The C8 Corvette: the mid-engine generation

C8 Corvette history

Mid-engine Corvettes had been discussed and prototyped since Zora Arkus-Duntov's era, but every production Corvette through 2019 kept its engine in front. The eighth generation, revealed in Tustin, California, in July 2019, moved the V8 behind the cabin and paired it with a dual-clutch automatic.

Chevrolet priced the 2020 Corvette Stingray from $59,995 including destination. Its 6.2L LT2 small-block, built in Tonawanda, New York, is rated at 495 hp and 470 lb-ft with the performance exhaust. Regular production began at Bowling Green, Kentucky, on February 3, 2020, after a delay caused by the 2019 UAW strike; the first retail car, VIN 001, had already sold for $3 million at a January 2020 charity auction.

The C8 has since become the broadest Corvette family yet: the Z06 (2023) with a flat-plane-crank 5.5L LT6, the E-Ray (2024) — the first electrified and first all-wheel-drive Corvette — the twin-turbo ZR1 (2025) and the 1,250 hp hybrid ZR1X (2026).[1],[2],[3],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9]

Years and production numbers

Generations and key variants

Engine and drivetrain facts

• The LT2 is a pushrod 6.2L small-block built at GM's Tonawanda, New York, engine plant and rated at 495 hp and 470 lb-ft with the performance exhaust.
• The Z06's LT6 is a 5.5L dual-overhead-cam V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft — Chevrolet calls it the most powerful naturally aspirated Corvette engine.
• The ZR1's LT7 starts from the LT6 architecture and adds twin turbochargers, for 1,064 hp at 7,000 rpm and 828 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm.
• The E-Ray adds a 160 hp electric motor driving the front axle, fed by a 1.9 kWh battery, to the 495 hp LT2 — 655 hp combined.

Sources:[1],[4],[5],[6]

What changed, generation by generation

1. July 20192020 Corvette Stingray revealed in Tustin, California; priced from $59,995 including destination.
2. February 2020Regular production begins at Bowling Green after the UAW strike delay; the hardtop convertible joins the coupe.
3. 2023Z06 arrives with the 670 hp LT6, the most powerful naturally aspirated Corvette.
4. 2024E-Ray: first electrified and first all-wheel-drive Corvette, 655 hp combined, revealed on the Corvette's 70th anniversary.
5. 2025ZR1 returns with the 1,064 hp twin-turbo LT7 — Chevrolet's fastest, most powerful Corvette at launch.
6. 2026ZR1X pairs the ZR1's engine with a front electric motor for 1,250 hp combined.

Sources:[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7]

What to check before you buy one

• Confirm the model and package: Stingray, Z06, E-Ray and ZR1 share a basic shape, and the Z51 Performance Package, Magnetic Ride Control, front-lift and carbon-fiber packages are ordered options that change value.
• Ask whether the car has a front-axle lift (on cars that have it) and check the front splitter and underbody for scrapes — the low nose is the C8's most common cosmetic damage.
• Check the service and software history: ask a Chevrolet dealer to confirm open recalls and software campaigns are complete, and run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
• On Z06 and ZR1 cars, ask about track use and look for wear on brakes, tires and the aero pieces; on the E-Ray, confirm the hybrid system shows no warnings.
• Ask for the original window sticker or a factory build record to confirm color, interior and option content.

Engine guides: LT2 6.2L V8.

C8 Corvette prices and values

Launch pricing (Chevrolet, 2019): the 2020 Stingray started at $59,995 including destination. Charity auction results are not typical values: VIN 001 sold for $3,000,000 at Barrett-Jackson in January 2020, and the first retail E-Ray raised $1.1 million in April 2023.[2],[9],[12]

Medians of asking prices, not transaction prices; every trim is blended, so performance variants usually sit well above these medians. "Below new median" compares each model year's median used listing with the median listing price of a new 2026 Corvette today. More in our Chevrolet Corvette depreciation study.

Mileage: across 11,237 used Chevrolet Corvette listings in our November 2026 study, the median odometer reading was 21,359 miles and 0% showed 200,000 miles or more. See how long a Chevrolet Corvette lasts.

How to verify a C8 Corvette's factory options

C8 values swing on ordered options — Z51, Magnetic Ride Control, front lift, carbon-fiber aero and wheel packages, interior trims and the 1LT/2LT/3LT level. CarWhere checks for licensed VIN-level build data and decodes the ordered-option RPO codes it holds for the VIN; it is not a copy of every code on the Service Parts Identification label.