when chevrolet announced it had finally begun production of the highly anticipated 2020 mid-engine corvette in early february, it also released a trailer for an in-house documentary that takes a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to make the car. in that trailer is the new corvette's much-awaited nürburgring lap time: 7:29.9.
the time, first spotted by roadshow, is hidden around the 0:52 mark in the trailer above, superimposed onto the track as a virtual piece of graffiti art, intended to blend in and act as a sort of easter egg. a chevy spokesperson confirmed the unofficial time to road & track, telling them it was a z51 package–equipped car that did the job. the $5000 package includes michelin summer tires, a rear spoiler that gm says helps make 400 pounds of downforce, added cooling hardware, an exhaust that ups power and torque, and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
according to gm, it was corvette racing factory driver oliver gavin who set the time, assisted in the pits by a group of development engineers. you may recognize gavin's name because he is a five-time le mans 24-hour class winner (not a big deal).
the 7:29.9 time makes the c8 corvette faster than the previous-generation c7 by around 10 seconds. impressively, it's also quicker than the new 992-generation porsche 911 carrera s, well at least one driven by the german publication sport auto which set a 7:30.41 lap time in fall 2019.
from: road & track