Chevrolet is testing the C8 Corvette Stingray in right-hand drive as it readies to launch the car in markets like the UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
YouTuber Rick Corvette Conti recently uploaded a video with spy shots of two separate right-hand-drive C8 Corvettes testing in the United States. The first is painted in Accelerate Yellow and was pictured with its driver’s door open while the second car was a black example adorned with a red leather interior.
Interestingly, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juecther revealed in an interview in August 2020 that the car manufacturer had already begun testing the C8 in right-hand drive guise. These photos confirm that the cabin of right-hand drive models is a perfect mirror image of those sold in LHD markets.
Read Also: Chevrolet Already Building And Testing RHD C8 Corvettes; First Stop: Japan
Australia will be among the first right-hand drive markets to get the C8 Corvette, with a local launch tipped for late 2021. The sports car will be sold through the newly-established General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) division and will apparently start at AU$149,990 (US$119,000) locally. While that may sound like a lot for U.S. readers, it will comfortably undercut other sports cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, which starts at AU$172,000 (US$137,000). It is understood that fewer than 200 examples of the C8 Corvette will be sold in Australia each year.
Like left-hand drive models, the RHD ‘Vette will be powered by a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that produces up to 495 hp with the available performance exhaust and is coupled to an eight-speed Tremec dual-clutch transmission.