CONVERTIBLE

A look forward by taking a look back.

Chevrolet introduced the 2020 Corvette Convertible version of their mid-engined masterpiece at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Center, Wednesday, October 2, 2019.

The Chevrolet brand has a long history of hanging with Astronauts and even went so far as to offer them “dollar cars” that were essentially vehicles leased for one dollar a year, in exchange for the visibility that came with being driven by an astronaut in and around the Cocoa Beach, Florida area.

Astronauts were gven the opportunity to lease two vehicles each, back in the days of the Mercury Redstone, Gemini and Apollo space programs. As detailed in online reports, astronauts with families usually took a Corvette, and a station wagon (Minivans weren’t a thing, that far back), for a dollar each.

General Motors saw an opportunity to perform a public service as well as a great marketing opportunity with the dollar car lease program, “rewarding and thanking” the astronauts for their heroics and service. Remember, at that time, no one else in America was as revered as an astronaut.

Chevrolet retailer (and 1960 Indianapolis 500 Winner) Jim Rathmann owned a dealership in Melbourne, Florida, and was friendly with astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom and Gordon Cooper during the opening days of the space race. He realized the value in such a promotion and convinced GM President Ed Cole to start the dollar car program (with an assist via urging from Cole’s wife, Dollie). The program ended in 1971, following the end of the Apollo lunar landings.

The mid-engined Corvette Stingray Convertible is powered by an all-new 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine that sits lower than ever before, between the driver and the rear axle for perfect balance. Delivering 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque making it the most powerful production Stingray and giving it a 194 mph top-end.

Lightning-quick shifts come from a standard dual-clutch transmission, that functions like a manual gearbox, with the speed and efficiency of an automatic.

An available Z51 Performance Package can be ordered, which is complete with GM’s Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 Suspension that reads the road in milliseconds in order to firm-up or soften the ride quality as needed. All vehicles can be configured with the Driver Mode Selector that lets you enter up to 12 performance variables to personalize your ride for a wide variety of roads.

 

Delivery is TBD.
Check Napleton News frequently for Corvette Stingray updates and news, as it becomes available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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